Magical Mystery Kind
Mikerphone Brewing

 

L - groovy. Pours a clear mostly transluscent gold. It's almost colorless. I'm sitting here like a dumbass waving my glass around the room trying to find the right lighting. Big fluffy mesmerizing head. Surface moves like algae on a pond.

S - sharp, bright, fruity cold brew coffee. Definitely smells of the Ethiopian variety. Mixes interestingly with the saison backbone. Granny Smith apples. Bright berries and a pointed twang from the saison spice.

T - tart lemon and apple burst forth as grain and coffee follow. Coffee takes a back seat to the saison flavors. Fruity blackberries, currants, and raspberries liven the mood. Mild lemon, clove, and more hints of iced coffee.

F - smooth and low key, but the carbonation has personality. Evidence of some alcohol.

O - interesting saison. Hits some nice flavors, but balance can be out of whack sometimes. Definitely more on the "weird" side, but that just so happens to be my jam!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted in a Teku glass from a 750 ml bottle on October 13, 2016. Look is gold with a thin white head. Smell is yeast and spice. Taste is all coffee. Feel is medium in body.

 

Pours a hazy golden orange color with a finger of off-white head that dissipated quickly.

Aroma is super unique and interesting. Get the earthy, herbal, and fruity coffee. When I think of coffee, I think dark and roasty, but this coffee is just slightly roasty with tons of berry and earthy notes. Blackberry, strawberry, and cherry come to mind. This coffee presence does not overpower the fruity saison yeast being used. Get banana, clove, juicy pineapple, and slight funk. Just a layer of sugary sweetness coming from the malt to round everything out. Smells slightly funky, fruity, juicy, and slightly earthy and roasty. Crazy, but it works somehow.

Just like the aroma, the taste is crazy, but it somehow works. Very complex. Up front you get juicy banana, pineapple, and papaya. A little bit of peppery clove is there too. The earth and berry-forward coffee is slightly coming through. As you transition into the finish, the beer dries out and the coffee notes come through more. Once again, you expect more roast than you actually get. It's slightly roasty, but it is filled with blackberry, strawberry, and raspberry. A slight funky, tart note hits the palate on the finish as well. The coffee and saison qualities somehow coexist without impeding on one another.

Medium body. Smooth, crisp carbonation. Creamy middle. Slightly sticky finish.

This is one of the most odd and unique beers I've had. I didn't think it would work, but leave it up to Mikerphone to prove me wrong. The fruity and earthy coffee that was chosen was perfect to complement the already fruity yeast esters the saison farmhouse yeast provides. A complex and well-made beer.

Enjoyed October 2016

 

750 ml bottle, bottled this morning, and delivered fresh to the local bottle shop. "Saison with Cold Brew Cascara & Ethiopian Natural Guji Coffee". Sounds awesome!

Poured into a Big Eddy snifter.

A - Pours a golden orange-brown colored body; appears thick & juicy, like i could just bite right into it. Quarter inch of foamy white froth for a head that lingers as a ring. Some minor sticky spotty lacing when given a nice swirl.

S - A very interesting, unique, & complex aroma: the yeast adds a wonderful mouthwatering juicy sweetness, while the coffee imparts hugely authentic notes of freshly grinded beans, cascara, chile, & subtle spice.

T - Taste follows the nose: extremely interesting, unique, & complex stuff. The farmhouse yeast imparts flavors of juicy ripe fruits - oranges, peaches, mango, while the authentic Ethiopian coffee beans add layers of smooth creamy coffee, roast, & nuttiness. Part G Funk Era, and part Tugboat Coffee.

M - Feel is extremely smooth, crisp, & juicy. Borderline refreshing, but the coffee content / nuttiness keeps me from wanting to chug this.

Overall, very unique and complex stuff, though I can see how this one would not appealing to the everyday IPA drinker. Very nice stuff.

Mikerphone Brewing Magical Mystery Kind -----4/5.