Parachutes
Birds Fly South Ale Project

 

2019 vintage, a beer mail gift from a good friend, saved awhile but it felt like time. not sure how much this varies from year to year, but this green glass bottle is aged in pinot noir barrels, a dark saison with a lot of character but maybe not as expertly refined as the best beers ive had from these guys have been. thick looking for a lower alcohol saison, a deep shiny porter or stout look to it, and disappointingly, basically no head. the nose is fantastic though, an almost permanent marker intensity, tangy and weirdly wild, not at all belgian or french saison yeast smelling to me, lots of wine and dark berries, wet oak, very mature, a little green glass skunk, and some red raspberry character coming through as well, definitely unique, almost an oud bruin vibe with a little vinegar here. the flavor is muter compared to the nose, almost dull at first, but it warms up well. a little sharp but not particularly acidic, less wild than their best beers, not not really yeast driven to me at all, despite the tang. lots of oak, red wine, light chemicals, and a ton of almost burnt malt. an interesting mix of flavors, a lot of character for a beer under 6% abv, but almost totally flat, which always hurts these styles for me, and just not at the level of their most delicious brews. cool project, but the intangibles were not all here...