∞ Peppercorn Rye Saison
The Exchange Brewery

 

The best I have had from this brewery. Pours a copper colour with a generous head which settles slowly to leave a thin almost soapy looking film. Generous lacing. Aroma fruity and slightly tart. Flavour definitely tart peppery with stone fruit sweetness at the back.

 

 

750 mL green crown-capped bottle from the LCBO, listed at 7.2%. Bottled Jan 18 2018 and served barely chilled. The back label mentions that this has been aged in red wine barrels for two months - good to know, as that goes a long way towards justifying its hefty price tag ($13.50/bottle).

Pours a hazy golden-orange colour, topped with two fingers of billowing, meringue-like, white-coloured head. This layer steadily rises above the rim of the glass for the first several minutes, as the head is replenished more quickly than it can be eroded - however, this trend soon reverses, and (more than ten minutes later) I'm eventually left with a thick, lumpy, creamy-looking cap and collar. A fantastic coat of lacing, too; this is just a great-looking beer. The aroma is no slouch either, featuring a pleasantly funky/barnyard note that I rather enjoy; I'm also getting hints of orange peel, collaborating together with peppery, yeasty spiciness, mild oak tannins and some grassy, floral-smelling continental hops. The rye also imparts a sort of grainy, bready sweetness to the profile; complex and interesting, reminding me of quality Belgian-style beers I've had in the past, such as GI's Sofie or Matilda.

I was expecting something a bit more intense, but this is actually a very well-balanced brew. It tastes bready and crackery, with rye grain remaining a fairly constant presence, whilst a light funkiness ebbs and flows throughout the sip. Hints of apples, lemon, orange peel and grape skin provide a touch of fruity character, with grassy, herbal, slightly floral hop flavours asserting themselves towards the back end; this is where the peppercorn spice and (in particular) the red wine barrel finally begins to contribute in earnest, with oak tannin astringency and red grape skin serving to dry out the aftertaste quite effectively. Medium in body, with low-ish carbonation levels that gently nudge the surface of the palate; feels quite soft and mostly smooth - this is a double-edged sword, as it's quite easy to drink, but it lacks that crisp, lively bite.

Final Grade: 4.33, an excellent A grade. ∞ Peppercorn Rye Saison wasn't cheap, but I'm a totally satisfied customer nonetheless. Niagara-on-the-Lake brewers are notorious for their expensive beers - there's a lot of wine tourism in that area, and those folks aren't exactly hard up for cash, so it's understandable - but the Exchange has managed to back up their 'premium' price point with a high quality product. I think the pepper could stand to be amped up considerably, but that's really just personal preference - it's still a very good farmhouse ale, especially by local standards. It claims to be cellarable for up to three years, though I can't imagine it would benefit much from that procedure - I'd just drink it fresh. Next up, their session saison.