Tableau De Fleurs
Narrow Gauge Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

this was a tough one for me, for one i really wanted to like it, bringing it to a share with some heavyweights, was hoping it would hold its own. i also like these guys, and was hoping that the quality they have come up with through much of their hoppy stuff would also present itself here, a brett fermented table saison in wine barrels, a long way from east coast ipa indeed. the bottle is sexy and the pour is insanely light, watered down looking light yellow color, good head and carbonation activity, but this is absurdly light, fully transparent, delicate though and still appealing to me. the aroma is actually awesome, some really cool wild maturity, a nice strain of brett allowed to do its thing. the malt is almost invisible, but i like this dry assertive funk, and i get some mild dried flowers and honey behind it, appealing and promising for sure. the flavor is, well, it isnt... you see, this basically has no flavor. all of us were kind of shocked that this nose didnt translate into any taste, perhaps they went too light on the grain and didnt allow for any character to come through, but aside from a very delicate almost invisible brett complexion, there is nothing here. i try to wait for it to come, to warm up, develop, give me something, but it never does, and this ends very disappointing on flavor. the huge bummer is that there are trace wood elements to this, a very cool brett profile, and it seems like they were on the right track. perhaps fermented too dry its all gone, but i think the recipe just needs to be scaled up. its bubbly and easy down obviously, and i drink mine quietly rather than laughing at it like the rest of the group felt compelled to do. it was a letdown for sure, but it also has a lot to be excited about as far as these guys moving beyond ipa into wild beer. its under flavored without a doubt, but its also kind of good, i can at least recognize the upside here. not weak enough to put me off of the next one...

Pours a hazy gold color. 1/5 inch head of an off-white color. Slight retention and poor lacing. Smells of bacterial funk, citrus hops, pale malt, and yeast. Fits the style of a Saison/Farmhouse Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and clean, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of bacterial funk, citrus hops, pale malt, hint of liquor, and yeast. Overall, weak appearance, decent aroma and body.

 

These dudes should stick to what they do best......brewing the same hazy IPA 50 times and sticking a different label on it. Learn the art of blending before you try to make beers like this. Tableau De Fleurs felt more like it should have been a component in a larger and more complex blend, than something that should have been released on it's own. Other than a bit of Brett and white wine up front, this beer was severely lacking in flavor and left SO MUCH to be desired. I wasn't expecting much to be honest, though. I would have been surprised if this brewery was actually capable of doing a beer like this justice, given their current direction.