2022 Anniversary Ale
Talisman Brewing Company

real neat bottle here from these guys, in honor of their sixth anniversary. sounds like the beer and barrels change on this a little year to year, so vintage listing is in order. gorgeous red wax on this bomber, a clean saison, french type, aged in red wine barrels, and extremely well executed. pale beer but made darker by the wine stains from the barrel, frothy headed and lively, less than all the way clear, looks quite sturdy. at its core this is not the kind of saison that excites me much, a too clean, too predictable, 3711 type yeast brew thats mostly pale wheat and fruity esters of white wine, green grape, and white pepper, we have been down this road a million times, but there are a couple of elements that set this apart. the first, and more obvious, is the barrels. the oak and the red wine are both heavy in the aroma and flavor, a bit more wood in the smell, a little more fruity red wine in the flavor. its smooth, has some tannic aspects, hints of cherry, vanilla, cream soda, and even butterscotch in the wood and wine combo. its a long taste profile, sweet orange and coriander seed in the center at temperature, and a little over developed yeast ester through the back half, spicy and sharp and approaching phenolic, probably fermented a bit warm, even for this strain, but the barrel character is bold enough to keep up, even if i dont love this element, white wine notes off the yeast are in fact compatible with the red wine from the barrel, perhaps a lighter red. the second thing that works in its favor is the imperial level abv, i like the warming alcohol, the extra grain is needed for balancing and supporting body, and i dont mind this running a little off dry because of it. i think all of this flatters the barrel treatment, and vice versa, so good call to run this a tad stronger, this yeast can certainly handle it. fine carbonation but not as clean on the finisih as it could be. id prefer this with a brett pitch or something, a little more funk to it, never loved this yeast by itself, but they did a good job with this overall and it stands as one of the better and more ambitious talisman beers i have had to date. would love to score some older vintages...