Blue Devil
Three 3's Brewing Co.

 

Pours an orange like hue with slightest hint of pink, vigorous Belgian like white head; white in color, nice film persists with good density around the glass; a swirl really reinvigorates this one and thickens up the cap really nicely.

Nose is all about the saison yeast; spicy and clove like; light fruit skin like acidity and tartness, carries a light sweet character, as it warms this becomes more noticeable.

Taste is spicy Belgian phenolics, clove comes to mind first; followed up by black pepper like bite; all the while light sweetness lightly lingers from start to finish, the Belgian like carbonation masks it while mid sip; it then lingers pleasantly and is quite fresh ripe blueberry like, not candy blueberry or flavoring blueberry, the real thing.

Mouthfeel is medium, on the lighter side though; lively carbonation, reminiscent of Belgian beer, light tannin bitterness on the finish; pleasant light little bit of sweetness on the tongue, light nasal warming.

A well made beer, this is a Belgian leaning saison; with hints of real blueberry, it is not a style I gravitate towards but I'm enjoying sipping this one. Fans of "fruited" beers would probably be disappointed with this one but to me it is a very nice drinking beer with a nod to one of South Jersey greatest things, fresh blueberries.

Although there was expectant foam, considering the style and room temperature serving, the contents of a pint can emptied easily into a clear glass liter mug. There's only a little blueberry fragrance in the air. It smells much more like a yeasty saison. The color is reddish amber, dark, dull and opaque. The foamy head is off-white, with just a little tint of the brew adding hue. There's plenty of carbonation and not much to taste, even for a saison. If there's little blueberry at room temperature, it's doubtful there would be more were it cold. It's a saison and it's supposed to have subtle characteristics. That it does. Thankfully, the yeastiness of a saison is held in check here, although it does make an unfortunate appearance during the finish. Overall, this is bland, even for its style. It really could have used a bigger blueberry flavor. That wouldn't really be true to style, but this is an example of why fruited kettle sours are generally tastier than saisons. Along with the scant blueberry taste comes the scant glass lacing, also typical of the style. Maybe affectionatos of saisons will find this appealing, but it's not for anyone else.

 

 

Three 3's Brewing Co. "Blueberry Saison"
16 fl. oz. can "CANNED ON 06/06/21 12:53 BLUEBY SEASON"

Notes via stream of consciousness: From "The Blueberry Capital Of The World", Hammonton, New Jersey! Ha ha ha! This isn't nearly true: Washington produces almost twice as many pounds of bluberries as New Jersey, and they're also surpassed by Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon. Put it on the label though - if you say it enough everyone will believe you! OK, back to the beer itself, it's a cloudy dark amber with a ruby sheen beneath a full head of off-white that has a little bit of pink to it. The aroma is sweetish, fruity, malty, and a little spicy. I don't clearly get blueberry but keep in mind that this is made with real fruit and no extract so that's what I'd expect. I do get blueberry in the flavor, but again it tastes like real blueberries, not that amped up caricature that you get in extracts. The saison yeast is there as well, although I mainly get the spiciness. The other flavor notes are mixed within the fruit and not as clear. Perhaps when it warms a bit though. It's also hard to tell what the malt base is like. I'm guessing that it's pretty basic but that spiciness could be due in part to an addition of rye. Or it could just be the saison yeast. It's got a sweet edge to it, but it's also tart, and there's a fair amount of bitterness to it as well. Anyone who's expecting a "blueberry beer" will be disappointed as it's really more of a saison with a healthy addition of fruit. It finishes dry with little fruitiness left behind, and some spiciness and bitterness lingering. In the mouth it's medium bodied and zesty with a fine-bubbled, higher level carbonation. All in all this is a really nice beer to chill out and relax with, and at 5.8% abv you could have another one if you felt like it. Well done!
Review #7,827