Terroir: Pinot Gris
Alesong Brewing & Blending

Here's another gem brought by leftpaw to Thanksgiving 2019.

Pours a golden color familiar to anyone who has ever had beer. Head formation wasn't this beer's strong suit, failed to maintain a head. Has a mixture of lemon, white grape kind of fruit nose, sourness.

Wow, this is one wine like beer, you might as well just call this a wine/beer hybrid, because its just as much that as some of the Firestone Walker and Bruery ones (industry leaders IMHO) put out. There is mention of brett in on the label, but there was too much white wine influence for me to make it out. Pretty acidic stuff. Came off more clean and spritzy than a bretted beer. Plenty of citrus notes throughout the taste and mouth feel. I'm not the foremost expert on pinot gris grapes, but this identifies as white grape to me. Plenty vinous. Light french oak touch keeps amplifying the white wine aspect.

Other than the color of the beer, it identified just as much as a wine. "Educate yourself, bigot."

 

 

 

Bottle from Tavour
Slightly hazy light golden color with a tightly bubbled white head that dissipates quickly. Earthy and funky on the nose with hints of lemony tartness and a light jammy grape. Light citric lactic tartness with bits of vinous and earthy funk. Pretty good wild ale.

 

Pours a hazy golden body. Decent head from the first pour but fades somewhat quickly. Aromas are dry, tart, a little funky. The Brett shines through in the nose and flavors. Dry oak, hints of citrus, pepper. Smooth and crisp.

 

 

i am incredibly high on alesong right now, all of their stuff is just so inventive and refined, and this is another winner from them, a brett fermented saison with pinot gris juice, its the essence of the grape, a wonderful beer/wine hybrid that delivers all the sweet and tangy fruit one could hope for, but also has a really complex and funky yeast complexion, a rich new oak mellowness, and a light honey sweetness running through it. the aromas and flavors here are fantastic, old world brett, champagne, hay, clover honey, slate and minerals, and all in a really clean and close to dry brew, with a light but flavorful pale malt base and the grape influence running all the way through it. i really like the light acidity of the fruit, it gives this a wine feel to match the flavor, and i like how mature and prominent the brett is, all wrapped up in oak and fruity in its own right, peach and apricot come to mind, insanely compatible with these grapes. the oak unites the beer really well, and everything hangs in a cool balance. this is expert stuff, one of the better wine grape beers i have here in the early going this year. i cant get enough from these guys right now, everything is so on point! this is among their best work to date!