Night Vision - Carrot Ginger Saison
Old Louisville Brewery

Taster at brewery. Medium golden pour with creamy, silky head. Aroma favors the ginger, snappy, sweet. Taste starts with the sweetness, some earthy, carrot flavors, more of the ginger. In the background, the farmhouse yeast ties it all together. Well balanced.

Experimentation meets its match as the brewers of Old Louisville take on the KY Proud challenge and create a beer with locally grown ingredients. The result is a Belgian-styled Saison Farmhouse Ale with carrot and ginger.

Tarnish bronze and building a light and lofty, slight sepia foam, Night Vision starts to tease the senses immediately with the spice of ginger. With a medley of citrus and orchard fruits playing lesser roles, so do the accompanying peppery spices that come along with the natural fermentation character. Once on the tongue, the malts carry a slightly robust caramelized, honey and pecan flavor that's a charming backdrop for the ingredient additions.

Its sweetness lifts quickly on the middle palate and the more natural farmhouse flavors of fruit esters bring about notions of lemon, apple, pear, apricot and the juiciness of white pear. Trending slightly cider-like and with a vinous undertone, the spices catch up quickly with white pepper, lemongrass, tea and clove that joins the growing ginger flavors nearing finish. Meanwhile the vegetal nature of carrot play into the grain sugars with a fully fermented curiosity that's difficult to pin down in the end.

Medium bodied and drying on the finish, Night Vision starts aridly creamy and dries wonderfully with the aid of wine-like alcohol, ginger and dissolving sweetness, but does allow for an extended thinness in the middle that hinder's the beer's ultimate dryness and drinkability, setting it apart from more authentic Belgian-made versions but on par from what we're seeing out of Belgo-American versions. The playful and unique addition of carrot makes this session a charmer for sure.