Illawarra
Cellar West Artisan Ales

this is a great beer, funky and hoppy, vic secret hops from australia which i think are awesome, underrated, and underused. very active from the bottle, i like the label aesthetic these guys have established too, the all look great. aroma of canned pineapple and apricot and vibrant white wine, the hops on full display here, vegetal and leafy too though, all dry hopped from what it seems. simple mash bill it seems, pils type and a little wheat, really not much too it and surprisingly light in the body for its strength, relatively high for a saison like this. the yeast is really nice, and for me, along with the hops, what its all about. similar to the meager table saison i had side by side with it, funky with a little bit of brett getting going it seems, farmy and rustic and perfectly interesting and unique, also gorgeous with the hops, contributing a dried grassy and fruity complex of its own to the mix. pineapple juice, orange, and mango sweetness in here too from the hops, more intense in aroma than flavor though, and overall just delicious, balanced, yeasty and hoppy but quite well refined. exceptionally good and a great showcase of vic secret hops in this context! the bottle prices have turned me off in the past, but this is worth it!