Earthbound
Brotherton Brewing Company

 

Poured from 22 oz. bottle into a tulip glass. No bottle date evident. It pours a cloudy, almost opaque, dirty apricot color with a thin, creamy bright white head and film of lacing. The nose is bright a fruity: red wine grape, wild yeast, cherry, apricot, lemon, and coriander. It smells more like a Wild Ale than a Saison. It's hard to tell the age of the bottle (except with reference to its addition to the BA database) but it's not nearly as sweet as the nose would indicate. The cherry and apricot are mild and subdued. There is a lot of tart citrus and I can taste the red wine barrel notes. The wild yeast is breadier than I expected. It's quite sour but there is also considerable bitterness. It has a pleasant mouth feel: much creamier than I anticipated and yet the carbonation is lively. Overall, I'm not sure what to make of this "Wild Saison." It may be age but the fruit seems to have dissipated. Its best attributes are its smell and feel but I was disappointed by the flavor. Brotherton brews some fine beers so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume this one was past its prime.

 

DATE: May 25, 2018... OCCASION: a warm lead-in to the Memorial Day weekend deserves a refreshing yet complex profile... GLASSWARE: La Fin du Monde tulip... deep amber body with ample effervescence... a thick, pillowed cream of white head unevenly cambers in waves... first whiff is wow--robust cherries, a tart promise with a yeasty blanket of earthiness... singular in its aroma, with a splash of citrus and thyme... a spiciness of pepper and subtler fare... the first sip is warming, bubbly, vibrant, and creamy... its finish is dry, refreshing, and lingering in its exit... this engages as it drains, complete with a window shade's worth of lacing that smears into a cosmic, almost celestial backdrop--quite a looker... the cherry bomb mingles with a cabernet's profile, black berry and cassis wedding to orange, bitter herb, pepper, cedar, and cardamon... becomes sippable at the second glass, making this a welcoming 6.3% ABV... its yeasty strength sparks the taste buds strongly... glad to have put Brotherton on my list of hads...