Barrel Aged Rose' Saison
Standard Deviant Brewing

Fortunately from my flight of five at Barley & Bine Beer Cafe. Actually, I was very fortunate to have a 3 ounce taster and not a pint of this high ABV for a saison. It was an early empty stomach lunchtime and my flatbread which, also fortunate, paired nicely with this rose' saison. On a base saison, the Zinfandel grapes helped cut the fat from the cheeses and massaged the balsamic from my mouth; lured the tart/sour.

After the suds settled, this Rose' saison Look's could be mistaken for a rose' wine. (Almost.) I Smelled the grapes, but the base mixed malt and the yeast kicked-up as much fruit. Tastes are interesting and well-balanced. Hard to do both in a first release. Medium-mouthed. And soft like a grape.

The huge Overall Hugs is for the BA Rose' Saison, its pairing potential and for my discovering Standard Deviant. Of course, I had to go on their website and they told me enough to pique my imagination. Probably skilled brewers and typical SF iconoclasm. With two taprooms and a good base saison, I probably should have no excuse for not visiting. Let's see how long that takes this old man to move.