Pivot Point
Barrel + Beam

 

 

Reddish brown with tan speckles and a big tan head. Smell has raisin, burnt biscuit, oak, black pepper, citrus, caramel, apple, and yeast. Taste has the classic bite about 2 thirds of the way through that is so rewarding, seems amplified by the oak and yeast. Flavors from smell are largely present, with the overall taste complexion not being as sweet as smell, but plenty complex. Feel is airy, yeasty, has some bite, and dry.

 

 

Really great barrel aged saison, tastes like a rich apple crisp, really effervescent and warm. Refreshing, deep apple pear fruitiness, caramel, cinnamon, biscuit. Great feel. Nice beer.

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep golden/amber/light orange color with a 2-3 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, light banana/bubblegum, honey, cracker, white bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, light caramel/nuttiness, herbal, floral, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malts, earthy hops, and light-moderate wine barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, light banana/bubblegum, honey, cracker, white bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, light caramel/nuttiness, herbal, floral, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast spiciness; and herbal, floral, woody, grassy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, banana, bubblegum, honey, cracker, white bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, light caramel/nuttiness, herbal, floral, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malts, earthy hops, and light-moderate wine barrel flavors; with a fantastic malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no astringent flavors after the finish. Moderately crisp/clean finishing. Moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness and carbonation. High carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly sticky, and lightly tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an outstanding Biere de Garde. All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malts, earthy hops, and light-moderate wine barrel flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the moderately bitter/spicy drying finish. Fantastic balance between well rounded Belgian yeast complexity, rich Munich malts, and earthy hops; with solid wine barrel presence. Zero residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazingly spot on style example as expected.

 

L - Dark amber with a huge pillowy soft dirty white head.
S - Sweet Bready malt and yeast.
T - Bready, toasted malt and sweet almost like a lightly candied fruit. The bottle says notes of toasted caramel. I am not picking up on that though.
F - Highly carbonated and full bodied without being heavy
O - Very easy drinking, and well balanced. There is no flavor that stands out but nothing close to offensive either. It is clean and refreshing.

Pours lightly hazy Amber. Tall, Bubbly Whitehead that last shortly.

Smells light toasty Malts, hint of Raisin, Oaky, light earthy and hints of Funk.

Taste earthy and toasted malt. Followed by raisin, earthy yeast Funk and Oak. Finishes dry with an earthy linger. Medium body and fizzy medium carbonation.

A: Pours up with a frothy, three finger, cream head, and a deep, slightly hazy amber body.
S: Deep maltiness, some notes of chocolate, some toasty notes, and hints of raisin and prune
T: Slightly sour, but prominently malty and crisp, with a nice grainy aftertaste and some minor tannic notes from the oak with hints of apple.
M: Dry.
O: This is the first American Biére De Garde that I have had that comes even close to honoring the traditional interpretation of the style, don't get me wrong, this an American take on a Biére de garde, but it is actually a Biére de garde, and one with personality at that. It doesn't sacrifice what it is on the altar of messing with things, it respects the style and expounds upon it, well done, try this if you can find it and like traditional examples of the style.