Old Vine
Dwinell Country Ales

i love these guys, love that they can some of this funky stuff, and adore the fact they are doing so much with grapes, its my muse right now, has been for awhile i guess, love this sort of thing, and as a hotel room nightcap with my wife over some cards and vintage records, this was tough to beat! a pinot gris saison, our can said 6.6% abv, i suspect there has been some variation in this over the batches, different grapes and such, but pinot gris is a nice one to showcase. blonde beer with a good inch of white head and decent clarity through much of the can, a little more sediment towards the bottom. the grapes in this are awesome, tangy in the nose with the funky yeast, minerals, tartness, tannins, some sweetness still too, albeit subtle. seems wheat based, fuller and frothy and fluffy. green olive, slate, white spring flowers, kiwi fruit and green melon, pineapple candy, and a biscuity pils type note too, all coming together super well. if there is wood here its modest, newish oak to me, a light vanilla whisper, but not particularly wooden overall. i get a flash of honey too, floral and sexy, not sugary really but with its identity seemingly well preserved in this. its not as delicate as some of their beers but the grape part is, which is kind of a neat juxtaposition. love the funk, this is tight in the can and nicely conditioned, and its yeasty without being real sour. complex then, interesting, and pretty well refined, although a half step from what i would call super polished. nice use of the grapes in this, cool base beer or blend, and overall something quite fantastic. good to see these folks getting their stuff out there a little more, feels like its not a secret anymore. love what they do!

Taster flight at Ex Novo Beaverton. Pale golden, white wine looking pour, fine ring of head. Tart, fruity aroma, white grapes. Taste is tart and sweet, grapes, lemony. A bit drying on the gums.