Le Pèlerin
E9 Brewing Co.

an old batch two bottle, not sure how old, but tastes extremely, like oftentimes brett beers dont get this oxidized, at first its kind of a turnoff, like its past its prime or it was never that great, which just isnt the case with these guys, but i warm up to it quickly, and by the end am actually pretty stoked on this. another rarity shared generously by my friend last weekend. not a whole lot of head to this muted rust colored brew, but lots of bubbles in suspension. it smells like wet animal and cardboard, with some dried grass and citrus in the mix, rustic as can be, not overly well refined, but unique on the brett side too, well established, there might not be other yeasts in here, but its fatigued to me just a little, and there isnt a whole lot to the malt, like whatever nuance was there seems collapsed, kind of just cereal soup now to me, not even all that dry when i drink it. a white wine note to the flavor, some richer caramel malt flavor, almost english on the grain side to me, and bretty but also a little sharp, some bacterial activity at work no doubt. lemons and white vinegar and more straw and hay at the end, oxidation that kind of works and kind of doesnt, and part of me wishes to be trying this fresher. rare that these get past their prime in this way, but i fear that is the case here. still enjoyable, weird, but not at the level that i have gotten used to from these guys. its still cool to explore some of their older wild beers, amazing what they have evolved into as an entity, one of my favorites anywhere! hopefully they make this one again...

 

Poured from 375mL corked & caged bottle into a tulip. The label says this is batch #2.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a light haze and strong effervescence. Head is a thick finger of frothy white foam; it's an attractive beer.

Smell: a bit of classic farmhouse aroma; just a hint of tang and funk. There's also a nice fruitiness in play here; I really like it.

Taste: a dash of tartness up front is followed by a mild but nice saison flavor. There's a bit of sweetness here, so it all tends towards a bit of lemon-ish fruitiness (although it's not as tart as a typical sour). I like this beer; it's got a lot of refreshing qualities.

Mouthfeel: medium body with decent level of carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: refreshing and interesting, this is a great warm-weather beer.