Prick James
Islla Street Brewing Company

 

a session type saison brewed with cactus and guava, easily the most creative and striking beer we had in here, and while maybe its a shade less than perfectly refined, its an incredible beer, and it really is inspired and different and impressive, it made my lady and i smile from ear to ear, so cool to experience something different in beer these days, and this one surely is original! its lightly orange, lightly hazy, and short headed from the tap but plenty fizzy, with a mouthwatering aroma of tart fruit like lemon and passion fruit, tropical to me, a sweetness from the guava too, a fresh squeezed orange element, and a lushness from the nopales, almost like aloe or something, which seems super compatible with the vinous french type saison yeast. the flavor is as intriguing as the nose, and its interesting how much the cactus comes into play, not an accent at all but a flavor driver, the first i have ever experienced that in a beer, and i really like it. i almost wish the guava wasnt here, as much as i like the flavor and authenticity of it, i think the cactus on its own in a saison like this would be even more dramatic, the guava sort of softens its weirdness. cactus seems to work with noble type hops, a could see a real rustic version of this with some raw wheat and some rye even, lots of saaz hops, and even some brett or something, but in this form its also amazing, a showcase of a new flavor in beer for me, and that is super rare these days. huge points for creativity on this one, and if they can carbonate it up a little better next time, bring the yeast esters down slightly, and dry it out a bit in the finish, it will be exquisite. our collective favorite beer in here for sure, but all of them are this smart. cant wait to see where these guys go from here!