Spinning Yarn Blend B (2020)
Avling Kitchen and Brewery

From a 375ml bottle dated 2022/05/01. Poured into a tulip. A big three finger fluffy white head on a hazy dirty gold. The head diminishes to a solid layer. Lots of fine rocky lacing.

Vinous smells are apparent as soon as the bottle is opened. The first sip is slight citrus sour with some fruit. Initially sweet but soon dries. A long brett finish.

Very smooth for a Saison. Medium body and good carbonation. Overall a fine, interesting farmhouse ale. You want to keep drinking more.

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; dated 2021/09/07 and served barely chilled. I bought this about a year ago, and have cellared it ever since.

Pours a clear pale golden colour, topped with one finger of tight, foamy white head that lasts for a couple of minutes. A frothy collar remains, with some spotty lace developing over the course of the glass. The aroma is lemon-lime citrusy and a little funky, but also features an array of enticing fruity esters: pineapple, mango, maybe some peach and white grape. Barnyard funk, oak and faint vanilla become more noticeable as the glass warms.

A tasty farmhouse ale with some Brett character. Tart right off the hop, with sour lemon and lime giving way to pineapple, peach, cantaloupe, oak and a vinous white wine quality. The barnyard funk asserts itself on the back end, alongside oak, grains, white grape, vanilla and hay; moderately acidic, mildly funky aftertaste that lingers a bit. Light-medium in body with active carbonation and a crisp, lively mouthfeel. It's really drinkable, but worth taking your time to savour.

Final Grade: 4.13, an A-. Avling's Spinning Yarn possesses just the right level of funk for a farmhouse ale, IMO. Exceptionally flavourful and rather complex, taking into account its low abv (which the barrel and bugs more than make up for). This style sadly does not see a lot of action at the LCBO, so If I spot this again, I'll be buying at least a couple of bottles. Possibly more, as I believe it'd be a good short-to-mid-term cellar candidate.

500 ml bottle. This was listed as 2022 blend. Review from notes.

Appearance - Semi hazy, bright yellowy gold brew with two fingers of dense and long lasting white head on top and a plethora of sticky lacing as that head recedes.

Smell - Barnyard funk, some woody, light bready notes and a hint of citrus.

Taste - More barnyardy and earthy than I'd expected, the aging has done nice and interesting things here. Wood shows up among the bready aspects as well with a slight tart and sour undertone (but it is slight).

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, nice expresisve carbonation and dry as expected.

Overall - Pretty impressive stuff, quite enjoyable and more balanced than expected despite the surprising amount of funk here. Good beer and will score major points with some.

Pours a pale, hazy gold colour. If you’re a huge bitter.sour fan, go ahead and reconstitute the yeast, otherwise you might want to have it settled before the pour. Long lines of bubbles run up the middle of the liquid.

When people used farmyard funk as a descriptor for other beers, many, many of which I have tried myself, I never got it. Not until today, that is, because there is really no other descriptor for the bulk of this aroma. It is farmyard funk. Walk around a farm, and you got it. Whether it’s nice or musty, it’s there. There is definite pineapple and mango on the nose.

The taste is a straight up mix between a licking sour and gentle bitter notes. Strong flavours of mint become more apparent throughout the finish. Once again, disparate ‘threads’ of farmyard funk throughout the beer. It can take some getting used to for some folks, but it’s interesting and subtly complex at times. As the website says, and they’re not lying, it’s strong in Brett character. The thinnest of malt, yeast notes in the finish. Otherwise not too noticeable. There are definite vinous notes to this, more white grapes than red, more sparkling, mineral-y white whine than anything else.

Some big, strong effervescent bubbles in this one. A crisp and bubbly mouthfeel with a subtle but very long finish. If this is all you’re drinking/eating, you will taste it on the tongue and exhale for a while. Light-medium body leaning to the light side, but has enough of a mouthfeel to feel heavier than a typical pils or lager.

From the bottle, it says it is a traditional oak-aged, cellared beer that is mixed into the perfect brew. Claims mango, strawberry and farmhouse funk on the nose, with pineapple, melon, and lime leaf on the palate.

Not sure where the Blend B on the title came from — no indication on the bottle nor the website. They date the bottle and claim it is seasonal, and they note their locally sold beer via vintage, but this as their flagship, they do not specifically mention. No worries, it’s still a very nice beer. I can see why the reviewer below prefers this to sours, as it has a lot of those notes without being a full sour like a Flanders red ale. Overall this is a truly unique beer. It says it’ll cellar well, so that’s what I’m doing with my other bottle, looking forward to revisiting it one day!

This review is for the 2021 blend of this brew.

Pale gold colour with a thin haze. Poured with a bit of loose, thin head and a lot of bubble action in the glass. A strong sour scent and a lot of skunkiness upfront, but not unpleasant. Taste follows scent: very sour and puckering in the front of the mouth, sweet and smooth going down. Tastes very fruity, mostly of limes, with a berry-like after taste that lingers. Mouthfeel is a powerful combo of high acidity puckering and decent carbonation - it feels like it evaporates on your tongue. Otherwise a thinnish brew. I enjoyed it very much, preferring this over other sour beers I have tried.