Good Sitter
Is/Was Brewing
- From:
- Is/Was Brewing
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- French Bière de Garde
- ABV:
- 6.4%
- Score:
- +8 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.23 | pDev: 0.95%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 22, 2021
- Added:
- Aug 21, 2020
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
'Good Sitter' is a Blonde Biere de Garde inspired by a trip I took to Wallonia, the area along the French/Belgian border that is the birthplace of saison and biere de garde. Good Sitter is specifically inspired by my experience sipping Cuvée de Jonquilles at Au Baron, a small brewery in France that just over the Belgian border.
For me, beer is a way to capture a time, place, and feeling in a tangible, liquid form in order to share it with others. 'Good Sitter' is my attempt to bring the feeling of sipping a beautiful biere de garde at the source in Wallonia to you here in Chicago.
We used raw spelt berries from our friends down at Janies mill, just south of the city and pilsner malt to create a simple base that also reflects the taste of Illinois. We hopped it with Bramling Cross, an English variety known for its aromas and flavors of lemon zest, black currant, fresh earth, black raspberry, and a slight pepperiness. Then we let our yeast work its magic. Fermented hot to stimulate ester production then cold conditioned for as long as it needed to refine the beautiful character out yeast provides. The result is a wonderfully simple, clean yet complex melding of pear, ripe banana, black raspberry, lemon rind, black peppercorn, plum, hearty country bread, and black currant with a full, soft body that leads to a lean, succinct finish.
For me, beer is a way to capture a time, place, and feeling in a tangible, liquid form in order to share it with others. 'Good Sitter' is my attempt to bring the feeling of sipping a beautiful biere de garde at the source in Wallonia to you here in Chicago.
We used raw spelt berries from our friends down at Janies mill, just south of the city and pilsner malt to create a simple base that also reflects the taste of Illinois. We hopped it with Bramling Cross, an English variety known for its aromas and flavors of lemon zest, black currant, fresh earth, black raspberry, and a slight pepperiness. Then we let our yeast work its magic. Fermented hot to stimulate ester production then cold conditioned for as long as it needed to refine the beautiful character out yeast provides. The result is a wonderfully simple, clean yet complex melding of pear, ripe banana, black raspberry, lemon rind, black peppercorn, plum, hearty country bread, and black currant with a full, soft body that leads to a lean, succinct finish.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut
4.26/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.26/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
No bottling date (released in 8/2020, so presumably bottled sometime that month); consumed on 8/21/21
Pours a clear, lemon/straw-hued body, a relentless effervescence feeding a billowing, soapy mountain of eggshell-white foam; seemingly endless head retention leaves a rocky finger and a half of cap, large, frothy collar, and dense spatter of soapy lacing caked to the walls of the glass.
Aroma starts off with banana and an underlying saison yeast, steadily introducing soft black currant in the background while esters of overripe pear mesh with black pepper over the middle of the bouquet, all interspersed with a wet, pastoral funk and orange zest more prominent toward the close.
Taste presents green banana and plum pits at an earthy forefront, with the subtle sweetness carrying into a mid-palate of fully expressed lemon rind and barnyard oats; pastoral undertones invoke apple orchard sensations into the finish as funky grass lingers past the swallow.
Mouthfeel features an ultra-light yet firm body sporting a sudsy, moderate-high carbonation easing to a soft prickle over the mid-palate; an earthy, distantly funky tartness offers a lively tone into a distant wetness to the finish, predominantly clean and with a subtle edge of grit and bitterness.
A crisp consistency on par with a quaint dispersal of rustic layers, this beer disengages from a nuanced array of individual elements of fruit and funk for a pastoral evocation louder than the conglomerate of its initial expression; a coy brilliance here.
Aug 22, 2021Pours a clear, lemon/straw-hued body, a relentless effervescence feeding a billowing, soapy mountain of eggshell-white foam; seemingly endless head retention leaves a rocky finger and a half of cap, large, frothy collar, and dense spatter of soapy lacing caked to the walls of the glass.
Aroma starts off with banana and an underlying saison yeast, steadily introducing soft black currant in the background while esters of overripe pear mesh with black pepper over the middle of the bouquet, all interspersed with a wet, pastoral funk and orange zest more prominent toward the close.
Taste presents green banana and plum pits at an earthy forefront, with the subtle sweetness carrying into a mid-palate of fully expressed lemon rind and barnyard oats; pastoral undertones invoke apple orchard sensations into the finish as funky grass lingers past the swallow.
Mouthfeel features an ultra-light yet firm body sporting a sudsy, moderate-high carbonation easing to a soft prickle over the mid-palate; an earthy, distantly funky tartness offers a lively tone into a distant wetness to the finish, predominantly clean and with a subtle edge of grit and bitterness.
A crisp consistency on par with a quaint dispersal of rustic layers, this beer disengages from a nuanced array of individual elements of fruit and funk for a pastoral evocation louder than the conglomerate of its initial expression; a coy brilliance here.
Reviewed by FBarber from Illinois
4.19/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a cloudy, matte golden color. Huge thick velvety white head builds as the beer is poured then gradually, but never completely, dissolves. Nice sticky white lacing is left in the glass as the beer is consumed. The beer itself is pretty effervescent with visible bubbles. Aroma has notes of sweet bready malts, with fruity, slightly funky, notes of pear, apple, banana, plum, lemon and peppercorn.
Taste follows the nose with hearty notes of rustic bread, peppery yeast, light fruity notes of pear, apple, banana, and a twinge of lemony citrus. It’s mildly funky, but not overly so. As the beer warms and it’s consumed there is a slight hoppy bitterness that shows up on the back end. Overall, the flavor has Some real depth to it while remaining straightforward enough to be an easy drinking farmhouse ale. Feel is light to medium bodied, smooth with bright prickly carbonation. Rather dry on the finish.
Overall, this was lovely and might be my favorite offering from Is/Was so far. I’m really excited to see where they go from here.
Sep 18, 2020Taste follows the nose with hearty notes of rustic bread, peppery yeast, light fruity notes of pear, apple, banana, and a twinge of lemony citrus. It’s mildly funky, but not overly so. As the beer warms and it’s consumed there is a slight hoppy bitterness that shows up on the back end. Overall, the flavor has Some real depth to it while remaining straightforward enough to be an easy drinking farmhouse ale. Feel is light to medium bodied, smooth with bright prickly carbonation. Rather dry on the finish.
Overall, this was lovely and might be my favorite offering from Is/Was so far. I’m really excited to see where they go from here.
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