Bobbi
Fair Isle Brewing

Pours a hazy pale yellowish with a persistent wisp of foam in the Blanche de Chambly goblet. Aroma is acidic. This is quite tart but not entirely sour. There is a fruity taste with some malty sweetness to go with the acidity. The familiar hops provide an unusual flavor of lemon and green apricot. Yeasty aftertaste with some bitterness. I would have to say this is a much better than average sour Saison and on the whole it's quite sippable. From the 16 oz can purchased at Elizabeth Station. Dated 6/3/25.

 

 

16 oz can from Village Market. Hazy golden pour, wispy white foamy head . Aroma is citrus, lemon, light tart notes. Taste follows with citrus, tartness, lemon, yeasty, light grassy notes. Light and refreshing.

 

 

 

Batch 23126. That means nothing to me as far as when it was canned. Probably batch 126 or day 126 of 2023? I have no clue

Here’s yet another LIF beer from Snaotheus. He must know how much I love a Saison brewed with wild yeast, and the dry hopping just has to add to that. Let’s crack it open and see what it’s all about

Pours a cloudy pale gold with 2 fingers of soapy white head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

There isn’t all that much funk in the nose, but it definitely has a little zing to it. I’m picking up on aromas of orange zest, bready malt, wildflower honey, apple skin, floral hops, white pepper, lemon zest, and light white grape

In taste it almost reminds me of a Grisette with its gentle yet bright flavors. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting lemon zest, white grape, lime zest, floral hops, honey, bready malt, and light grass. The swallow brings notes of lemon juice, wildflower honey, crackery malt, floral hops, tannic white wine, lime zest, and white pepper

A light medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a crisp beer. Finishes bone dry and refreshing

Oh yeah, this one is a winner. Even though it’s not super funky, it has a wonderful brightness to keep things lively

16oz can

Pours two fingers of white head into my Pilsner glass. Body is a cloudy yellow. Retention is average and the head fades within a few minutes. Lacing is ok. Overall this looks fine.

Nose is very acidic, citrusy, some bubblegum - this smells like Brett and I don’t like that, especially because it wasn’t advertised as such. I guess it does say “wild yeasts” but still. Doesn’t smell bad, but definitely not a classic Saision profile, nor one I would seek out.

God, yeah this is basically a sour, lots of acid, some bubblegum and tart mangos in the background. Not really sure why you would bother to waste extra hops on this beer, you can hardly pick any up. I mean, it’s refreshing I guess, but this is just so not what I want when I buy a Saison.

Carbonation is very high. Body is pretty light. Pretty darn dry and tart. Bitterness is not apparent. Overall…it’s a sour! Clean, I guess?

Drinkability is ok all things considered, it’s not puckeringly tart.

Overall this isn’t unbearable, there are good qualities and I’m sure sour heads would love it, but at the end of the day you want what you’re expecting - marketing matters folks!

 

Pours a clear pale yellow with two fingers of foamy white head. Aroma is peaches, apricot, and light resin hops with a kaleidoscope of stone, earth, grass, and straw. Light bodied, but with a pleasant plop of fruit and hop right out front. Refreshing and light. Flavor profile is a little more centered on hops, hitting notes of resin, citrus, orange, lemongrass, and late herbal and medicinal. Stone, straw, a little raw grain, and biscuits finish the profile. It's very mildly acidic, matching the mellow flavor profile. Mouth feel is crisp with a prickly effervescent texture. Thickness is medium. Overall, a really well balanced saison with a lovely play of hops on the front without being overly hop heavy. Refreshing and easy to drink, and yet harnesses enough depth to be introspective.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 375mL bottle. Batch no. 3, bottled: December 2020. ABV 6.2%.

Bottled December 2020, consumed on 6/18/2022 - poured from a 375mL bottle into my Troubadour tulip.

Bright, almost canary yellow - hazy with a lasting finger of soft peak magnolia foam. Low rocky lacing; excellent retention.

Floral, fruity, and funky aromatics - faint lemon, buttermilk, etc. Gentle, subtle, and inviting.

Lightly but persistently acidic. White grapes, unripe apricot, yogurt. Dry, mineral-laden finish continues to evolve. Faintly grainy/tannic with low bitterness. Hints of white tea. Hops seem to have faded by now. Grows pleasantly more malt-forward as the ale warms.

Creamy, medium-light bodied, well carbonated. Refreshing yet satisfying.

Complex yet restrained ale somewhere between a saison and a wild ale.

Pilsner yellow with foam that's immediately gone.

Straw, yeast, lemon.

Coriander-y but very lemon, and subbing like faint basil. No pucker is a huge plus but more tartness would be welcome. Beach beer.

High carbonation works right.

Pours a hazy, cloudy matte golden color. Huge, lively, pillowy head forms on the beer. The head recedes but never completely. There is always a shifting mound of foam on the beer at all times. The aroma has notes of lemon, lemon zest, some mild funky notes, grain, white wine, grape, and yeasty notes. Delightful on the nose.

Taste follows the nose with notes of grain, a moderate funkiness, some brett, a strong lemon and lemon zest character along with notes of white wine, green grapes and a slight hint of apple. A moderate but palpable bitterness comes through providing a slight bite. Very mild bitterness is present on the back end. Its almost refreshing with the bright lemon zest and white wine notes. Feel is light, bright and lively. Bright, vibrant, sprightly carbonation.

Overall this is a delicious saison from Fair Isle and certainly leaves me hoping to try more of their stuff in the future.

 

one of the more modern beers ive had from these guys, somewhat more clean and sour than rustic and bretty, also with the hops it seems quite new school. the quality is there, the funk is still present, and i found this unique and delicate, bold as the hops are in here. straw colored and nicely heady from the bottle, some light sediment in the bottom. i get the cat pee side of the mosaic, a little onion thing from the laurel maybe, and this presents itself as both herbal and citrus forward at the same time, meyer lemon, green grape, and ripe pear notes are also present. lots of character from the ferment, different than some of their others i have had, with a higher degree of bacterially derived acidity in this, still some high tone saison esters and some brett, but its a little sharper overall. the hops have a nice juicy organic vibe, the grain is light and dry but also quite flavorful, and all up i thought this was another nice effort from these guys, maybe a little unexpected, but real tasty. its impressive how stoked i am to see new beers out there in the wild from fair isle, like its only been a year or so since i had my first and i already think they rank among the breweries i am most excited about. this one has summer written all over it.

Served in 12oz tulip. Poured a lightly hazy very pale straw color with an inch of white head that very good retention and lacing.

The aroma had a lot going on; some funk, a light grain base, citrus and floral hops, and some yeast spiciness.

Very much the same on the tongue, just expanded. Each of the above components was brighter and bolder, and better defined.

The body was light, crisp, tart, and had a very dry finish.

Drinkability was very good, so much so I had two in a row, and would happily have it again.

Overall, a very good beer. a must-try if you see it.

 

 

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a lightly hazy, light to medium golden-yellow with a two finger white head that dissipates to thick patches with nice lacing. Aroma of grainy malt, lemon, grassy hops, hay and touch of funk. Flavor is grainy malt, grassy and citrus hops, lemon, grapefruit, whisps of mixed fruit, Bretty funk. Lightly tart on the finish with lingering earthiness and lemon. Medium bodied with light creaminess and sharp carbonation. I've wanted to try Fair Isle, but most of their production sounded a bit tart and wild for me. I tried this on a recommendation, and although there is a fair amount of tartness, particularly in the finish, it is very lemony, making it more to my taste. Good grainy malt and very bright citrus notes from the hops; a remarkable pure lemon flavor lingers long after the taste. In a blind taste, I'd swear this had a lemon adjunct added. The funk level is more domestic than traditional Continental saisons, but I expected that. Right on the edge of being too tart for my taste, I still enjoyed the citrus from the hops interacting with the natural light sourness of the fermentation critters. Well done.