Eugene
Fair Isle Brewing

I really like the mix of saison and hops here.

Big foam in the Pilsner glass. Aromatic with citrus and funk. This 2025 or 26 version uses Azacca for the dry hops on top of spent Citra and Mosaic hops, in a similar fashion to previous versions. It's quite tart but not quite the "modern" sour style of Saison. Taste is lemony and yeasty with a scratchy bitter finish. Dry in the aftertaste with that Belgian austere yeast flavor. This is not my favorite style but it seems well made with plenty of carbonation. From the 16 oz can purchased at Skagit Valley Coop.

 

 

 

A: Pours with a slight chill haze at first, that clears up as this warms. A dense white head forms with retention for days. Light lace is left behind.
S: Oh that Nelson Sauvin hop punch is up front and center. A berry and melon fruitiness as well. Incredibly aromatic with that grape, vinous, funk character.
T: That Nelson Sauvin hop bite is up front as well as the berry, melon fruit medley. This becomes tart and acidic. Grape and funk in the mix, and finishes a little sweet.
M/O: A medium body that is well carbonation. This could finish a little drier for my preference, and surprisingly so considering everything else from this brewery I have had finishes like a dry Champagne. Though still very enjoyable to drink.

This is a really nice representation of Nelson Sauvin hops, and in a funky Saison to boot. I think the fruity sweetness I get from the hops takes over a bit too much in the finish, but still really well made. Having this from the can, it doesn't seem as spritzy as some other bottles I have had from them...wondering if there is a difference in the way they are conditions (they both can and bottle condition)? Anyway, they always make really good stuff, and this is another.

 

 

 

 

 

Hazy straw yellow color. Foamy white head. Some sediment at the bottom. Funky, peppery, citrusy, a little earthy bitterness. Medium-bodied, easy-drinking, but it’s not a thin and watery beer either. Sharp, bubbly finish like a Champagne. Interesting beer from an interesting process. Makes me imagine there’s a lot of batch-to-batch variation. I wonder if bottle conditioning would make it even better than being in cans. Looking at their website, a lot of their beers are offered in 375 or 750 mL formats. Saison-centric brewery, which I think is cool, the only one I’ve ever heard of.

 

good heavens, this is real innovative, cool its in a can now, which also informs me the hops rotate from batch to batch, currently blasting strata, citra, and mosaic, a nice combination. not sure which of these came from another beers cold crashed hop sludge, but i love the idea, and this hits fresh and new regardless of the process. its not their prettiest beer, but it doesnt need to be, a little sedimented from the can, heady at first but fading, a little more malty looking and dense than expected, but its light to drink. the brett is fun in the nose, brux and lambicus maybe, maybe just wild, house, i dont know, they have their own thing going on here and its fantastic, white pepper in nose and taste, pink peppercorn too, not sure if those are siblings or not, i think not. anyway, it has some wheat to it, the hops are not bitter but almost unnecessarily juicy to me, orange and grapefruit and tangerine and melon all dripping, but botanical too, starburst candy, skittles, but not sweet, balanced by earthy grain and still old world. this is smart and good. bubbly enough although not all that light, and im not sure i would put it either as an ipa of any kind despite the dry hopping or as one of the better fair isle beers. these guys rule though, and finding their stuff in the wild is always worth the search. i wonder if, and suspect that, the bottles were better than the cans in terms of mouthfeel...

Perfect bright yellow, not much foam on this pour though.

Hard to tell, something funky or hoppy.

Amarillo and Motueka are the hops but I can't tell, too lemon-y. Almost lemon chill, like Strata. Touch herbal, but very bright and a little funky.

Low end of tart, low end of sharp but finishes dry with a medium body.

 

Poured from 16oz can into my BeerAdvocate teku. Batch 22084, 7.1% ABV.

Appearance: medium golden-yellow hue with a bit of haze and a finger of frothy ivory foam atop. Looks nice!

Smell: a good malt aroma with a nice funk to it; there's a hint of sourness as well, and a great grassy, vernal hop character. Very enticing indeed!

Taste: lightly sour and funky farmhouse character, with a slightly caramelly malt base and a reasonable bitterness. There's a lot going on here, for sure, but it's not *too* busy. I like it.

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

Overall: this is a very interesting beer; funk, sour and hop aroma don't always work well together, but in this case I think they do. A tasty and refreshing beer.

12.7oz bottle, Batch #2 - bottled February 2021. Opened 1-2-22.
2 finger stark white head with very good retention. Ample lacing. Pale gold-straw color with limited visibility.
There's a little yeasty funk in the nose but more so the star is the hops...bright aromas of apricot, citrus, zesty lime, white grape. Vivid flavors of lime, peach, citrus, grape. Some tartness/acidity in the flavor as well.
Light and bright with high carbonation, a very refreshing Saison with an almost bone-dry finish.
Amazing at 1 year old. Outstanding.

Pours a straw color with a foggy transparency. Head is three fingers of white foam with great retention. Aroma is straw, grass, earthy, stone, lemon zest, and herbal hops. It's both intriguing in layers, without being forceful or dramatic. Flavor profile is straw, bread, earthy, grass, herbal, lemon zest, and stone. Again, offering up dynamic hops, subtle malts, and other farmhouse flavors. Mouth feel is an expressive effervescence that keeps bubbling. Thickness is medium-thin. Finish is sharp, with the effervescence eventually driving over the top. Overall, this is all the expansive and expressive traits desired in a saison. It's a little extra beefy, in terms of alcohol, than some saisons, but that's made up for with the whole drinking experience otherwise.

Reviewed from notes.