Lora
Fair Isle Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

first beer from them, im a fan

2022-11-23
12oz skinny can served in a WABL sample glass. Bottom is stamped with "BATCH 22??1" (I can't read all the characters).

Pours a clear light pink or rose color with a fairly large head and very little retention. Smell is mild tartness, a bit more berry juice, some spicy/funky character. Something floral.

Taste falls more heavily on the saison side with just a light fruit juice coming in. Straw, floral and herbal, slight spiciness, substantial funk (sorry for not knowing more specific words).

Mouthfeel is a bit thicker than I would have expected. Overall, it's pretty good.

 

man these guys are on fire! this one is a piquette inspired table beer, how cool! mixed berries in this one, funky house yeasts, some real tartness to it, but also pretty delicate, its even got a little more malt to it than many of them do, even though it remains real low alcohol and easy drinking. i love this type of wine, and i think its cool they went the beer route with the same idea, the fermentation is quite wild, more tart than funky but elements of both and still with some saison esters to it, a peppery note as well. the berries give this a little pinkish orange color, some amber behind that, a bit hazy, short white headed, not their most strikingly beautiful beer, but it looks as unique as it tastes. the aroma and flavor resonate on the same pitch, maybe a little more yeasty funk to the nose than can be appreciated in the flavor, but its close. raspberry tartness, even a cranberry suggestion, perhaps strawberry sweetness, and a general red berry fruit punch kind of thing too, tannic and tart like natural wine, a grape skin aspect here too, slightly toasted grain in support and yet still dry. its got some moderate acidity to it, more as it warms, a nuttiness too, and a grassy layer right before the finish. the fruit is somewhat subtle, the yeast really is what drives this, both white and black pepper to me, a hint of clove, and even a black tea wrinkle. good carbonation, decent body for how low alcohol this is, and a ton of drinkability, lots going on in this little beer. i cant imagine ever going to seattle again without stopping in here to drink some beers!

edit: i think this one changes a bit batch to batch, the can i had recently was done with second use fruit, was that also true when i had it the first time, i dont know, but it would make sense, cherries, raspberries, and blackberries in this one, but i have seen it with boysenberries too i think. more red than i recall it being, nice can conditioning, great head on this, some real sparkle. tart and poppy, highly refined, the subtlety of the fruit and the way it lends to the fermentation profile is so cool, not sure i appreciate this enough the first time around, increasing the score a little bit, this is lovely.