Damon
Fair Isle Brewing

 

one of the most exotic beers ive had from these guys, which is really saying a lot, as so much of their beer is extremely ambitious. this is a stronger saison type refermented on kiwi fruit and myrica gale and aged in gin barrels, super heady to say the least! crazy blonde in the glass, lighter looking than pils, very lightly cloudy, soft yellow, high headed, lots of bubbles. the nose is crazy botanical, major gin character, herbs, spruce, things like jasmine, juniper, and green pear skin, along with whiter wine character and some tartness, very little oak to me but a ton of gin, tea-like and kind of bitter with the gale, meyer lemon, pineapple, green melon, and just a little bit of alcohol, not kiwi specific to me, but its unique enough where i can see how its part of this, very cool. the flavor is neat, funky and tangy but also bright and made clean by the brisk bitter citrusy gin, a champagne note too, this is really complex, refreshing for what it is, and sort of cocktail-esque with the gin being as bold as it is. trace menthol, lemon lime soda, and fresh coconut water, lots going on here even though the grain side is simple and its not crazy wild or anything on the ferment, light tartness and mellow funk, familiar as fair isle overall, the gin though is really the defining element. effervescent carbonation, a really gentle mouthfeel overall, just a prickle of alcohol, and neat fresh, verdant, and bitter back end notes, almost a hint of tonic water late. absolutely incredible, wildly unique, and just a total banger from these guys. as good as it gets, right in my wheelhouse!