Pink Peppercorn Wingman
Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant

 

 

 

-brewed with pink peppercorns. can to spiegelau ipa glass.

A: Light, dull orange, with a good print readable clarity reveals a spacious rise of carbonation of moderate pace. A milky, froth, dull white head is slight at 0.25 inches, but sticks around rather well. Most impressive is the full sheet coating left behind on the vessel walls.

S: Sour lemony funk, pink peppercorns, reminds me of sweet peppermint candy canes or those valentine candy hearts. Hints of rosewood, floral roses, fresh and abundant with some sweet orange with a nice level of awareness and subtleties.

T: Wheat-hefeweizen like backing, sweet orange and peppercorn peppering with some candy like sweetness. Vienna malt adds sweetness and a toasty factor with some fruity funk of peaches and oranges, along with some fresh evergreen like hops. Final thoughts of peppery-oranges with a dry tartness that lingers softly there-after.

M: Lighter side of medium depth, some carbonation, though not as much as i prefer from my saisons, more relaxed.

O: Nice fruitiness and pink peppercorn highlights this softly funk and fruity saison. Unique, enjoyable, with a peppery finish. Speaks well as a fruity summer time drink.

 

 

 

A thanks to the captain of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of peppercorns, some lemons. Taste is of sharp peppercorns, funky, lots of spiciness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall, a bit different, and a decent beer.

 

Had this beer up at the Cloverleaf as part of their fall PhD list - only having one other Mananyunk offering before. I'm not a big Saison person and this one wasn't terribly spicy like others I've had recently but there was enough to like here from start to finish without being too heavy or offensive.

This poured out of a can nicely, as the beer had a typical cloudy and golden hue for something of this sort. Not an overly large head or lots of lacing to be seen as I worked my way through this, as the cloudiness of this beer was it's best visual aspect. Tasted spicy like a saison without the peppercorn overpowering everything - the wheat was a nice touch as it cut the spice and complemented the Vienna Malt perfectly, giving this a nice body and something for me to "chew" on while the beer still remained light when all was said and done. A light farmhouse funk, mild raspberry and lively carbonation kept this beer light to the palate while still remaining true to form.

Without a lot of alcohol present and hardly any on the taste, this went down about as easily as a beer of this style could. While it won't win any awards and pales in comparison to something from Goose Island or Ommegang, this was one of those offerings that was sure to offend no one. A good brew for these days were fall fully refuses to give way to the colder days and nights ahead, while being spicy enough to stay true to seasonal form!

I have been hitting it hard for the #OktoberfestChallenge2016 but the ones that I have remaining are ones that I have not previously reviewed, making them excellent candidates for tomorrow, New Beer Sunday (Week 609). In the interim, I will peer into the depths of my reefer and see what awaits my attention. Oooh, some CANQuest (tm) CANs!

From the CAN: "The Place Where We Drink"; "Drink Local"; "Delicate and effervescent, this traditional crisp farmhouse style [S]aison offers a bounty of spicy flavors with an extra kick from the pink peppercorns we added at flame out. The addition of wheat and Vienna malts add a smooth mouthfeel while the peppercorn provides a slightly fruity finish."

Pink may be the new black, but CANs are the new bottles. They have a wonderful Crack! when you open them & the type of Glug is CANpletely at each CANsumer's discretion. I went with an inverted Glug, which produced just under two fingers of foamy, fizzy, bone-white head that quickly fell away to wisps. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-plus quality clarity. Nose had a lemony funkiness, but I was not getting the peppercorn (at least, not on the nose). Mouthfeel was just as advertised - effervescent, smooth, slick and slightly full, big for the style. The taste was immediately attention-getting in the mouth! Not only did it have the general, expected funkiness of farmhouse/saison yeast, but the peppercorns leapt out and brought a great peppery spiciness to the equation. Now that you have my undivided attention ... Finish was dry, natch. You would expect that the yeast would have a drying quality on its own, but the addition of the pink peppercorns lent a spiciness that seemed to linger in my sinuses well after the swallow. I am not a huge fan of the saison style, but this was really tasty.

 

 

 

16 oz can poured into a tulip glass. Sample from the sales rep, thanks again Andrew! Disclaimer: illness review

A - cloudy golden color with bright gold accents. Super hazy from the yeast. Bubbly white foam dome, lots of tiny bubbles, no creaminess to it. Very little lacing down the glass

S - wheat, Belgian saison yeast, raspberries, hint of spice, Belgian malts. Not experienced with peppercorn, but it has a subtle hearty taste

T - soft wheat, spicy saison yeast, peppercorn finish. Matches very well with the smell. Peppercorn amplifies the yeast very well

F - sessionable mouth feel. No wearing out of the palate, slight mouth stain. Low alcohol makes this very drinkable

O - session saison is a good way to describe this. Very drinkable and not complex. Peppercorns are a nice balance to the Belgian character. Good beer to me! Cheers!