Seabreeze
Pelican Brewing Company

oh my gosh i cant believe this doesnt have higher ratings here! its so good! a belgian pale meets an herbed saison, hoppy in an american way, but done with a flavorful farmhouse yeast, cranberry, gin botanicals, and citrus. its lovely, its highly aromatic, and i know of nothing else quite like it. so much going on here, starting with big punchy grapefruit in the nose, both from the selected hops and from actual grapefruit i think, right there with it is fresh juniper, piney and pungent, really unique! there is a definite gin thing to this, especially with the obvious esters from the saison type yeast, white wine notes there too, and bold as it is, i think there is balance and that its real appealing. i get some really nice citrus flavor through this, first real fruit then hops, with a long and bitter bite at the end, i think needed to cut the herbaceous gin elements off before they run away with this, tons of juniper, with notes of lemon and lemongrass there too, and a little more depth from the malt than i expected here supporting it all. the freshness is insane, and the flavor is almost as intense as the nose. usually beer this flavored is not appealing to me, but this really is interesting and dynamic, and i love it. nuances of chardonnay, cherry juice, and zested citrus. crisp oddly enough in the feel, medium wheaty body, and effervescent carbonation. this is summer, original, and gorgeously executed. i cant get enough from pelican right now! this might be different than it used to be, formerly barrel aged i think, but i do not reckon this one is...

 

 

Served On-Tap

A — Pours a slightly hazy and bright, pinkish hue. There is a rocky white colored head that forms and leaves behind some spotty, puffy lacing along the inside of the glass.

S — Smells of big juniper, gin, lightly fruity, yeasty, bright and a bit sweet.

T  — Tastes like great gin does, a bit of a juniper bite, as well as a little bit of cranberry tartness. There is quite an oak presence here as well, which is good, but certainly unexpected.

M — Medium bodied, a bit sticky and sweet, but there is enough dryness in the oak to round it all out.

O — Nice overall, perhaps a bit too sweet and junipery but kudos for brewing this.

On tap at Albertsons. Very fruity, light bodied, summer refresher. For a Belgian though, its lacking, as the fruit masks and covers all of the best Belgian features. Perhaps a bit too much fruit. Good hot weather quaff, but not a great Belgian.

 

 

 

 

On tap @ The Pelican Pub & Brewery

Clear rosey pink/orange color with a foamy white head.

Floral, fruity notes from the addition of cranberry and definite gin notes from the barrel aging.

A very well done, easy drinking saison.