8 Wired Brewing Company Saison Sauvin Saison at 7% ABV ($9.29 at Willow Park Wines & Spirits, 500ml, no bottle date or best before)
Pours hazy gold with two fingers of fluffy loose white head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Nose is strong vinous Sauvin hops, citrus, slight funk. (8/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild peppery spice. (8/10) Medium body, soft carbonation, off-dry slightly peppery bitter finish. (4/5)
Wow – this has got to be the clearest, most emphatic implementation of the Nelson Sauvin hops I’ve seen so far. This thing really does smell an awful lot like a sauvignon – hard to believe there’s no grapes in there! To some extent, that’s unfortunate, because it tends to overwhelm the other saison flavours which actually are there, but lurking in the shadows of the big Sauvin hop punch. That being said, I really do like those Sauvin hops, so that’s not entirely a bad thing. Really interesting, and another solid performer from a brewery I’m really starting to appreciate. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
