Borg Brugghus Leifur Nr. 32 Saison at 6.8% ABV (C$4.39 at Quarry Park Calgary Co-Op, 330 ml, best before 6-Jun-2018, reviewed 22-Feb-2016)
Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of rocky ivory head, excellent retention and lacing. (5/5) Aroma: lemon zest, honey and pale malt, hay, apples, light dry funk. (7/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, mild bitter, light funky tart. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body tending to watery, moderate-low carbonation, short duration finish. (3/5)
Starts off strong, looking pretty much perfect for the style, and smelling promising with the appropriate lemon zest, hay and so on. But the taste, while not actually off, just doesn’t live up to the smell. And the body quickly drops away to a watery, short finish. I suppose it’s possible that this is actually more in keeping with the traditional implementation of the style, but that argument falls a little flat in light of the ABV, which is about double what one might’ve served to farmhands as a thirst quencher. (Although that in itself is a pretty good trick, since it’s a bit on the high side yet well hidden.) Easy-drinking, yes, but I’d prefer this if it were a bit more tart, and a bit more carbonated, and, well, I guess just a bit more. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
