Gigantic Brewing Company Lustrous Belgian Farmhouse Ale (#46) Saison at 8% ABV | 28 IBU (C$11.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 8-Nov-2016, reviewed 11-Nov-2016)
Appearance: slightly hazy deep gold with two fingers of rocky head, good retention and moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: apples, citrus, caramel malt, peppercorns, perfumy floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice, light funk. (6/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry warming and lingering spicy finish. (3/5)
I liked the idea of scanning the can/bottle with your phone when Collective Arts did it with Blippar, and it’s still fun with the slightly more labour-intensive process Gigantic used with this one – though I’m not entirely sure how the dirty fuzz shoegaze of “The Rule” by bed. is all that relevant to this particular beer. (I’m not going to get into a discussion of how the breast-bound pubescent female on the label pertains to the name.) But, I listened while I drank, so as to enjoy the full experience. And I recommend doing so, if for no other reason than it’s fun to make tasting an experience that engages as many senses as possible – and unless the carbonation is pretty loony, hearing is the only major sense not engaged by the process. So, there’s that. The beer itself, on the other hand, is… well… less impressive than I’ve generally come to expect from Gigantic. As a Saison, this is frankly a heavy mess: the ABV is way too high, the body is too heavy, and the apple-dominant aromas go off to brown apple far too readily. Now, if it had been labeled a “Golden Strong” or something along those lines, well, I might be a bit more forgiving, but Saison is something of a favorite of mine, so I’m gonna hold your feet to the fire on it. I’m a tad disappointed by this failure to deliver, since I thought their Intensify and White Light White Heat indicated a reasonably solid understanding of Belgian styles, but this falls a bit short. TL;DR: semi-good, a bit heavy-handed, pricey. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
