Wild Rose Brewery Shady Character Saison at 6% ABV | 32 IBU (C$8.00 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 26-Jan-2017, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 20-Feb-2017)
Appearance: clear deep brown with one finger of creamy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: muddled, chocolate, roasty malt, bready yeast, dark fruit. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light spice. (5/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, off-dry lightly spicy finish. (3/5)
Meh. Ignoring piddly pedantic objections that such a style doesn’t actually exist, if it did, I’d expect that a Black Saison would be subject to the same pitfalls as a Black IPA – and this one kinda blunders into all of them. The dark malt blunts the tartness and crispness that I most appreciate in Saisons, and the relatively high ABV feels out of place. Can’t say I’m very impressed. (11/20)
5.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
