Bellwoods Brewery White Picket Fence Nectarine – Saison at 6% ABV (C$18.55 at Collective, 500 ml, packaged on 25-Sep-2020, acquired 6-Aug-2021, reviewed 17-Aug-2021)
Appearance: hazy slightly murky pale straw with one fat finger of foamy white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone fruit, horseblankety funk, leather, wood. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light funk. (9/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry lightly funky finish. (4/5)
I’ve found stone fruit to be a pleasant adjunct to several styles, and in particular have found peaches or nectarines work very well with Saisons and Wilds. That’s very much the case here, where the base beer already had significant stone fruit character. I think the aroma is slightly more stone fruit emphatic than the base version, but truth be told I’d have to have them side-by-side to be certain. The fruit seems to have adversely affected head development and retention, even more so than the 2019 vintage which I already accused of that particular sin. It’s also hazier and murkier than I’d like to see, which I again attribute to the fruit adjunct. Bottom line, though, it’s an interesting alternative interpretation of an excellent blended foeder saison. (16/20)
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