Elder Brett: Saison-Brett Golden Ale - Epic Brewing Co.

timtim

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

hazy burnt gold with a white head that fades quickly and doesn't leave lace. nose is chardonnay, brett, sweat, lemons, pears, melons and a hint of mineral. taste follows suit with a nice white peppery brett character and an almost salty mineral character mingling with citrus, white wine notes and melon. tasty, but lacking a bit in the middle. dries out in the end nicely. medium body with a hint of prickle, and no alcohol presence. the competition is getting thick in the wild, wine-barrel aged world. this one is fine and tasty, yet doesn't quite stand up to some of the truly epic brews out there. i'm not complaining though. love to see more breweries try this kind of stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 23:25:30 | More by timtim

GRG1313

California

4/5  rDev +0.3%

05-15-2013 04:01:25 | More by GRG1313

lsummers

California

3.75/5  rDev -6%

05-10-2013 01:57:54 | More by lsummers

vissai

California

3.75/5  rDev -6%

05-06-2013 17:17:15 | More by vissai

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Francois for sharing at his bottle share.

Nice fizzy head, hazy golden peach colored.

Nose nice fruit funk, light tangerine guava like fruit, some Brett funk, light sweet blond malts,

Taste nice Brett barnyard funk to start, grassy hay, grainy, then guava fruit and some stone fruit skin must, little juicy citrus fruit as well and touch of lemon zest, sweet blond malts. Pretty tasty, but not much for saison flavors, more of a blond ale with Brett.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, nice effervescent carb.

Overall not bad, some nice barnyard funk but a bit too light, I do like the idea of blond ale instead of real saison characters, but I love my saisons more so I would have preferred that, and nice fruit flavors, but a bit too malty sweet.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 14:07:58 | More by jlindros

Archemedies

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +0.3%

05-05-2013 13:14:54 | More by Archemedies

bsuedekum

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -6%

05-03-2013 23:21:55 | More by bsuedekum

Lynn

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

05-02-2013 21:57:25 | More by Lynn

Halcyondays

California

4.01/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

22 oz. bomber, Release #2, listed at 9.5%

A: Pours a lightly hazy dark goldenrod with a creamy large white head, good sticky lace.

S: Notes of white wine, oak, pear and golden apple. Musty leather as well.

T: Bretty, but not over the top. A nice balance to everything. Dominated by white pepper spice, pears and apples. The barrel character just adds more of that on to everything. Light notes of funk, but in the end, a fairly straightforward beer.

M: Medium-bodied with a very soft ethereal carbonation. Light crisp acidity brings everything up a notch.

O: A very good effort. Do I like the price - no. Do I like the beer - yes, quite a bit. Certainly a must try once for the adventurous beer geek.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 21:10:37 | More by Halcyondays

dfillius

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

04-27-2013 14:18:23 | More by dfillius

chanokokoro

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into an unbranded tulip glass

Pours a very slightly hazy deep gold capped by a one and half finger bright white head that dissipates fairly quickly stil leaving behind a bit of wispy lacing. White grapes, accents of chardonnay, hints of oak, grass, and light earthy notes on the nose. Light citrus, fresh grass, yeast, pear and hints of fresh apricot initially. Earthy, hints of funk, and yeasty notes midpalate; finishes with fresh cut oak, chardonnay, and white wine vinegar. Lighter side of medium-bodied, silky smooth. Collaborations can always be a bit of a crapshoot, but this one is a huge success. An excellent, complex brew I cracked with absolutely no preconceptions. Consider me impressed.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 02:37:09 | More by chanokokoro

Supergenious

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

04-27-2013 01:45:33 | More by Supergenious

drgonzo2k2

California

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%

04-20-2013 15:02:43 | More by drgonzo2k2

Rjhami

California

4/5  rDev +0.3%

04-17-2013 05:27:44 | More by Rjhami

whatshopning

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%

04-13-2013 16:03:05 | More by whatshopning

Auraan

Arizona

4.96/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Poured a hazy yellowish orange with a thin white head that dissipated quickly leaving no lacing. Scents of apricot, barnyard like funk, and sour notes. Flavor is pronounced sour notes, some fruity (green grape) notes, a hit of lemon, light hints of pale malt and a dry, white wine-like finish. Mouthfeel is light and crisp with a medium carbonation level. An excellent brett beer, with deep sour notes and a good degree of complexity on the taste and a bit less complex, but still excellent, scent. A very good beer that I'd try again.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 04:51:52 | More by Auraan

kojevergas

California

2.63/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with branded silver pressure cap and simple lime green/beige label served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high; I loved Big Bad Baptist and I love a good saison, but I'm not big on Crooked Stave. Release #2. 9.5% ABV according to my bottle.

Served straight from the fridge and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger white colour head of fair cream, nice thickness, and pretty decent (~4 minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a clear translucent pale yellow. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Not a great appearance for a saison, but it's not unappealing.

Sm: Pear, white wine, white grapeskin, lightly tart brettanomyces - nowhere near as funky as I expected, pale malts, crystal malts, light lemon citrus esters, cidery character, buried delicate wood barrel, and light pale grains. A subtly executed aroma of mild to moderate strength. No alcohol is detectable. It's not quite what I expected, but it's good. More a golden ale than a saison based on the aromatics. Any hopping is light and floral in character. Intriguing.

T: Hm. There's good and bad here. White grapeskin is the first thing I get. It has an overly sweet pale malt body. Hopping is floral and generic. The white wine aging takes a turn for the worse around the climax, where it quickly devolves into a crappy white wine mixed with cheap pear cidre. Ugh. Overdone crystal malt is prominent. Where's the subtlety of the aroma? I'm not liking this one at all; I didn't expect it to be this bad. Terribly balanced. Poorly built for a saison. I don't get hardly any brettanomyces; no funkiness and only a bit of tartness. What went wrong here? Is Batch #2 considerably different than Batch #1?

Mf: A bit acidic. Coarse and wet. Unrefreshing. Overly thick. Overcarbonated. Poor presence on the palate. Horribly executed for a saison. Doesn't suit the flavour profile or the style hardly at all.

Dr: I used to think Epic was crappy based on the Brainless beers I tried. Then I had Big Bad Baptist and wanted to try more Epic. Now, I'm moving back towards leaving their beers on the shelf. Is this brewery really this hit and miss? Or can I pin this one on Crooked Stave? Terribly done for a saison, lacking any degree of subtlety, balance, or sophistication. Really disappointing. I'll have trouble killing this bottle due to the low quality. Not at all recommended. Unexpectedly bad.

C-

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 04:36:30 | More by kojevergas

blindpiggie

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.3%

03-29-2013 00:20:01 | More by blindpiggie

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I love what Brettanomyces does to beers, even when they aren't considered a sour style. The teeth churning dry, funky-fresh earthen character adds complexity and seduction to nealry every beer that attemps this feat. This time- Saison!

Opening with a densly hazed light gold appearance, the beer sheds an tall column of foam that's comprised of both tight knit froth and loosely knit bubbles. Strong in its retention, it randomly laces the glass with clumped pockets here and there- somewhat pelicle-like.

A brisk whiff of sulfury sea air wafts over the nose, en route to aromas of apple cider, dried limes, weathered wood, cellar-like must, and sweat that layers on a grainy-sweet scented bed of light malt.

Earthy in taste, the supple grain sweetness of baking bread and light honey rise first, just ahead of the tart fruit flavors of crab apple, dried limes, white wine and citrus peels. As the beer gains earthen character, other complements of dust, must, brine, and plaster rise to greet a bitter-tart interplay in finish.

Medium-light in body, the already dry Saison textures are further ripped appart by the powdery smooth dryness from the wild yeast. Bone dry to finish, the ale is almost more completely appreciated in aftertaste where the carbonation keeps all those flavors and aromatics captured hovering above the tongue.

Elder Brett is a fantastic and whimsical ale that really goes back to the true farmhouse brewed ales. Similar to Boulevard's Saison-Brett, this one also carries all those intangibles of Brettanomyces in its look, aroma, taste, and all the way through texture.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 18:54:22 | More by BEERchitect

comfygoodness

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.3%

03-22-2013 16:41:14 | More by comfygoodness

mactrail

California

4.16/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Attractive pale golden in the Brugs chalice with a modest mustache of foam. Appealing spritzy mouthfeel but light in body. Release #2 is 9.5% ABV.

Flavors of apple and pear skins with a touch of sweetness and honey fragrance. I think this is one of the better varieties of Brett-infused brewing. It includes the flavor and dry funk without submerging the fruity Saison character. Actually this reminds me of a French cider, but seriously amped up. Dry at the end, but fortunately not as intense as many Belgians.

Another good example of Epic's brews that include restraint among their virtues.I think this would stand up to most of the Belgian breweries in a blind taste test. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 06:53:20 | More by mactrail

Envelopes

Ohio

4/5  rDev +0.3%

03-19-2013 03:22:16 | More by Envelopes

Zbrown2307

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -6%

03-12-2013 21:47:39 | More by Zbrown2307

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared by Americo via Sammy, 650ml into a tulip. Release #2 as stated on the bottle.

Translucent golden yellow, with a light white head. Light retention and lacing. Nose of brett, oak, pear, vanilla and a touch of booze-y sweetness. Taste has more oak, vanilla, pale fleshed fruits, pear and a delicate barrel notes. Medium full body, sweet finish with a touch of alcohol. Well done, only improves as it warms and I move through the glass.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 18:35:50 | More by liamt07

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Big brett aroma, saison brett. Odd spider lacing. Funk aroma, a sour edge. Yellow bodied. Boozy smell in the finish, bigger than the listed abv. A pleasant drinkable sourness.
Bottle from recent US trip.A recommended try for funk and saison fans. A good and unique Brett.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 22:19:25 | More by northyorksammy