Love Buzz Saison - Anchorage Brewing Company

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

All you need is love...

Batch #1, August 2011. Brought to just under room temp on the recommendation of a dear and trusted beer friend. Let's see how that goes...

Six twists of the cage (count 'em, always six!) and unscrewing the cork gives a nice blast of a "pop!" The pour offers a burnt peach meets bronze liquid, with a billowy, creamy, firm and thick white head that looks almost like ice cream and leaves big swaths of lace in its wake.

My nose is gobsmacked by grapefruit, grapefruit and more grapefruit. Flesh and peel. Of all the things this WAS brewed with, grapefruit isn't one of them. So it's the combination of rose hips, peppercorns, orange peel, Citra hops, Brettanomyces yeast and Pinor Noir barrels working very hard to achieve a very unified aroma. Further whiffs find the peppercorn, Citra and Pinot Noir aspects separating from the rest, and harmonizing with one another. Interesting...very interesting. (And truth be told, not that far away from the Bitter Monk smell.)

If you sat there and sniffed for hours like I did before tasting (okay, minutes, but many long minutes) the flavor almost doesn't seem like a surprise. But so what, it's no less impressive as a result. Big tart citrus fruits, lots of grapefruit certainly, white grape/white wine, white pepper, and there are the rose hips. What's nice and probably most unexpected is an almost glazed doughnut-like sweetness, giving excellent malty backup to what is a very complex but never confusing or messy beer.

I love that Anchorage's use of Brett, here and in Bitter Monk, is used tastefully and strategically. It doesn't color over every other aspect, like some other jolly brewer that loves to use it and only ends up with very "samey" tasting beers. Just sayin'.

Also love (there's that word again) that the feel is a bit rounder and creamier than most saisons, although still has the dryer, crisper edge typical of the style at the very same time. Citrus peel tang and tart is most prominent in the finish, with a sweet sugar glaze hovering just underneath the fruit.

Damn, this works so well, on so many levels. Between just this and Bitter Monk, I'm thinking Anchorage should win the award for best new brewer of 2011. No idea when they actually started up, but they've really got something to be proud of with their tiny handful of offerings. Hopefully they'll move into the stout/porter realm, would love to see what they can do on that side of the tracks.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 23:13:53 | More by Metalmonk

Kreko7

California

5/5  rDev +17.6%

05-20-2013 19:38:10 | More by Kreko7

tom10101

Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev 0%

05-19-2013 18:07:44 | More by tom10101

volta

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%

05-19-2013 16:19:29 | More by volta

dimitrov

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

05-19-2013 05:44:57 | More by dimitrov

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%

05-18-2013 21:56:16 | More by Photekut

mattvandyk

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

05-18-2013 15:52:31 | More by mattvandyk

Immortale25

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Due South Brewing Co. snifter. Batch No. 2 August/2012

A- Pours a medium amber color with a 1/2 inch off-white head that retains a bit before reducing to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a sheer sheet of surface foam. Light semi-resilient lacing.

S- Very fruity with notes of tangerine, mango and papaya. You can also really smell the Brett but it's a clean aroma and note as sharp as other Brett-infused beers I've had.

T- Very complex barrage of fruity sweetness, Brett funk and a bit of barrel presence. Still very clean and tame all things considered. Has a decent amount of tartness to offset the sweetness. Alcohol is very well-masked and is only really sensed among the wine-like characteristics of the beer no doubt due to the barrel-aging. The bitterness of the hops comes through more as the beer warms.

M- Slick and moist with medium carbonation and a lightish body.

O- Unlike anything I've ever had before. They somehow created the perfect balance of Brett, hops, fruit and wine barrel. I never got any peppercorn out of it but I'm sure it contributed in some way I just didn't detect. A stellar saison that I will jump at the chance to purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 03:00:01 | More by Immortale25

JxExM

New York

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

05-11-2013 05:55:53 | More by JxExM

justforrazors

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -23.5%

05-10-2013 01:22:50 | More by justforrazors

dalepryor

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

05-07-2013 21:20:46 | More by dalepryor

dvmky

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

05-05-2013 17:50:50 | More by dvmky

Gobzilla

California

4.25/5  rDev 0%

04-25-2013 07:11:51 | More by Gobzilla

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.34/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into an oversize wine glass. Acquired as an extra from Surge1311 thanks man!

A- Pours a hazy dull golden orange body with a gushing white 4 finger head that rises quickly but reduces quickly too. Leaves some chunky lacing.

S- The aroma of this beer makes me smile. Just like any world class brett beer, I get some incredible funky, leathery, woody aromas which combine with tart white grapes, fresh oranges, citrus peel, and some sweet malt in the background.

T- Upon the first sip I get the tradition saison notes - light fruity banana and clove. The brett funk shows itself on the follow through which pairs well with the woody grape notes of the pinot noir barrel. There is definitely a hop presence here that I wish wasn't so dominant - an astringent aftertaste that overtakes some of the nice barrel and brett notes. Would be better without the citra hops.

M- Medium body, medium carbonation. Prefer wilds lighter.

A wonderfully crafted beer. Hoppy Saison? Wild Ale? Not sure what I would characterize this as, but it's delicious. If the aroma matched the flavor it would be among my top beers, but very good nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 00:52:04 | More by gcamparone

thampel09

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +17.6%

04-23-2013 19:19:21 | More by thampel09

IpeeA

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%

04-23-2013 11:44:22 | More by IpeeA

MSandahl23

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

04-21-2013 02:26:10 | More by MSandahl23

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Batch 1, bottled August 2011. Big thanks to match1112 for the bottle. I regret passing this up when it was on shelves here, and I was thrilled to get a bottle in a BIF. Tasted 12 April 2013.

Pours a cloudy medium orange. Huge billowing fluffy dense white head, that slowly relaxes, leaving gobs of foam and lacing all over the glass, and ends as a thick cap. Wow.

Smell is fantastic. Funky, with a delicate grape aroma, and floral notes spread throughout. This right here is why I love brett-fermented saisons. The gentle funk plays perfectly on the structure of the rest of the beer. I keep going back for more, and I just want to drink it in.

Taste is probably the low point. It's actually pretty good, but it's the sidekick to the amazing smell. Moderately funky, fruity, slightly sweet before turning tart. An amalgam of flavors, all quite nice. Relaxes into a soft bitterness before fading out.

Feel is stellar. Medium-bodied, but with loads of small-bubble fluffy carbonation, mouth-filling and vibrant, spreading the flavors around and making them dance.

This is up there with Boulevard's Saison Brett among my top saisons ever. I'm blown away, and I really hope they make this again. If only the taste had a little more to it...

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 06:42:25 | More by zeledonia

Giantspace

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

04-19-2013 01:12:41 | More by Giantspace

drgonzo2k2

California

4.25/5  rDev 0%

04-17-2013 13:55:37 | More by drgonzo2k2

Invictus

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

04-15-2013 22:11:12 | More by Invictus

RickS95

Indiana

2.69/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25

It's an attractive shade of pale orange, but nothing earth shattering. The head is white, but fleeting. There's a bit of lace, but again, nothing to write home about.

This thing pops in the nose. Candied sugar, Brett yeast and bitter orange peel dominate. All three flavors are distinct, but overpowered by the orange peel.

Wow, extreme bitterness from the orange peel just overwhelms everything else. The candied sugar shows up first, but is put to shame by a piney IPA taste. As the beer works it's way back, the orange peel destroys any remaining taste buds. I was feeling a bit sleepy, but this literally opened my eyes with the punch it provides.

I expected a nice, soft saison with a bit of sweetness and some tangy tartness for balance. Not in this beer. It's sweet for a split second, then tangy for another split second, then nothing but tart bitterness. My throut literally hurts after a handful of sips. This is a serious wake up call.

I have a bomber of this and I have no idea how I'm going to finish. It's completely obnoxious. I'm hoping the relatively high ABV will dull my senses soon.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:49:07 | More by RickS95

Davit

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.9%

04-15-2013 02:07:17 | More by Davit

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Batch 2, August 2012.

Beer is a caramel-orange colour, with a moderate to large-sized white head. Slightly cloudy. Head fades fairly quickly, leaving a film. A fair amount of lace.

Wow, the smell is enormous and captivating. Huge vinous nose, very fruity, blackberry, cherry, mango and apricot, all melded together with a liberal dose of funky brett notes. Some oak. The wine barrel influence is dramatic and nice. Really a stand-out aroma.

Taste also contains big vinous fruit notes. Blackberry, cherry, red grape, mango, passionfruit and orange. Brett is fairly prominent, and the flavour is quite funky and dry. Not really sour in any meaningful way, just funky. Oak is pretty strong in the aftertaste. Black pepper is there as well.

Medium bodied, moderately carbonated. Smooth. Juicy.

Overall, terrific. Rich and enveloping and unique. A very tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 23:48:03 | More by jrenihan

mendvicdog

Maryland

4/5  rDev -5.9%

04-12-2013 23:47:09 | More by mendvicdog