Noble Rot - Dogfish Head Brewery

kojevergas

California

3.29/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cost was $14 at my local SoCal beer store. 1 pint 9.4 fl oz brown glass bottle with branded pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; I'm not big on Dogfish Head, but I have strangely high hopes for this one based on the marketing. Say what you like about Dogfish Head (and I frequently take jabs meself) - their label art is great and they know how to intrigue you with the descriptions of their beers. It's too bad the brewing is so often less appealing than the marketing, but I digress. 9% ABV confirmed.

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

Not paired with food.

A: Pours a fizzy thin white head that quickly dissipates within about 5 seconds. We're left with a clear pale yellow coloured body. Translucent. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. It's looking pretty downright awful for a saison, but I'm not going to judge it as a saison because Dogfish Head doesn't identify it as such per se (I always prefer to go with what the brewer considers a beer over what beeradvocate's imperfect categories consider it). Regardless of style, it doesn't look that great, though I guess it's somewhat vibrant. Meh.

Sm: Clear pale malts. Actually, I get some corn adjunct. Some white wine notes. Crystal malt. Honestly, if you poured this and had me smell it and told me it was an adjunct lager, I'd believe you. Maybe that's my broken nose, but I don't find this impressive at all. Clean and weak. A mild strength aroma. Unimpressive.

T: White wine notes. Clean pale malts. Pear-like sweetness. Lightly cider-esque. Clean barley. A bit acidic. Not very musty at all, actually. Clove from the yeast. Clean apple. Balanced - the best thing going for it. And it needs that, because it's awfully simple. I wouldn't say it lacks subtlety, but it's unimpressive.

Mf: Remarkably fizzy, with a pleasant underlying coarseness. Refreshingly wet. The mouthfeel here is a highlight, actually. Clean and enjoyable. It does dry a bit towards the climax. Carbonation is just a bit low.

Dr: Drinkable and enjoyable, but lacking anything interesting enough to warrant another purchase. In fact, it certainly seems overpriced for the lack of quality. Hides its ABV well. I think it's fair to call it wine-like. To its credit, it'd make a fantastic table beer for pairing with food. I like the cidre-like and wine-like qualities, but at some point, it seems to depart from being a beer. It's tough to settle on an opinion of this one as a result. This is definitely one to get again (hopefully at a better price) if you're looking to convert wine people to beer over dinner.

B-

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 04:47:35 | More by kojevergas

mactrail

California

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Quite attractive with a clear lemon color and a fine-grained foam. Interesting winey fragrance full of flowers, wine barrels, and fresh grapes.

Quite sharp, with a flavor more like an acidic young white wine than a beer, but I like it. Tastes like a Saison, but with that grapey flavor. Nice yeasty flavors but not as dry as many beers using the Belgian yeast. Tangy and bright. Malt I don't taste much of.

From the 750 ml bottle bought at Liticker's Liquor & Deli in San Diego. I don't want to say how much, but I won't be buying another for that price. Still, it's an adventure in flavor, and much easier drinking than most of Dogfish Head's experiments.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 04:28:08 | More by mactrail

mattkoon

South Carolina

4.56/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

i read an article about this beer a few months ago and i was really interested in trying it. then this past weekend i was at a beer tasting in charleston sc and there it was. my wife was with me and she is a wine drinker. she fell in love with this, and i really liked it so it was kind of the perfect drink for my house.
the color is a light yellow- like chardonnay. it smells like an earthy sassion and white wine mixture. which also sums up the taste- a great earthy light sassion paired with a sweet-dry white wine.
if you have wino friends and you want to drag them into the beer world this is a good start. this one will be a staple at my house whenever i can get it.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 23:57:06 | More by mattkoon

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

750ml bottle - $10.99 at Sprayberry Bottle Shop in Marietta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, pale yellow body, though, with a little tinge of green to it. Fluffy, white heads that cashes out quickly leaving on appreciable lacing as it goes.

Smell: Initial scents of lemon verbena, winey grapes, apples, and pears. Then, the soft wheat and pils malts. Characterful saison yeast throughout. Also, some alcohol definitely catching the nose.

Taste: Pils, wheat malts, a little grainy, a little doughy with some ground spice notes and moderate, initial sweetness. White grape, apple, even some tart pears interwoven with a lemony, herbal kick, but, mainly it's the taste of white wine. Lightly musty. The underlying spiciness ramps up a bit as the alcohol quickly takes hold, heading towards the warming, tart, relatively dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: It's solid. While not loved, I did like it fairly well for an interesting, wine-like, fusion-type beverage.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 19:58:24 | More by ChainGangGuy

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.94/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pale blonde colour, 1.5 fingers of white head, lace all the way down the glass, good retention as well. Smell is of spicy yeast, certainly saison like, fruity, citrus in the way of lemony, grape is initially minimal in the nose but becomes more aparent about halfway through, some sweet apple also there. Taste is full of grape and wine upfront followed by peppery/spicy yeast, fairly fruity, lemon, both sweet and tart points present here, some sweet wine/grape in the finish. Medium carbonation, medium body, lush soft creamy feel. This was rather enjoyable, quite drinkable with lots of solid flavours and depth.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 14:38:26 | More by peensteen

speter

New Jersey

3.46/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear gold with a massive fluffy white head that leaves an incredible amount of lacing. This is perhaps the most carbonated DFH beer I've had.

S: For me, the saison yeast comes through, with biscuity overtones and just the faintest trace of white wine. I was expecting the grapes to be the star here, but it smells like a solid saison.

T: Now here's where the grapes kick in. This tastes like a blend of a pinot gris with a Belgian beer (not too surprising, given the ingredients). If I were to review this strictly on the basis of the first sips, I would give it 4+, but there is something that actually becomes a bit much as you drink more of it, and I suspect it's something from the grape side of the equation. (Don't get me wrong, I love viognier and pinot gris can be good.) There's something oddly tannic in the finish that doesn't quite please nor match what I expect from a beer/white wine experience.

M: Very refreshing. I had it with an oily dish, and the carbonation worked perfectly. The finish I mentioned above does have a coating quality (maybe they need a lower alpha acid hop?), which detracts from an otherwise great mouthfeel.

O: I was quite excited when I read about the plans for this beer, and in wine-like servings, this is a wonderful achievement for DFH. I would recommend splitting a bomber among three people.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 18:30:25 | More by speter

Maltmaiden

Alabama

3.76/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: crystal clear bright straw yellow. Lots of carbonation.. almost looks like cider or chanpagne. Very tiny trace of a head but the carbonation keeps it from looking very flat. Kin of weird for a saison, but it looks pretty.

S: White grape right off the bat. some apricot, light malt. light funkiness. slight alcohol. rice? A Good smelling saison.

T: Sweet up front and then it dries out gradually. Kind of like a champagne actually, but with malt and very light hops. Apple, white grape, apricot. Some mustiness but not harshly so. Nice tasting.

M: The tang and carbonation really stings the tongue at first but then it leads into a sweetness, and then it dries out. very short lived finish, overall very clean. a complex and fun moutfeel.

O: I don't think the carbonation was obnoxious but I wish I could try it without so much...maybe it would be improved and taste more like beer to me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I want more out of this beer. Would like to have this for New Years!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 06:33:32 | More by Maltmaiden

shand

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Noble Rots pours out a very pale golden color with plenty of carbonation. The aroma is sweet and spicy, with a little bit of a strange twang that's probably the infected grapes. The taste is an equal mix of sweet and tart grape and spicy saison flavors. The mouthfeel is light and briskly carbonated, and the drinkability is good. Overall, Noble Rot is a success. It toes the line between beer and wine, successfully presenting characteristics of both. It's not something I'll drink something, but I enjoyed the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 05:53:39 | More by shand

kp29

Arizona

4.01/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Brewed with grapes and grape must? Intriguing...

Noble Rot pours a clear golden yellow. Almost looks like it could be a glass of sparkling grape juice or champagne with all the carbonation going on in this one.

Pick up some grapes in the nose, ever so musty, kinda smells like wine.

Not quite as sweet as I was anticipating but still some sweet and tart white grape flavor going on. Otherwise, though pretty dry and very reminiscent of a glass of white wine or maybe even a dry champagne.

Overall, an interesting hybrid beer that honestly tastes perhaps as much like a wine as it does a beer. I'm not usually a big fan of wine but this brew provides enough sweet and tart flavors mixed with the drying characteristics of a white wine to please my palate, although I couldn't drink this every time I was craving a beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 03:39:31 | More by kp29

Florida9

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Crystal clear golden straw yellow in color. Forms a fizzy white head that doesn't bother to stick around for very long, reducing to absolutely nothing, though the beer itself remains visibly carbonated. No lacing.

S: Aroma is very vinous and is much more "wine-like" than "beer-like." This one reminds me of some sort of cross between a buttery chardonnay and a minerally pinot grigio, though there is a faint, sweet, floral quality that doesn't fit either of the styles.

T: The taste is just...odd. Again very vinous with a minerally white wine on the start. Lightly sweet. Then more white wine. Actually, I'm really not getting much "beer" or Saison out of this one at all. Slightly acidic and grapey.

M: Light bodied. Heavier carbonation. Slightly acidic (but not sour).

O: This beer reminds me of a really shitty demi-sec champagne. And while its commendable that this isn't a shitty champagne, I'm not sure that a beer that tastes like a shitty champagne is any better than a shitty champagne in the first place. So, like many of Dogfish Head's beers, this one just goes to prove that saying that just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 02:28:15 | More by Florida9

Doc_Hops

Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A- Pours a very pale greenish yellow that actually resembles Sauvignon Blanc. Head is bright white; fluffy at first and then slowly disappears.

S- Very sweet and yeasty to begin. Definitely indicative of a saison but with a big hit of green grapes and a faint hint of green apples.

T- The best way I can describe it is like a wine gone bad...in a good way? Really interesting here. Almost like I poured a basic saison with a basic white white and this came out. Lots of grape notes and citrus notes paired with some interesting yeasty/ spice notes. Very complex and very different.

M- Very light bodied. Not much weight to it at all. Goes down quite smooth.

O- I like this beer. Very different than anything I've tried before I can say that. I think this beer might do better with some more time. I've got a few more bottles that I'm going to let sit for a while. If it chemically is anything like a wine, that leads me to believe it will definitely get better with age. But overall, very cool, very interesting.

Serving type- 750ml bottle poured into a wine glass. Thanks for reading.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 02:30:24 | More by Doc_Hops

JohnnyMc

Ohio

3.96/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A beer and wine hybrid!!

Pours out a perfectly clear, bright, golden, yellow with 2 fingers of white head; looks more like white wine than beer.

The aroma has some subtle funk notes from the Saison yeast, there are some earthy/grassy tones, a bit of lemon and a good amount of white grape notes.

The taste is bursting with white grape notes, some very nice tartness (not too much though), some more funky/hay notes, some grassy notes, definite lemon zest and some floral character. Very refreshing to drink and finishes very dry.

The body and mouthfeel are very light and there is no carbonation at all. The alcohol is completely hidden in the aroma, taste and feel of the beer.

This is an easy drinking beer that does taste and feel somewhat like drinking white wine at the same time. An interesting beer to be sure and one to try. It won't be for everyone.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 01:40:01 | More by JohnnyMc

Halcyondays

California

4.04/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

750 mL bottle, finally this comes to the Southland, my local Total Wine had a huge pallet, great label,

A: Pours a very clear pils looking yellow with medium white head which leaves some spotty lace.

S: Honeysuckle flowers, lots of grass with a hint of peppery spice, spring meadow, nice fragrance.

T: Lots of floral character upfront with some sweet stone fruit character in the mid-palate (Viognier methinks). The beer gets tart real quick with a lot of lemon with a complex fruit character of unripe nectarine and apricot.

M: Medium-bodied, frothy, light at the end but never thin. Nice slightly acidic finish (Pinot Gris acid/green apple/tartness/malic). Tart middle throughout to the end.

O: I was hoping the botrytis would come more to the forefront, since I love Sauternes and other botrytis infected wines like Auslese Riesling and higher QmP when I can find them and afford them. I could taste the grapes and the Viognier character. This is a varietal I am quite familiar with and this beer conveys true essence of that grape. At the end, certainly a good flavour, I want some more rot, but in the end I do like the beer just looking at it straightforwardly.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 04:48:41 | More by Halcyondays

Greywulfken

New York

4.43/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Dogfish Head are masters of beer innovation and experimentation - and one of my top 5 American brewers. It also makes their beers hard to classify and review in a style-specific way, so I just have to go with my reactions to the beer as a stand-alone style of beer.

A: clear pale gold in a tulip glass, a moderate white head of fizz; motes of lace speckled the glass; tiny bubbles streamed endlessly from the bottom of the glass

S: pinot grigio and pilsner - white wine grapes and pale ale hops and yeasts - floral, bright, tart

T: if the goal here was to meld white wine and pale ale: mission accomplished. Crisp, tart grape flavors; slightly bitter, bright hops, and wild yeasty flavors

M: light bodied, effervescent; again, wine-like, but with a beery feel, too

O: this guys are sure-fire - I loved it - would buy it again, and it must pair brilliantly with food - this is a great (white) wine substitute for the beer drinker. Want to buy a beer for a wine-lover? Want to buy a wine for beer-lover? This is it.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 02:48:20 | More by Greywulfken

DavidST

Texas

3.76/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a goblet, the bottled date is rubbed off. This pours a crystal clear light golden yellow color with a small short lived completely white head. The smell is of fermented grapes, white wine, some almsot belgian type of yeast esters, The feel is medium and fizzy like sparkling wine. The taste is good, plenty of grape tastes, a little like a white wine, no hops are present.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 05:27:59 | More by DavidST

fmccormi

New York

4.24/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Straight pour from a 750ml DFH champagne-style bottle to a 25cl Duvel Single tulip; it has a bottling date but to be honest I’m not sure what it means, other than it was brewed in 2012 (“BOTTLED ON: 2012E 13:27”)—but I’m given to believe this is a relatively fresh bottle. So, I dunno.

Appearance (4.0): Three fingers of bone-white, crackling head with plenty of fat, coarse bubbles and less of the fine foam. It has average retention, leaving a film on the surface after a while with a broad, thin collar; decent lacing around the glass. The body is a crystal-clear straw yellow, really surprisingly clear and crisp-looking (if I didn’t know what was in the glass I’d say it was an AAL). Crazy.

Smell (4.25): What an incredibly vinous aroma . . . mineral character (like pinot grigio), rather acidic white grape peel (like sauvignon blanc), and light and tart; but there’s also a somewhat subtle, underlying spiciness and earthiness that goes with the saison character. This is seriously like 50-50 wine and saison.

Taste (4.25): Just like the nose: again, a 50-50 hybrid, it seems. Very crisp, with modestly spicy (white pepper, some coriander) and earthy notes mixing with the same kind of mineral character in the nose—but then there’s a fruit dimension that’s part wine, part saison: lemon, pear, apricot, some lime, just all very bright and light but with a tart body and a soft edge. Plus a very, very lemony finish (coming from the hops?). No sense of alcohol whatsoever. What. The hell. Is going on here.

Mouthfeel (4.25): Once more, almost a 50-50 balance. Good carbonation with a velvety, creamy feel that tingles veeeery satisfyingly on the way down. The body is light, and has only a small amount of the starchiness of beer, and transitions into a very vinous finish with moderately acidic feel.

Overall (4.25): All in all, this has been a really enjoyable experience. Noble Rot walks the beer-wine line shockingly well—it really does appear to be as much beer as it does wine, without detracting from either set of qualities at all. This was a really excellent experiment in beer, and I’m very happy to have tried this. Definitely recommended for anyone who appreciates saisons or dry, white wine.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 03:59:28 | More by fmccormi

XicanoBeerRun

Texas

4.11/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a pale yellow with lots of carbonation. Smell is tart with slight baking soda. Sour on the tongue, biscuity aftertaste, not what I expected, but good. Grassy and sweet like a good pilsner. Saisonish yeast comes through, don't taste booze, white grapes as it warms up, slightly sour. Dry finish.

Some dudes at the beer store said they enjoyed it but would not try it again. I thought it was an interesting brew. I’ll have another.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 17:45:15 | More by XicanoBeerRun

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured into a Boulevard chalice.

A: Pours a crystal clear copper/golden color. Two fingers of fluffy, bone white head retains better than expected, though it does settle after a short period. Lacing leaves a jagged ring on the glass.

S: Bready and biscuity scents of pilsner malt and wheat. Belgian yeast scents of chalk, light touches of peppery spice, and a bit of cellar-like must. White wine grape aromas are lightly tart and fruity with hints of citrus fruits and pear. A very unique and interesting nose that displays great balance.

T: Dry biscuit and cracker malt tastes are quickly overtaken by a tide of tart, almost puckering white wine grapes with flavors redolent of citrus juices and pear. Slight acidity. No discernible hop taste, but the overall dryness of the beer and the tartness of the grapes make up for it. Yeast comes into play toward the back end with soft tastes of white pepper, chalk, and must (though to a lesser extent that the nose suggested). Finishes with tart grapes and a touch of yeast.

M: Light to medium body, somewhat foamy and creamy, ever so slightly tannic. Modest scrubbing carbonation.

O: This is a great concept that ended up working out quite well. I think the saison yeast is what really pulls it all together. A unique beer/wine hybrid that meshes perfectly and achieves a harmonious balance. Beer geeks and wine snobs alike can find a common ground in this beverage. One of Dogfish Head's more noteworthy achievements of late.

Notes: A slam-dunk cheese pairing with Moser Chardonnay washed rind.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 05:47:06 | More by ryan1788a5

spoony

Colorado

3.79/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

From a 750 ml into a tulip.

A-The color is very light, golden-yellow (like white wine) and mostly clear. There is about one fat finger of white, shiny foam. Some nice lacing is left on the glass.

S-Smell is a pleasantly tart (though not sour) mixture of lemon, straw, and white wine scents. Touch of funk, too.

T-The taste follows the smell with some sweet lemon drop flavor and a mild tartness being the dominant components. There is a funky undertone that fades to an herbal, warming alcohol flavor on the finish.

M-This is a light-weight brew. Carbonation is fine. Easy to drink.

O-The wine character is very noticeable and makes for a unique brew. Flavor is not as complex as some, but the beer has a pleasing, drinkable tartness and feel. I'm not sure that I'm completely sold on the wine juice/must concept, but I have certainly tasted worse beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 18:02:40 | More by spoony

JRed

New Jersey

3.89/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright, transparent golden with champagne bubbly white head. Aroma of lemon skin, white grapes similar to fruit juice, vague vanilla, and floral notes. Tastes of spiked apple juice, grapes, sour notes, floral notes, slight funk, wine-like towards the finish. Light and bubbly. A champagne beer. The 9% is there but easy to handle. Sweet but reserved.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 00:39:37 | More by JRed

ESPNman

California

3.89/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Served in a Stone IRS Snifter

A - Pours a white wine-like (shocking, huh?) straw yellow. It looks like an extremely pale pils, but more like white wine mixed with a pale cider. A vigorous pour results in two fingers of thick, pure white, fluffy head. Some spotty lacing.

S - Plenty of wine, funk, barnyard, and a bit of pale malt. There's definitely a musty funk smell there, but plenty of wine character shines through, giving this a sweet juicy aroma. The yeast lends a bit of extra fruit character to the nose.

T - Definitely an interesting and complex flavor to this brew. It starts out with some sweet grape juice notes mixed with some malt. It transitions from there into the musty, funky, mouth-puckering sour notes that this brew is best known for. It finishes tart and quite dry with a lingering barrel funk flavor... and a bit of cheese-like taste.

M - Medium carbonation, but very champagne-like in how it looks in the glass. It really feels like a sparkling wine in the mouth. Very dry on the finish.

O - Solid brew, and a successful experiment to be sure. It's sweet, it's tart, it has some solid yeast character, it retains all of the characteristics of its ingredients, and yet doesn't come across as muddled. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 04:18:02 | More by ESPNman

NickG1202

Virginia

3.69/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into an over sized wine glass from a 750

Appearance was a soft, hazy, yellow with high carbonation with slight to no real lacing.

It smelled of a musty fruity concoction that quickly fades into a wine laden flavor fest. The taste is just as musty as the smell and has a super long finish. I still taste my first sip three minutes in.

They mouth feel is light and delicate. Truly seems like the champagne of beers.

Overall an other solid beer from Sam and his crew in Delaware. For me a tad sweet and a little too much must but hey...some find that irresistible. I would drink again perhaps on a warm summers eve. Be warned, at 9% it'll get ya. Cheers!!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 03:41:42 | More by NickG1202

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #62 (Mar 2012):

LOOK: Very pale, bright, clear, Pils-like, active, big frothy white foam head

SMELL: Vinous, Pinot Gris, cheese, fruity, musty

TASTE: Light, vinous, concentrated white grape juice, fruity, slightly acidic, dry, spicy, cheesy, musty, tannic

This Saison (of sorts) was brewed with botrytis (noble rot) infected juice from Viognier grapes and Pinot Gris must, which was intensified by “dropping fruit” (cropping the grapes). It’s then balanced with Pilsner and wheat malts, and finished with a Belgian yeast strain. Although its wine-like flavors dominate, Noble Rot tastes just as interesting as it sounds; demanding a “must” try for adventurous palates.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 03:37:03 | More by BeerAdvocate

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour a brew of pale yellow coloring. It holds a fizzy half finger tall head of tight white bubbles, showing okay retention. Thick rings and spots of lacing are seen around the glass. There is utter clarity to the beer, with no haze or sediment noted, while carbonation appears fast and active, much like champagne. The nose gives pale and chalky malts, with sweetness of their own that matches plastics and stark and souring green grapes. This gives an aroma comparable to the base notes of champagne, as noted in the look as well. The yeast gives metallics, and with warmth, almost borders on Brettiness, mineral, and barnyard grassiness. Hops give bitterness and sweetness in the form of lemony citrus. Our first impression is that, in very much the same fashion as the rest of the beer, it is much like champagne, but with a more soured, yeasty finish. As we sip, metallic malts, green grape skin dryness, white sugar sweetness, soured Bretty and Belgian yeast muskiness, and that pale malt base. The middle peaks with more chalky pale grain, metallic yeast, musk grapes of champagne, soured grape skins, and juicy citric sourness. The final wash comes with the juiciness of sweet grapes, souring citrus, cellar musk, pale and wheaty malts, mineral, white sugar sweetness, and the balancing bittered starkness of drying yeast. The aftertaste breathes of green grape skin, chalky wheat, metallic yeast, alcohol, soured lemon rind, and chalky, puckering pale graininess. The body is medium, and the carbonation is higher, with big froth and cream to the lip. Each sip gives nice sip and smack, with a good finishing pop. The mouth is coated with bubbles and foam, but quickly dries with grapey astringency. The residual sugariness gives the stickiness to the lips of a much more syrupy brew. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, what we liked best about this beer was the juiciness of the flavoring via the grape, while keeping so much musky dryness, and qualities of champagne. This beer truly is the champagne of beers. The look, the nose, the flavoring, and the feel all overlap significantly with that beverage, all while keeping a distinct funky sourness to it, and enough seriousness to keep the flavoring appropriate, and the beer drinking smoothly. This is an impressive beer, and we might have to employ it every year now to ring in the New Year.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 02:24:59 | More by TheBrewo

Alieniloquium

Florida

2.83/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

750 mL bottle poured into a tumbler. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Nearly clear dark yellow. White head and nice lacing.

Smell - Musty fruity aroma. Grape juice, specifically. Strong white wine presence.

Taste - Sweet as hell. Much more white wine flavor. Pilsner malt before a touch of bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Immensely sweet. It hints that it might dry out a bit into a musty fruity finish, but nowhere near it yet.

Overall - Hardly a saison, but I guess that's what Dogfish does. Really heavy and winey. Only a little bit of what I'd call beer behind the sugars.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 20:49:14 | More by Alieniloquium