Tasting Notes - Brett Beers

Tasting notes of both brett beers side by side with the regular versions on May 19, 2010:

1. Rêve de Wallonia

• clear dark orange with good pop upon opening
• steady carbonation and thin egg white head lingering
• fizzy green apples with a sharp lemon peel and musky grains
• pale malt, stale lemons
• texture is thin and silky with a mild leathery or thin syrupy feel
• stale lemons and malt; mild earthy tones and slightly “dirty”
• anything but popping with freshness
• stale fruits, caramel and light orange
• very interesting side by side with the brett version
• quite dry with stale fruits in the finish
• husky and earthy with stale lemons
  

2. Rêve de Wallonia w/ Brett

• quick carbonation that would have gushed over if I didn’t pour into a glass
• same dark orange appearance with more spotty head that fades quickly once out of the bottle
• slight yellowish hue to it
• obvious pineapple brett, leather and zesty lemons
• more fruity notes here and zesty spice as opposed to the more husky and musky notes of the regular version
• lots more bitterness too which is kind of surprising
• orange peels with slight sour zing and silky, leathery texture
• really like the nose but quite bitter to me
• texture is thin with sticky dry finish
• much of the husky-ness is gone and certainly tastes a little cleaner and drier
  

3. Saison de Deux Médecine

• mild gusher as expected
• light gold with soapy white head fading slowly; steady bubbles
• lemons, pepper, dried yarrow, a little ginger
• fresh, floral nose
• mildly medicinal flavors from the yarrow
• light, lemony texture
• light and dry with very clean mouthfeel
• much crisper and cleaner than the Wallonia
• much more of what I expected going in too
• get the ginger with nice floral and dried flowers
• quite nice overall and very happy with this except for that fact that as I only bottled ~ 2 gallons of finished product, it’s almost all gone!!
• would like it to be a little more complex or yeasty though
• aside from the carbonation, I’m very happy with this batch
  

4. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• slight hiss upon opening with slight white head fading quickly
• more vibrant gold in color with next to no bubbles
• pineapple brett, lemons and ginger on the nose
• very clean again with little to none of the bitterness found in the Wallonia w/ brett
• crisp, light fruits and most of the medicinal qualities gone away
• less of a leathery texture than expected
• beer is very clean to begin with, so I think that helps the brett shine more and pop with freshness and fruity flavors
• dried flowers, oranges and ginger – yummy!!!