Saison is a style that is open to a wide range of brewer interpretation, but this wine barrel-aged beer pushes those broad limits even further. Upon pouring, I am greeted by a glowing, orange-colored beer with a fluffy white head. Classic Belgian yeast character jumps out in the aroma with heavy bubble gum notes and a restrained clove spiciness. The alcohol content is evident in the nose, and the first sip tells you this is a big beer. A sweet, sugary maltiness is up front followed by some spiciness and more bubblegum, accompanied by a significant warming from the alcohol. There is a lingering, residual sweetness of burnt sugar in the finish. The vinous barrel character emerges as the beer warms (with hints of vanilla), but is overall very restrained. While a very flavorful and enjoyable beer, the high alcohol content and lingering sweetness make it one you would have to split with a friend.
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Red Sky at Morning
Red Sky at Night has been a popular seasonal product for us for a few years now. And, while we do love it, we wanted to explore its “potential” by incorporating it into our “Uncharted Waters” program. We have never done a white wine barrel-aged beer before, but the core flavors of Red Sky at Night seemed like they would be a good fit for doing so – with a few tweaks, of course. Red Sky at Morning is a stronger beer than Red Sky at Night. We added a higher percentage of sugar to the boil, we increased the hop flavor slightly, and we employed a different yeast strain that produced spicier esters. All in all, we’ve retained the soul of Red Sky at Night, which is the sailor’s delight, while adding flavor and aroma dimensions in a 10% ABV version that definitely fits the bill of Red Sky at Morning – sailor take warning.
