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Tom Cannon's picture

Sauvage

October, 2015

Sauvage

Judges Rating: 
92
Aroma: 
22 / 24
Appearance: 
6 / 6
Flavor: 
37 / 40
Mouthfeel: 
9 / 10
Overall Impression: 
18 / 20

Brettanomyces used in place of conventional yeast, or in conjunction with conventional yeast, provides beer with a somewhat earthy, bitter, funky character. When done poorly, it can result in an overly dry beer with an almost barnyard-like character that can dominate any other characteristic in the beer. When done well, as is the case with this Pale Ale, it lends complexity to what would otherwise be a fairly simple beer. The earthy, bitter character spins itself around the hops in this fairly hoppy beer and serves to complement the flavors rather than work against them. This beer is indeed a little funky, but it’s also a nice Pale Ale with an interesting twist in flavor due to the addition of the Brett. There are similarities in this beer to the classic Trappist Ale, Orval.