Brewed May 18th 2016. Barrel-aged Saison, bottle-conditioned. Bottled on 7th, August 2017, Best Before 7th August 2019.

Well, it is what it is. Brewed in 2016, this is likely a minimum of three, maybe more, years past its best. That didn’t stop me buying it late in 2022 when I saw the last bottle, hanging out, lonely on a shelf. Happy to take a punt on a beer brewed by these two guys, full in the knowledge that this likely won’t be good/great/drinkable.

Pour is quite acceptable in terms of color – deep, orange – less so in terms of carbonation. A very, very aggressive pour actually produces decent head, but of course this dissipates quickly and leaves no retained head or lace of any description.

Nose has a little cardboard, some musty tea, and a hint of some light vinegar.

Tastes reflect the nose with a very, very mild tartness, some muted fruit, and a solid dose of cardboard in the back-end. Oxidized? Yes, somewhat, and any hope of the retaining decent levels of flavor are lost quite quickly. Having said that, you can actually tell what this beer once was. I mean that there is a little apple element, there is a drying wood element, and you can tell that this beer was aimed at a lambic/cider target and that it probably once was right there. Finishes dry and woody.

Some say, ‘don’t review beers that are old’, but I always disagree as long as content is given. In any case, I think of my ‘reviews’ more of ‘notes of my own. and for my own reference’, so there’s no need to put too much stock in them if you don’t want to. Context should help you decide, and there’s plenty of context included by me here.