What an interesting beer. Pour is good looking, with a black body and a head, retention and lace that one would expect for a 12.2% beer, that is to say it's relatively short lived and not spectacular but appropriate. No problems or issues here. Nose has some of the acid notes that signal what's to come (see below) and plenty of fruit. A little surprisingly, not much alcohol. The initial tastes - just for a moment - suggest a deep, alcohol laden fig and raisin experience. Of course, that would...
Notes on beers brewed by
Zebulon Artisan Ales
Biere de Noel
House Saison
(for Fred Eckhardt)
When people make grandiose statements about beer I usually take it all with a pinch of salt. In most of those cases I know a lot more about beer than they do, and I have significantly more experience. There are of course plenty of people whose opinions I do value, and they are the ones who do have the experience and the know-how. So when Bob Sylvester (Saint Somewhere) said to me that Zebulon is perhaps his favorite American brewery, then my radar goes up. Why? Because I'm smart. To quote Bob,...