Bruny Island Beer Co is on something of a saison tip at the minute, as they have every right to be given the brewery is located on a farm and it's the time of year when a refreshing, tart beer can be just what the doctor ordered. Beautiful Ugly isn't just another saison, however, it's the launch of what will be an annual series celebrating Tasmanian artists.
First to get a guernsey (well, an excerpt from her painting "Me and My Beautiful Ugly Cakes" on the label) is Junko Go, with her work chosen seemingly not just because Bruny Island Cheese founder Nick Haddow is a fan but because it ties in with the "beautiful ugly" concept behind the beer. The beautiful relates to the modern brewing preference for using domesticated Saccharomyces yeast strains; the ugly to the use of bacteria and "wild" yeasts, including Brettanomyces strains.
Thus, joining the hops, grains and water in this beer are both traditional Belgian farmhouse yeasts and funkier Brett variants. And we reckon brewer Evan Hunter has brought the motley crew together in such a way it's the best saison we've tasted from Bruny to date. That Bretty barnyard funk is prominent, surrounded by a spicy herbaceousness, lemon juice like acidity and balancing pale malt sweetness. It comes with the high carbonation typical of the style, a refreshingly dry finish (despite its booze content) and has some hoppy tropical fruit and apple flavours floating around in the mix too.
Published January 16, 2018 2018-01-16 00:00:00