Saison Rue

After being an unabashed homer for The Bruery since it opened more than two years ago, I thought it time to finally try its flagship beer, Saison Rue.  This is a wild, untamed beer.  It's as aggressive as Ballast Point's Brother Levonian is staid.  The first, obvious, feature of Saison Rue is its carbonation.  It took several minutes to fill my Chimay chalice because the foam was so intense.  I found the initial tastes harsh, as the dense bubbles, yeast, hops and a peculiar, sharp, midpoint sweetness all vied for attention. The sweetness was ephemeral, disappearing shortly after jolting the taste buds.

Like other The Bruery beers, Saison Rue changed throughout the bottle.  The sweetness mellowed, making it more approachable, allowing the yeast and hops to complement each other.  The thick foam and effervescence stayed throughout the bottle.  It was a cloudy beer and its color was a deep orange while the foam was white.  

Saison Rue's label said the beer was brewed with Brettanomyces yeast, but I did not notice the Brett's sour flavor.  I did find Saison Rue dry, so dry that I had to chase it with some water.   This beer, like so many The Bruery offerings, is a "thinker,"  and I am going to have to have another one to get a complete impression, I found it too complex to grasp in just one shared bottle.