Beer – #1,059 – Craftwork – Barrique Honey Medlar
Craftwork Barrique
This used to be known as ‘Craftwork Anniversaire’ the last version was in 2017, although the last one I had was in 2016 I’m easily confused. This was bottled on the 16th December 2018, from batch 2. It’ll do well in the bottle for 5 years though, like I have that amount of patience. Also it seems like this has been in my fridge for a lot longer than it clearly has been.
medlar fruit
This is a 500ml bottle of beer that is 8% ABV, which is around 240 calories a serve, which would then be 3.2 standard drinking in NZ
A honey Medlar.
A yearly release now named Barrique, Craftwork Brewery have released this Pinot barrel-aged saison conditioned on ‘medieval’ medlar fruit and with Waitaki honey used as a late addition to the boil.
Tart and funk as you would expect
Each year we take time to celebrate our small brewery. We brewed a golden saison farmhouse ale for our Anniversaire 2017. We loved this beer so much that we decided to add it to our repertoire.
We have aged this saison after primary fermentation, in a Waitaki Valley pinot noir barrel. To the barrel we added home grown Medlars – a super obscure ‘medieval’ fruit, as well as local Waitaki honey, used as a late edition to the boil. The barrel has developed a wild yeast character, with help from a Fantome yeast. Left for ten months the beer is tasting tart and funky.
Sante
So, What could possibly go wrong?
Lovely saison aroma on opening that went badly wrong as I leaned in to get a nose full of exuberant froth that was issuing forth. So it’s well carbonated and has a fantastic aroma.
Despite that early rush it’s not overly carbonated and pours very politely, a glorious slightly cloudy golden beer with a brilliance of a white head atop. lent of easy to see bubbles makes this quite a pretty beer.
Aroma in the glass is magnificent slighty sour sweetness.
The honey part of the description is accurate in that there is a sweetness in this that isn’t sugars and isn’t honey, but its very nice indeed, brining quite a long introduction to a beer that is quite mellow, with soft sourness, there’s an under taste of earthiness too, which I’m not unhappy about. That earthiness is more mike a lemon pith dryness, it’s really very intriguing and delightful really.
It would be quite easy to quaff this beer, and it’s hard not it, it is very inviting to the taste, with a whole range of that sweet/sour/bitter/sweet going on, all nicely in place and well paced though the palate.
As always you read get a top notch beer from a top notch brewing company.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 of its things from the thing. It’s a properly nice beer to drink is this, with a the saison things that you want and expect. This has the added bonus that there are some sweet notes that are unfamiliar and yet very welcoming.
The double dip review
- Where did I get it? Liquorland in Forrest Hill.
- Am I enjoying it? It’s a very easy to drink and very enjoyable beer.
- Would I have another? I’d consider it very seriously indeed.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would because it’s unusual and very delighful to drink with a to going on that seems all to be in pace and on the same page. It is very good.
Music for this: I have it on vinyl, but you can listen to ”The Trinity Session by Cowboy Junkies on Spotify
SAISON
Fruity esters dominate the aroma. Clarity is good with a large foamy head on top. The addition of several spices and herbs create a complex fruity or citrusy flavor. Light to medium bodied with very high carbonation. Alcohol level is medium to high.
A life just as ordinary 