Barley Mowat 

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a beer. I thought about throwing up something on Driftwood Lustrum, but talking about the cellaring potential and general awesomeness of a beer you could no longer buy just seems cruel (I will update my cellaring page with details, though, so those lucky few who managed to get some can track their investment).

Today, though, I happened upon some Four Winds Saison Brett and figured the world could benefit from my thoughts on this interesting, complex and–perhaps most importantly–still available beer.

Tasting notes:

First, it comes in a cork and wire bottle. That gets some points from me right off the bat. Only three beers have ever been released in BC with corks, and Four Winds has now made two of those. Throw some Brett-infected barrel-aging on the fire and now we’re talking serious potential.

Does it live up to that potential? In a word: Yes. In two words: fuck yes. This is a refined, polished beer that makes nigh perfect use of barrel aging and Brett funk to add complexity to an already great beer. I opened this bottle with very high expectations and Four Winds met them.

This beer is drinking beautifully now, but it will continue to develop intense complexity with cellaring, likely for up to another 2-3 years.

APPEARANCE Cloudy, golden amber with a slight orange tint. Head is frothy, white and long lasting.
NOSE Bread yeast with a strong Brett funk. Slight pepper spiciness.
TASTE Crisp, dry body with a lingering funk from the Brett. Mild apple esters with a slightly bitter, oaky finish.
STATS 7.0% ABV / 28 IBU / Unfiltered / Bottle Conditioned
SHOULD I BUY IT? This is an elegant beauty of a beer, and definitely the best Saison BC has ever seen. So, uh, yeah, buy it.

Where to get it: The following stores purchases some stock of Saison Brett, but may or may not have sold out by now:

Legacy Liquor (rumoured out)
Brewery Creek
Fire Fly
BotteJockey
Darby’s
Hastings Liquor
Westcoast Liquor Kerrisdale
Kitsilano Liquor
Steamworks Liquor
Burrard Liquor
16th St. Liquor
Village Liquor
Hop & Vine
Bainbridge
Big Ridge
Central City
O’Hares
Spinnakers Liquor Stores
Cascadia Liquor Stores
Scotties (Squamish)

Coles notes:

Gold because of the bar
this has set for BC-brewed beers.