We went to Beer Revolution for a "Meet the Brewers" event Saturday, May 22. Those events are always a little weird, since it's hard to figure out what exactly to say to the brewers other than "hey man, this beer is really good." I chatted briefly with Peter, the brewer, and Rick, the sales/marketing guy, and they were very nice as I told them that indeed, their beer is good.
REALLY good.
Odonata Saison (Saison, 6% ABV) is incredibly delicious. It's foggy and honey-coloured, with a fluffy white head that dissipates pretty quickly. It has a faint, dusty smell. It feels great, syrupy and gentle, really soft in the mouth. It's almost a little chewy, if that makes sense. It tastes sweet (but not sugary) and lemony. The aftertaste is lovely - it really fills up your whole mouth and is almost slightly peppery. Overall it's delicious, and I like how complex it is. Drinking it was very enjoyable, and I had a lot of different thoughts and impressions. That's always fun.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it. So instead, here's the Lumberjack trying to fly my kite when we went up to a vinyard yesterday. The Saison makes things feel rosy and summery like this photo.(side note: locals should definitely keep an eye on this newish brewery in Sacramento - I'm super excited to see what beers are still to come! Odonata Beer Company seems quite promising.)
We each ordered a Saison (even got the glasses to go with it! yay glassware!), then both tried an additional beer:
I had Brasserie de Silly Scotch Silly (Scotch Ale, 8% ABV). It had the strongest honey scent I've ever smelled in a beer - it seriously smelled like someone just poured a bottle of honey inside the glass. It had a really pretty, dark ruby colour. It mostly just tasted like water & honey - the honey flavour was so intense that it made any other flavours just seem watery and non-existent. The aftertaste had a little more yeast/beer in it, which was nice. But overall the honey was too overwhelming.
The Lumberjack had Eel River Triple Exultation (Old Ale, 9.7% ABV) which I thought was delicious. It smelled strongly of bourbon/liquor, but was very sweet and pruney, slightly like raisins. It was very smooth, and very tasty. Quite drinkable, but a little high in the ABV to have too much.
Unfortunately it wasn't until our last few sips that we realized we each preferred the other's beer. Oops.
