La Sirene – Saisonette

Some fine bottle art

The wife licks her lips, stops a moment, looks at the far wall, and states “Nahhhh” after having a sip of Saisonette before walking away. Her loss I guess, because a 750mL bottle is designed to be shared. My gain then, because this is a great beer.

The first thing that strikes me with any La Sirene beer is the bottle art, which is always sensational. In this instance, we have a long haired, robed female perched atop a small rock surrounded by what I assume is ocean, gazing in the distance towards my 4 o’clock. A more glamourous, artistic, Little Mermaid. Musty oak, apple and pear greet the nose as the vibrant straw liquid glows out of the glass, and the bubbles race to the top. The flavours are a kaleidoscope of this that and the other – straw, lime, floral, yeasty (especially as I disturbed the yeast at the bottom of the bottle, leading to lots of floaties). It’s sweet, with a dry finish, and the cabronation keeps it feeling light.

Floaties!

Loving this beer. Its light and refreshing, and I’d be drinking it out in the sun if I hadn’t been sunburnt just two days earlier. And at 3.8% ABV it doesn’t tip me over the edge. Bravo to La Sirene, another quality saison in their stable.

Drunk: from the bottle

3 Ravens Brewery – Dark

Smoked beers aren’t for everyone, but I for one love them, even though they’re a rare commodity on the market. The peated malts combine with some hops can give a beer a great, smokey flavour. And so it was when a good mate gifted me a bottle from the brewery he works at – 3 Ravens. Based in Melbourne, their footprint in the NSW market is fairly small, meaning my exposure to them is limited. This is one of his favourites, so it’s got a bit of a reputation to stand up to.
Dark (seems strangely named when spoken just like that. ‘Dark beer’ would work in a sentence much better) pours a cloudy brown, with big bacon aromas floating up off the liquid. It retains a smokey flavour in the mouth, but is also joined by a chocolate sweetness, which just about retains balance with the rest of the beer. It’s a little thin, which is my one criticism of it – something a bit more thick and chewy in the mouth would go down a treat. Or on nitro! Now there’s an awesome proposition! 

This is a quality drink which I’d highly recommend. It’s sweet, without being too sweet (just). It’s smokey, without being too smokey. It’s this flavour which is the real winner – it lingers for a long time in the mouth. Now off to find some more smoked beers!

Drunk: from the bottle