Firestone Walker Lil Opal Barrel Aged Saison Farmhouse Ale

I always seem to miss out on the Firestone Walker limited edition beers. Something always comes up that prevents me from getting to the bottle shop in time to buy one. To make things worse, if I do get there I seem to just miss them. For example, one time I walked into a bottle shop right as someone was walking out with the last bottle of Firestone Walker 19th Anniversary. Another time, I was next in line as the last Velvet Merkin went to the customer ahead of me. The point here is I have no luck with the “Box” beers Firestone Walker releases throughout the year. What I do have luck with however, is the Firestone Walker Barrelworks beers. I passed twice on the first release in the series, Bretta Rose. To this day, I ask myself, “why?” I still have yet to find a good enough answer. By luck again I stumbled upon Lil Opal, a farmhouse saison aged 17 months in American and French Oak Barrels. This time, I decided to purchase a bottle for 2 reasons. The first being I could write a review on it. The second being I get to publicly vent about my frustrations of not getting any of the “Box” beers. I feel like it is a good way to commiserate because I know many of you out there are in the same boat as me. So for all of us, here's hoping we get one on the next release! In the meantime however, I was just hoping Lil Opal was worth the purchase.

As I stared at Lil Opal's hazy golden orange color and white fizzy head, I could not help but hope more that usual that it was going to be a good beer. This is because the cost of this beer per ounce is slightly higher than what I usually review here. At a little over a dollar an ounce I hoped that the luxury the bottle promised would translate to the glass. I was relieved to find that the aroma delivered the complexity I was looking for. Brettanomyces funk, tart lemon, pepper spice, vanilla sweetness and oak were what greeted me in the aroma. There was much more going on when I took my first sip. Brett funk, lemon, and a lactic sourness start things off before giving way to the barrel which is a bit too understated. After spending 17 months in a barrel I thought the barrel would have a bit more of a presence in Lil Opal. It did provide a bit of spice and a nice vanilla sweetness that added a bit of creaminess to the mouth feel. I just wanted a little more of that. The finish brought yet another layer to this complex beer by being reminiscent of dry white wine. To sum things up, Lil Opal did not disappoint in bringing the complexity.

I enjoyed drinking Firestone Walker Lil Opal. I thought it was a good beer and that it was worth the purchase. Drinking it felt like a long, complex journey. Like any long journey, fatigue began to set in around the midway point. The funk and tartness which I enjoyed in the beginning began to grow a bit stale. Then after it had some time to warm, the vanilla sweetness became a bit more present. I felt revitalized from that and it got me into finish the glass. The thought of drinking another Lil Opal however seems exhausting. For that reason I can't say it would be worth a second purchase. Of course that would mean I am lucky enough to stumble upon it again to make that statement a bit more meaningful.

Overall I would rate Lil Opal a 3.75/5. It's a good beer and I enjoyed drinking it. I just wish I had shared it with someone. Believe me when I say 6 ounces goes a long way here.

Rating Scale:
1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://www.acraftylook.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Uinta Cucumber Farmhouse

The first time someone offered me cucumber water I thought they were messing with me. At that time I did not see much use for the cucumber. I found it to be the boring veggie I would typically eat first in my salads to make sure it did not affect the flavor of anything I actually did want to eat. I had no idea adding a cucumber to water would not only pleasantly enhance the flavor of the water, it seemed to make it even more refreshing. From that point on, I developed an appreciation for the cucumber. I found myself enjoying it more on its own. I stopped eating it first in my salads. I also felt it was only a matter of time until the refreshing flavor of cucumber found its way into some of the beers I drink. At a recent bottle shopping excursion, I was excited to see Cucumber Farmhouse from Uinta Brewing Company on the shelf. To make the first cucumber beer I have seen on shelves even more interesting, I saw that it was aged in gin barrels. I quickly picked it up, placed it in the fridge and waited to drink it on an incredibly hot day. Well, that day is today and I hope this beer is as flavorful and refreshing as it appears to be.

Cucumber Farmhouse pours a dense cloudy gold with a fizzy white head. The aroma is lightly spiced with clove, banana, coriander and cucumber. I rushed the aroma part because it is extremely hot and I had high hopes that this beer would be extremely cooling and refreshing. I was half right. The cucumber flavor stands out nicely. It hit my palate immediately before giving way to lemon, banana and clove. The finish then hit me with a lot of pepper and a hint of gin and oak. To put it simply, there is a lot going on here. Some of it works and some of it does not.

For my longtime readers you know I am a huge fan of barrel aging. In this particular case, I do not think it was needed. The light gin and oak notes do not seem to add anything positive to the beer. If anything they subtract slightly from the saison yeast in the finish. I think the light, crisp lemon flavor adds a nice touch to the beer. It provided a nice balance to the sweetness of the cucumber. Sadly, it got lost in a muddled finish with the a strong pepper flavor and a hint of oak. That being said there are some really nice flavors going on here, they just do not compliment each other well. I do feel there is a lot of potential for cucumber in beer. I would not be surprised if various styles of cucumber beer become a summer mainstay in the next few years.

Overall I would rate Uinta Cucumber Farmhouse a 2.5/5. There are just too many flavors here that do not go well together. There is potential for cucumber in beer however and I look forward to trying more of it in the future.

Rating Scale:

1 - Repugnant and undrinkable
2 - Acceptable but forgettable
3 - Good, worth a purchase
4 - Excellent, a step above the norm
5 - Truly exceptional　

To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!