“We made a small batch of Sauvignon Blanc wine with Thiol boosting yeast & blended it with our Belgian Tripel. This elegant blonde ale is a perfect sipper & a great accompaniment to food. Floral with balanced spice. This beer was crafted with Sauvignon Blanc from orange via Piggs Peake winery, Belgian Pilsner, Aromatic & Biscuit Malts, Riwaka, Motueka & Nelson Sauvin Hops, Ardennes Yeast.”

Glassware: Goblet.

Appearance: Somewhat hazy golden-orange complexion with a light and frothy three finger head. Excellent retention and scattered patches of lace as it ebbs.

Aroma: Quite a backstory to this beer which is impressive. They made their own small batch Sauvignon Blanc with thiol-boosting yeast then blended it with their Tripel. The other aspect we really like is their use of all NZ hops – Riwaka, Motueka and Nelson Sauvin. So it’s a conventional Tripel blended with their own thiol-boosting Sauvignon Blanc which is pulled into the new world with NZ hops. Very crafty.

Flavour: Very crafty, and complex! As anticipated. We’re getting yeasty, earthy, fruity, spicy and citrusy notes in abundance. The Sauv Blanc starts to push through around the mid with its grassy, fruity and almost tart acidity, but it’s never not surrounded by a chewy and semi-sweet malt profile, earthy spice and wilted herbs. Nice drawn out finish full of practically everything written above.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, slightly chewy with a lifted Co2. The 9.3% ABV is well concealed too.

Overall: This review literally took us ages. Good thing it came in a 440ml can! It’s extremely complex and very well layered. Hats off to Fontaine, this was a fascinating drop.