“New world meets old world. At Beer Fontaine we love Saisons. We love Hops. We’ve dry hopped this farmhouse ale with piles of Saaz Lupomax & NZ Motueka Hops to create A fresh & funky IPA. This beer was Crafted with Australian & Belgian barley malt, Australian Triticale, Saaz, Moteuka & Nelson Sauvin Hops, Farmhouse Yeast.”

Glassware: IPA.

Appearance: Nice bright golden pour with a sturdy three finger head perched on top. Excellent retention and lacing as we imbibe.

Aroma: Man there’s no getting away from that Farmhouse yeast profile! We’re getting strong wafts of bubblegum, banana runts, barnyard and musty funk. Also big wafts of straw/hay and wheat grains on offer too. Candied orange, tangerine, white grape juice, freshly sliced pineapple, quince paste and aniseed just to add some further depth and complexity. It certainly isn’t short on character.

Flavour: Hhhmmm. Dead set this is bloody intricate. We’re getting everything from sweet tropical fruits, candied orange/citrus and spicy rye to wheat grains, dank herbs and musty funk. Then there’s the barnyard qualities, quince paste and a strange earthy-ness all rolled up into one. It has a very unappealing finish to it and unfortunately that lingers on the back end.

Mouthfeel: Light on and somewhat fluffy but it has a flat carbonation to it. The 6.7% ABV is pretty well hidden though.

Overall: We must admit the M.O of this brewery is very left-field so it’s no surprise this was an eccentric beer. Our issue is it’s untidy and it doesn’t really gel. It’s a shame it didn’t really come off in the end coz we do like this brewery.