The Rare Barrel ‘Small Acts’ Barrel Aged Grisette

Rating:

41550908_950434335140712_7848702036475379712_n“Small acts nurture growth and exploration. Budding with notes of pear and honeydew alongside accents of freshly cut grass and crackery grain, Small Acts showcases the coexistence of a saison mixed culture yeast expression and a simpler grain bill.”

Glassware: Tulip.

Appearance: Very light straw gold complexion which whips up a fizzy but wispy overlay. It quickly collapsed to the rim and offers little to no lace as we go.

Aroma: Light, floral and super refreshing. We must say it’s a welcome change from all the heavy barrel aged stouts and sours we’ve been indulging in through winter (needless to say it pairs well on this warm spring arvo!). Very similar to a saison in its leaning to notes of spice, hay, wheat, strawberry, kiwifruit and subtle lemon/lime juice. Somewhat dry, yeasty….champagne-like in its delivery.

Flavour: Follows the nose – quite clean with refreshing notes of lemon, pear, straw, grainy malt, subtle barnyard qualities and a gose-esque salinity. Mild tartness and gentle acidity bridges the mid and delivers a kind of dry, grassy and yeast spicy finish with a very delicate woody oak accent on the rear.

Mouthfeel: Light on, spritzy and ultra crushable. Mildly bodied with low AbV (4.2%). Probably should have held off until summer to drink this!

Overall: We will admit this is our first entry for Rare Barrel and it certainly won’t be our last! We’ll just conveniently ignore the slightly exorbitant price tag! Solid offering.