Style: Saison/Farmhouse (Mixed Culture & Brett)

ABV: 7.0

94/100

Aroma:	12
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	18
Mouthfeel:	5

Cruz Blanca Brewery Solamente

What the brewers say

“Solera-style mixed-culture golden ale aged in French oak.”

What our panel thought

“Dark honey and pastry (baklava!) in the aroma. A lactic lemony tartness balances the sweetness. In the flavor, Peach Ring candies quickly nosedive into limoncello then gimlet cocktail.”

What our editors thought

“Orange zest, a bit of fennel, sweet bread in the aroma with a hint of minty herbal character. Lime acidity hits quickly in the sip but fades fast, with a substantial malt middle highlighted by bitter lime zest taking its place.”

Review printed in: Best in Beer 2023 (View All Issues)

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Cruz Blanca Brewery Wild Honey (2023)

“Green-apple tartness in the aroma with some spicy hops. Saltine-cracker malt backbone for the lightly sour characteristics. Enough hop bitterness to balance the aftertaste. Finishes with an earthy dryness. Refreshing with the fruity tartness. Light, spritzy, and polished.”

2nd Story Ale Works Farmhouse Germania

“Notable tangerine notes in the aroma. Otherwise, not a lot of saison complexity. Semisweet malt aroma, slight hay-like hop notes. The flavor is bready, medium-sweet malt. Some fruit esters and a finish of fresh hay. Soft, smooth, light hop bitterness. A malt-focused saison.”

Cruz Blanca Brewery Vidamiga

“A very inviting nose nicely balances sour bread and citrus, and the flavor is a perfect harmony of sweet and sour raw bread dough with a firm but restrained earthy citrus finish. Earthy lime notes with hints of ginger and mint in the aroma give way to a flavor profile that adds a hint of salinity and smokiness to the mojito-like lime and ginger notes. A touch of pine-like bitterness coupled with a bright acidity carries through into the finish.”

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