★ Review: Birra del Borgo Duchessic

   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20

Bottle from a friend I think in the DC area. Enjoyed myself on a lovely afternoon amidst a nice snow-fall at 55 Degrees F in a wine glass.A – Almost gushed on me but I saved it. I had this sitting up right for a few months before opening in the cellar. Pour was light but the head produced was profoundly 4 fingers of sticky almost whipped meringue head. Beer itself was a golden orange, hazy as the dregs entered the glass. The head took about 5 minutes to subside enough to take a sip.

S – Wow. this is probably the first time I’ve smelled a beer like Hill Farmstead’s saisons. It has that chewy orange skin paired with peppery spice and a tart effervescent medicinal quality. Smells like a lot like Art, Flora or CD 6..somewhere in that realm. Very nice nose! On a longer sniff, more lemons, wheat and pineapple.

T – This is where things get interesting. The taste is not as great as the nose but in a different way. Grassy, peach juice and lemon juice. A slight hint of cider vinegar, leather and funk with an arching sweetness that greatly contributes to the taste. I’m not a fan of ’jonge lambic’ and much prefer the oude so a lot of characteristics are not that good. It lacks wood, oak tannins.

M – The bottle conditioning yields a wonderful mouthfeel. It’s other-worldly. Very much on par with great Fantome beers and every Hill Farmstead saison especially the tart Brett Clausenii and Lactobacillus that linger for a very long time after each sip.

O – I am permanently ISO more of this beer. It’s really incredible. Great tasting and I’m sad that this was my only bottle.