Recently, when I excitedly posted a photo of my online order haul from Sawdust City Brewing Co., our Founder, Danny Brown, commented: “ODB is glorious. One of the best beers I’ve had, period.” High praise, to be sure.
I am absolutely thrilled that more and more Ontario Craft Brewers are offering online ordering. Being located relatively far north, in the Muskoka Region, Sawdust City has found a way to significantly expand its reach.
I initially placed my order to secure a bottle of Titania, a barrel-aged version of my previously reviewed favourite, Long Dark Voyage to Uranus. However, the trek to Waterloo Region would be a long, dark, lonely voyage for a single bottle, so I grabbed a bottle of the O.D.B. Vintage 2016, among others, to fill out my order.
Limited to a 2000 bottle run, a Wu-Tang fan like myself could not resist this barrel-aged saison.
The base beer is Sawdust City’s proprietary saison, The Princess Wears Girl Pants. This particular saison, which packs a 9% ABV punch, is one of my favourite Ontario Craft saisons, making O.D.B. particularly intriguing.
I have had a very hard time writing this review, and not just because the red wine barrels boosted the ABV to 10% during the aging process. This incredible saison is so complex that the tasting notes change with every sip. It is at the same time tropical, hoppy, floral, funky, tart, sweet, and balanced.
I’ve written here previously about the effect of brettanomyces and the increased use of this yeast in craft brewing. Their use here creates a remarkable, complex saison that is difficult to put into words.
Combined with an already stellar, hoppy saison, the brett makes a great beer even better after some time in an oaky red wine barrel.
I hesitated to write this review, knowing that Sawdust City has less than 100 bottles of this 2000 bottle limited run available still. However, I figured that I would be remiss not to share this unique, delightful brew.
If you’re able, do yourself a favour and buy this beer. Then you will understand why I had such a difficult time adequately describing the flavour. I should just have left my review to a couple of lines, quoting Danny, because he was bang on.
- ABV: 10%
- IBU: 35
- Style: Barrel-aged Imperial Saison
- Taste: Complex
- Rating: 4.75/5.0
- Untappd Reviews
Ryan Heighton
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