Yeastie Boys Her Majesty 2011

Part one of a frankly awesome birthday four-pack kindly provided by the erstwhile Mr Taggrip.

And a special beer to boot - this is a limited edition saison brew from 2011 measured at the now-standard abv for modern varieties of this beer, 8%. It's a solid attractive bottle and good pour to put you in fine thirsty spirits from the outset. Lacing is also top drawer, this clings and grasps the whole way down. Beautiful.

The nose presents clear saison yeast notes but is also sour enough to make you have a good look at the bottle to find out what's going on and sure enough, there's some ageing going on here in pinot barrels. Combined with an interesting choice of hops (nelson sauvin and pacifica of all things) it all adds up to a pretty complex and interesting experience.

Sometimes these words are a case of damning with faint praise but in this case it's important to note that the beer itself is also quite delicious. You can pick out the sour grapelike red wine characters, the nelson sauvin softness in the middle, and the bitey saison throughout.

A beer to be enjoyed thoughtfully over a period of time, but also one that will grab your attention as you do it - probably one of the better wine-drinker-converter style drops on the record. 8.5