Sante Adairius West Ashley

This past weekend one of my favorite local beer bars celebrated its birthday, and as part of the celebration they brought out a ton of pretty epic beers. My Saturday was, for the most part, spent sipping on some amazing sours. My favorite from the bunch, however, was West Ashley by Sante Adairius.

This wild ale is absolutely fantastic. It starts as a simple saison, but is then aged in French Oak Pinot Noir barrels along with some apricots, transforming it into something really special.

On the nose you get orange, a bit of the barrel, and apricot.

As you sip, you get a lot of that apricot flavor, along with a tiny bit of funk. The whole thing is exceptionally well balanced. I started the day’s drinking activities with this one, and I have to say i think it ruined the rest of the lineup for me. After I finished it I kept exploring some of the other options (which normally would have been amazing on their own), and kept wishing I had another one of these in my hand. Come to think of it, I probably should have just ordered another one (or three).

It’s sour, but not lip-puckeringly so. The finish is nice and clean, and while if you’re like me you’ll be waiting for that next sip, it was easy enough for me to make the switch from this to a few other sours without feeling like I was overdoing it. It’s light, refreshing, and a truly wonderful sour that’s definitely worth your attention.

Brewery: Sante Adairius
City: Capitola, CA
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV: 7.3%
Availability: Rotating