Off Color Brewing Apex Predator

Breewed By: Off Color Brewing in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Saison, 6.8% (6.5% is listed on the bottle)

Reported IBUs: 35 (25 IBUs is listed on the bottle)

Tonight's beer caught me off guard. I cracked into one of these a few weeks ago, and was not really impressed. I cracked into another bottle last night, and was like, "woooahhh." So who knows what the final verdict is going to be on this one. About Off Color Brewing:

Off Color Brewing is a brewery founded in 2008 according to their Facebook, or 2014 according to their website, or 2013 if you follow their release party and the logical timeline. It really doesn't matter, I suppose. What you need to know is that this brewery is the brainchild of former Goose Island barrel guru, John Laffler, and former Two Brothers brewer, Dave Bleitner. The duo are both graduates of Siebel, and share a passion for brewing exotic, off-color beer. For more info, check out the brewery's ABOUT page.

The Apex Predator is an American Saison, brewed by pitching the yeast cold, and "turning off the temperature control." This one is brewed with Pils and Flaked Wheat malts (and Honey Malt per the bottle), and features Crystal and Sterling hops. At 6.8% and 35 IBUs, this is a moderately big Farmhouse Ale without the overbearing American hops. It's fruity, funky, and you can recommend it to your hop-hating friend. 

Off Color Brewing Apex Predator

If you like hazy, cloudy, unfiltered beers, this one is going to be right up your alley. If you order this beer at the titty bar with them low light ambiances, you're going to be greeted with a juicy and dense looking beer. The body is a deep golden color, and the beer kicks up a finger of supremely creamy and whipped head. The head also takes on some slight gold tones in lower light. In bright light, this beer is a juicy yellow-gold, with some scant orange tones. The head is bright white, and retains with streams of peppery carbonation underneath. There's brilliant head retention, as you'd expect with all those Pils and Flaked Wheat malts, and lots of lacing to boot.

The aroma jumps off this beer, with huge citrus: I'm getting big orange and big grapefruit, and lots of spicy Crystal hops. There's big pepper on the aroma, some lemon, nutmeg, and lots of wheat character. I'm getting bubblegum, mild Belgian funk, and a little cracker. Not a little cracker, but cracker character. It smells hoppy first and foremost, with some nice spice and Belgian funk/bubblegum showing up as secondary aromatics. It also smells clean and refreshing.

This is simple, but with an elegant approach. I had a Saison from Brewery Vivant this weekend, and it was underwhelming. This beer plays things cool, with tons of cracker malts and dry clean wheat. There's big hop character in here, but it isn't bitter and it never gets into that dank/resinous territory. I'm even getting some creamy mouthfeel, probably from the wheat/pils combo. There's gentle citrus, orange, grapefruit, bubblegum, light lemon, and lots of peppery spice and nutmeg. There's some nice Belgian funk, with those bubblegum notes. The bitterness never grows to levels beyond a light Pale Ale, making this very drinkable and refreshing. Except for the 6.5% (or 6.8%) ABV.

This is a light to medium-light bodied beer, with tons of carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel that moves thing along. This beer is balanced, with lots of malt and hop character. Palate depth is really good, and complexity isn't bad either. Despite how refreshing this is, it's a big beer. I wouldn't put it past me to drink a 6-pack of this in one night, but this really works as a two or three bottle venture. Up front: creamy wheat malts, big citrus (grapefruit, orange), some lemon, some grain, and lots of peppery spice; the mids roll into wheat malts, bubblegum, Belgian funk, more peppery spice, and big cracker; the back end rides the cracker/biscuit train to some growing bitter hops, and the finish fades with bubblegum, lemony-soapy hops, and trailing malts. Very refreshing, very balanced, very good.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. The American Saison is in. And there's no shortage of options...between Firestone Walker's Opal, Solemn Oath's Whisper Kisses, or even Penrose's Devoir...there's just so many options. Oh, and don't forget my standby, Goose Island's Sofie. But this is a very respectable brew with some mystery and intrigue and lots of good characteristics. The balance is nice, the hops are bright and vibrant, and it has just enough funk. This beer beckons to be paired with a deep dish pizza, which is what I am throwing at it. The cracker/biscuit backbone reminds me of an amped up Pilsner. This one isn't quite peppery enough to suggest the more rustic food pairings I often suggest with the style, but you can definitely throw this at some white pasta, pizza, calamari, or anything doughy. 

Random Thought: I originally thought this one was fermented with some Brett, but I think not. Had they gone that route...well hot damn. Some nice pineapple character would really get this one going.