Sunny side up

I picked this saison up in Brussels and lazily assumed it to be Belgian. And while it is a collaboration with Hedonis Ambachtsbier in East Flanders, it was brewed in Estonia by Tanker. Rye of Sun is the name, 7% the ABV, and chamomile the unexpected ingredient.

The optics were not good, from the start. It poured a muddy, soupy brown colour; a plumbing horror, with floaty gobbets I fished out with a teaspoon before putting my face near it. The label describes it as mixed fermentation, so I wasn't surprised to find the aroma quite sour, with a distinct tang of malt vinegar about it. Behind this, there's a promise of something more interesting but I couldn't put my finger on what.

The picture comes into focus on tasting. The primary flavour here is a delicious mix of dried fruit and spices with a crisp and sweet biscuit foundation. Speculoos springs to mind, as do Fig Rolls, and Christmas cake too. Cinnamon is quite distinct, plus the dried fig as well as some plump and juicy sultanas. The tangy sourness is barely perceptible, bringing just a mild burn to the back of the throat on swallowing.

If this incredible flavour was genuinely achieved with just malt, yeast and chamomile, as the label says, it is very impressive. Technicals aside, it's a delicious beer, though far from what one might expect from either a rye ale or a saison. Approach it with an open mind.