3rd Barrel Wavy is a 6% saison from 3rd Barrel Brewery, based in Izumo, in Shimane, Japan. It’s part of the seasonal lineup and can be found in both bottles and on tap when on sale. 3rd Barrel Wavy is brewed using Amarillo hops though not much else is known about it.
3rd Barrel Wavy : At A Glance
- Alcohol: 6%
- Style: Saison
- Hops: Amarillo
- Adjuncts: Mountain salt
- IBU: –
Sale Information
- Availability: Seasonal
- On Sale: From
- Size: 375 ml
- Price: From ¥890
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aroma: Slight sour note yeast funk with dry malt sweetness. Light notes of lemon and oranges.
- Notable Taste: Phenol funk from yeast but good flavour. Dry body with some residual sweetness along with lemon and orange in the background.
3rd Barrel Wavy : Aroma & Taste
3rd Barrel Wavy poured out a slightly golden straw colour and was lively from the get go. So much so that the head was in danger of coming over the edge of the glass as bubbles streamed up from the base to get to the top. I knew that 3rd Barrel Wavy was bottle conditioned but man, this was one lively beer. After letting things settle, and also trying to avoid any potential yeast that lay in waiting at the bottom of the bottle, the rest of 3rd Barrel Wavy was poured in and it was time to (finally) drink.
The aroma was a really interesting mix of slightly sour note of yeast funk that were an indication that this was not a fresh bottle of 3rd Barrel Wavy – there was no way in knowing either when this was bottled as there was nothing on the side to indicate the bottling date. A slightly worrying prospect for a new time buyer but thankfully my gamble paid off as 3rd Barrel Wavy warmed up, there was an interesting profile of lemon and orange that came though the dry and light malt sweetness. Not your typical aroma in terms of fruits from a saison but I liked it a lot.
That some phenol funky note of sourness was present in the body but not a face curling sour. Combined with the lemon and orange flavours, 3rd Barrel Wavy would have been nice to have consumed in the summer, especially as it had a dry body with just a touch of residual sweetness being present as it warms up. 3rd Barrel Wavy also had a light woody undertone to round out the drinking, but it was the funk and citrus notes that stayed through until the end.
3rd Barrel Wavy : The Bottom Line
I really liked 3rd Barrel Wavy and will definitely be trying to get some more of it.
3rd Barrel Wavy : Where to Buy
3rd Barrel Wavy can be bought online at the following places: