Imperial Rebellion

Imperial Rebellion is an Imperial Saison/Farmhouse Ale by Iron Fist Brewing Company of Vista, CA. This is beer was brewed to celebrate the brewery's 2 year anniversary.

I got this at BevMo, it has an ABV of 9.3%.

The strong aroma is complex with citrus/lime, spicy notes, apricot or mango, almost like marmalade. The flavor follows the nose with big fruit flavor,but follows up with some tartness (but not sour), some alcohol flavor, and a caramel malt pop at the end.  The warmth from the alcohol coats the throat. There's a bit of the band-aid/rubbery taste at the beginning, but it goes away after a few sips. The mouthfeel is smooth and the creamy head leads to a nice finish. It's medium bodied with average carbonation.

Overall, this is a very interesting beer. I'm not a big fan of sours or tart beers, but this one takes a nice baby step into that world. The big hop profile and ABV takes this beer to the fringes of the saison style, but is walks the fine line of enjoyable and interesting. The beer is brewed with New Zealand hops (Motueka and Nelson Sauvin) even and kaffir lime leave. Because of its balance of uniqueness and tastiness, I'm going to say this is a Must Have It. The flavor profile might not be for everyone, but its definitely worth a try.