Seven wives is seven too many for me

I happened to be at the Total Wine store in Tempe the day the local Deschutes distributor was at the store giving away free beer.  Free beer, whaaaat?!?!?  I walked by the stand and no one was there.  So I struck up a conversation with the guy and ended up discussing this beer with him for a while.  He said he has heard only great things about it.  When I went to pick one up there was only one left on the shelf - which I took to be a good sign.  Come home with me little lonely beer.  I'll keep you company for a while.

7 Wives Saison (5.4% ABV) from Sonoran Brewing Company in Phoenix, Arizona

I am sad to say that I was not a fan of this beer.  And my review of this beer can be summed up in 3 words:  fennel.  fennel.  fennel.   It wasn't that the beer was bad but I thought the fennel flavor was waaaaaaaay to strong and somewhat out of place.  But maybe that is because I hate fennel and find that it gives me a terribly sore throat for hours after eating/drinking it.

Overall, I would not purchase this again.


A more detailed review/history of this beer is included below (taken from beeradvocate.com):

​7 Wives Saison is the first of Sonoran's Chef Series, made in partnership with Jeremy Pacheco, Executive Chef at Lon's at the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley. Chef Pacheco came up with the name for his brew as a way to pay homage to famed cowboy artist Lon Megargee, who founded the Hermosa Inn and had the distinct fortune (or misfortune) of being married seven times. The magic number also appears in the ingredients list -- seven adjuncts from local sources made their way into the beer. These include: wheat from Chef Pacheco's family farm in Marana, green peppercorns from Singh Farms in Scottsdale, whole fennel and fennel pollen from LON's Garden and Peoria local Bob McClendon, mesquite syrup from Cotton Country Jams locally produced orange and coriander. 


The result is a brew that is as gorgeous as Megargee's seven wives must have been. Bright and honey-hued, the brew shimmers in the sunlight under a wispy layer of pure white. The clarity of this brew is flawless -- you could make sepia-toned sunglasses out of it.

Of the ingredients that have made their way into this brew, the peppercorns and fennel are the most prominent in the aroma. Sweet and light, the nose showcases sugary canned pear syrup mixed with slightly musty cereal grain and spiced with dashes of black pepper, licorice and orange pith.

7 Wives is the first saison made by an Arizona brewer. Brewmaster Zach Schroeder used a mix of two slightly different farmhouse-style yeasts in creating this brew, which lend their own flavors that work very well with the earthy, peppery adjuncts. Fennel is big here, as is coriander which has added a nice floral quality. Citrusy orange peel grips the back sides of the tongue with pithy bitterness while very subtle, almost-not-there carbonation tingles the rest of it. It's altogether light on the palate and quaffable -- great for refreshment on a summer day -- but layers of flavor are also there for exploring.

Arizona's beer catalogue has long been bereft of a quality Belgian brew, but Sonoran has filled that void, and filled it through an impressive integration of all things local, from chefs to ingredients to artwork. The intense focus on the community and the aspects that make Arizona unique would make the brew incredibly appealing even if it didn't taste good. The fact that it does is just a bonus.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13564/80395

Extraordinary (?) Ale

If you're going to name your brew EXTRAORDINARY Ale, it should probably be something to remember.  This beer was good and was certainly consumed to the last drop, but I certainly wouldn't describe it as extraordinary since I can't really remember fighting with The Husband over the last drop or anything special about it.

Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale (5.4% ABV)
Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, New York

Thanks John and Sarah!!