Rotundone

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Description

The flavors of farmhouse ales compel and confound us. Bright, spicy, citrusy esters from the yeast strain dance across a crisp malt base and finish dry and savory. One sip transports you back to Wallonia and the rustic countryside where the French saison’s effervescent quench has saved Belgians from the heat since before they were Belgian. One sip compels another. Yet the flavor theory behind this simplest of styles confounds even the nerdiest palates, defying definition. Self-proclaimed professional tasters have described wines as “peppery” for eons. Yet it wasn’t until 2008 when scientists finally identified rotundone as the chemical compound found in both peppercorns and certain grape skins. Even more confounding: 1 in 5 people can’t smell the compound, and the rest of us are super sensitive to it. Every person is unique, and with a beer this complex, everyone will taste something a little different. So when that stuffy, self-important “expert” tells you what you “should be” tasting … just slap him in the face and take another sip. It’ll change again as it cools and warms, and then again as it ages unpredictably.