Three Floyds Rabid Rabbit, tap

Last night I'd really hoped to leave work early enough to watch the Hawks game. Not that I'm such a big hockey fan, though I do like the sport; in fact, it may be the most stressful and mesmerizing for me to watch. It's just not always that I want to be stressed out and mesmerized. Still, showing in public places for the Big Game is one of my few rituals of normalcy, even if it's a put-on half the time, so last night was meant to be one of those occasions.

Instead, I got wrapped up in work and left just in time to hear the start of OT on my car radio, hoping the game would extend long enough to catch the finish in moving pictures. The players ignored my plans, ending the game before I could reach a public place with cable. What can you do. 

Though the game was over and I knew it would have preempted vinyl night at the usual Tuesday destination, I needed a Lunar fix and popped in anyway. Game or no game, vinyl or no vinyl, there is always great beer--and real human faces. These things are important too.

Rabid Rabbit is a saison, a categorical favorite of mine. It's also one of those magical beers that cycles through multiple flavors and aromas as your senses adjust and readjust to every sip. The initial whiff is all peaches and bark, but compared to the average saison, Rabid Rabbit is less sweet, more bitter, and drier to the palate. I prefer this style, but if you like them sweeter, you may be better off with something else. The bitterness is citrusy, lurking behind the other fruity notes--apricots and pears, I think--and cardamom or some similar spice. It also had characteristically hefe banana and Double Bubble notes, and I kept getting a hint of cumin and, weirdly, rice at the finish, which I didn't expect at all. Work my suggestibility enough, and I could probably name dozens more flavors I may or may not have picked up as I drank this.

Grade: M, for metamorphosing. By the time I finished, I felt like I'd had a few different beers. For 9% ABV in such a light-colored beer, it was exceptionally smooth. If you like Belgians without the sugary kick, I would recommend it.