Does your beer have a bite? Mine sure does. Even the name implies a nibble: Orpheus Serpent Bite, a sour saison. I had this enjoyable ale recently on draft at Taco Mac, and could only then wonder why I hadn’t tried it sooner.

Orpheus says:

Just as the Serpent Bite and loss of Eurydice was the catalyst for Orpheus’s journey, our love for hops and sour beers was the catalyst for Orpheus Brewing. Serpent Bite is a dry-hopped, sour saison, with a tart bite, and notes of orange and tropical fruit.

Ingredients from the website:

Hops: Mandarina Bavaria, Pekko

Grain: two row barley, white wheat

Fermentation: House Lactobacillus Mother, Saison yeast

Orpheus Serpent Bite has an alcohol content of 6% by volume and is a year round offering. I paid $6.25 for an 11-ounce glass at Taco Mac, and it runs $10.99 a six-pack in cans at Total Wine. Neither seems egregious as far as I’m concerned.

My glass of Orpheus Serpent Bite arrived a cloudy golden yellow in color with a thin cap of white foam. The beer features a vibrantly sour nose laced with earthy hop notes. Taking a sip one gets tart wheat and a puckering sourness permeated with an earthy herbal hop aroma. A complex finish that is both sour and quite bitter rounds the beer out perfectly.

Extremely impressive indeed, Orpheus Serpent Bite is well worth seeking out. Just be careful. When you bite this one, it bites back.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, canned

(D)=Draft

 

 



Home