Jester King Brewery - Provenance (w/ Blood Oranges & Tangerines)

We’ve really enjoyed the various versions of Jester King’s Provenance that we’ve sampled in the past, but this latest version highlighting blood oranges and tangerines is a standout. The Jester King brewing team hand-juiced and zested (similar to Citrus Froot Direct) about 800 pounds of blood oranges and Sunburst tangerines, grown in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. They also dry-hopped this with Ekuanot, Loral, and Sabro hops, to complement the citrus fruits.

Provenance pours a well-hazed, golden-orange color with an impressive off-white foam atop things, showing strong head retention throughout. A brilliant tangerine presence leads the aromatics: fresh, zesty, and surrounded by citrusy accompaniments like blood oranges, kaffir lime leaves, and pithy grapefruit. Relative to Citrus Froot Direct, this beer focuses far less on its hop additions, but this is still very much directed towards showcasing Texas-grown citrus fruit. Deep tropical character and tree fruits are accompanied by subtle lemony acidity, light funk, and saison-like peppery notes from the beer’s mixed-culture fermentation.

Lively, effervescent carbonation sets the stage here. Following the aromatics, Provenance leads with exceptional levels of tart and pithy citruses, highlighting its special additions of blood oranges and tangerines. There’s pervasive citrus here that’s nicely supported by the lemony, peppery fermentation character, as its dry-hopping provides welcome grassy and herbaceous secondary notes. Saison-like in its construction, with peppery bitterness and a dry vibe overall. Like the aforementioned Citrus Froot Direct, this Jester King release is exceptionally good at showing off its special additions of Texas-grown citrus fruits.

This should hold up pretty well in one’s cellar, but we’d enjoy on the earlier side for the most impact from the citrus additions. For food pairings, we’d look to sour-beer-friendly fare such as steamed mussels and frites, creamy cheeses like Humboldt Fog, or salads with a citrusy vinaigrette.