Crassly peculiar Belgian-styled farmhouse ale connects acidic stone-fruited oaken cherry souring and offbeat rhubarb spell to outlandishly curious candy-caned peppermint twist. Eye-squinting orange-dried crabapple, guava, kumquat, papaya, and blueberry nuances increase mouth-puckering brettanomyces funk. A novel sour ale.
Tag Archives: saison
WANDERING STAR BERKSHIRE HILLS SAISON
On tap at Jimmy’s No. 43, smashing Belgian-styled saison utilizes Brassier Dupont yeast to give off proper sour fruiting. Dry white-wined entry picks up lemon-rotted cherry, plum, fig, and prune propensity skewering sweet banana-pureed lemon custard lurk. Ancillary black-peppered orange spicing and mild pekoe tea hint awaken plasticene clay-hopped herbage.
ANDERSON VALLEY BAHL HORNIN’ MOWKEEF
On tap at Barcade, traditional straw-hued saison pleats grassy-hopped citric souring with light malt creaming. Lemony grapefruit-pitted orange rind bittering picks up earthen barnyard leathering, mild herbal spicing, and ethanol plasticene astringency, nullifying spicy ginger, coriander, and star anise adjuncts.
SLY FOX GRISETTE SUMMER ALE
BARRIER SPEILUNKER BELGIAN STYLE DARK SAISON
SAMUEL ADAMS RUSTIC SAISON
Mellow sweet-honeyed citric-spiced Belgian-styled farmhouse ale brings perfumed cardamom, nutmeg, and allspice tingle to whole-grained wheatgrass, fresh-cut grass, horse-blanket, barnyard, and hay earthiness. Latent white-peppered ginger spicing gathers momentum above languid lemon-limed astringency, fungi-like gourd temperance and depleted Belgian yeast funk.
STILLWATER ARTISANAL AMERICAN FARMHOUSE ALE
Curious gold-hazed beige-headed saison-styled farmhouse ‘wheat ale brewed with sage’ perfectly combines herbs, spices, and fruits. Black-peppered bay-leafed sage, hibiscus, lemongrass, rosemary, and lavender bolster lacquered clover-honeyed pineapple-tangerine-cherry-apricot tang before musty cellar funk plunders mild lemon-seeded grapefruit-peeled lime-lined bittering.
HILL FARMSTEAD ANNA BIERE DE MIEL
Engaging yellow-cleared sour-honeyed saison (my first HF brew, 2011) uniquely blends rustic farmhouse yeast into herbal lemon tea theme. Orange compote, mandarin orange, and tangerine zest provide mild tartness to florid lavender-tulip conflux beckoning wildflower honey souring. Muted white-peppered rosemary, sage, and thyme seasoning softly confront green, black, and pekoe tea bittering. Airy white wheat backdrop stays light enough to allow citric, herbal, and floral influences to come to the fore.
CIGAR CITY GUAVA GROVE ALE
Impulsive guava-pureed butterscotch-hued Saison-styled sour ale blends leathery barnyard funk, root cellar dankness and musty earthen herbs into eye-squinting cider-sharp tropical fruiting. Tart guava acridity picks up apricot-soured Granny Smith apple tartness, banana-leafed kiwi-pineapple-lemonade scamper, and tannic oaken cherry dryness to salted limestone bottom. Abundant lemon rind bittering flourishes as subtle lemongrass influence fades.
BROOKLYN SORACHI ACE
Busily effervescent straw-hued meringue-headed moderate-bodied saison brings sour citric-quince salience to large herbaceous profile. ‘Spicy lemon zest’ aromatics and re-fermented champagne yeast reinforce Granny Smith apple, tangerine, clementine, and wild berry nuances bubbling under salty white-peppered basil-rosemary-thyme-sage seasoning. Honeyed malt sweetness contrasts tart curried fruiting, mild lemongrass-eucalyptus surge, and dry farmhouse ale penchant for weedy wild oats, alfalfa, fennel, and barnyard parchedness. Mulling-spiced cardamom, nutmeg and clove find tertiary space.
PRETTY THINGS JACK D’OR SAISON
Ambitious farmhouse-styled saison retains bitter-hopped herbal-nosed floral-spiced tropicalia. Resilient black, white, and lemon peppered grapefruit rind bittering contrasts honey-malted peach-pear-tangerine juicing, tropical pineapple-mango-kiwi surge, and wild-flowered dandelion-daisy-sunflower influence to creamy vanilla stead. Zesty lemon-pledged Granny Smith apple souring secures backend. More enjoyable with each sip, peeling away layers of rounded flavors.
VICTORY SAISON DU BUFF
Brewed in conjunction with established microbrewers Stone and Dogfish Head, Victory’s version utilizes a boatload of complexities to disseminate parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme seasoning. Crisp water base underlies clover-honeyed floral-spiced lemon peel bittering. Subsidiary coriander, allspice, and ginger drape piquant peppercorn insistence. Tangy lemon-peppered grapefruit-tangerine-orange briskness shines through busy herbal finish.