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Arctic Soirée
Grassroots Brewing
- From:
- Grassroots Brewing
- Vermont, United States
- Style:
- Saison
- ABV:
- 6%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.89 | pDev: 9.25%
- Reviews:
- 69
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 11, 2020
- Added:
- Nov 12, 2013
- Wants:
- 15
- Gots:
- 71
Ale fermented and aged in oak tanks with Brettanomyces, lime juice, and hibiscus. This beer is crafted with organic hibiscus flowers, lime, and the essence and imagination of our Vermont farmstead family.
Brewed and Bottled at Anchorage Brewing Company, Anchorage, Alaska
Brewed and Bottled at Anchorage Brewing Company, Anchorage, Alaska
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MicroBeerMan1980:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado
3.3/5 rDev -15.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75
3.3/5 rDev -15.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75
I could have sworn I'd already reviewed this one, but I guess I haven't typed up my notes? Or else it was just their Arctic Saison...
Batch 1 750ml brown glass bottle. November 2013 vintage. Hood-and-wire cage surrounds the cork. Brown and crimson label design.
"Ale fermented and aged in oak tanks with brettanomyces, lime juice, and hibiscus." 6% ABV. 12 degrees plato. Distributed by the Shelton Bastards.
Dried lime, subdued but nevertheless present oak, barnyard-bent hay and straw-like grassiness. Brettanomyces/wildyeast induced funkiness is evident, but this is far from as intricate yeast-wise as the best saison style beers out there. Lacks microfloral intricacy as well as the bacterial and woodsy notes I'd expect in a great saison with this premise. For a beer fermented in oak, it tastes surprisingly sterile (as though actually fermented in stainless).
I don't taste the hibiscus. Not floral hopwise either.
Oddly smooth, wet, and coating. I'd expect less slickness in a saison, especially targeting a rustic spicy flavour like this...coarseness and dryness would really help this accentuate its brettanmyces' subtleties.
A competent saison, but its high price relative to the likes of Boulevard, Ommegang, and even Prairie leaves me reticent to recommend it.
Low B- / WORTHY
Apr 11, 2020Batch 1 750ml brown glass bottle. November 2013 vintage. Hood-and-wire cage surrounds the cork. Brown and crimson label design.
"Ale fermented and aged in oak tanks with brettanomyces, lime juice, and hibiscus." 6% ABV. 12 degrees plato. Distributed by the Shelton Bastards.
Dried lime, subdued but nevertheless present oak, barnyard-bent hay and straw-like grassiness. Brettanomyces/wildyeast induced funkiness is evident, but this is far from as intricate yeast-wise as the best saison style beers out there. Lacks microfloral intricacy as well as the bacterial and woodsy notes I'd expect in a great saison with this premise. For a beer fermented in oak, it tastes surprisingly sterile (as though actually fermented in stainless).
I don't taste the hibiscus. Not floral hopwise either.
Oddly smooth, wet, and coating. I'd expect less slickness in a saison, especially targeting a rustic spicy flavour like this...coarseness and dryness would really help this accentuate its brettanmyces' subtleties.
A competent saison, but its high price relative to the likes of Boulevard, Ommegang, and even Prairie leaves me reticent to recommend it.
Low B- / WORTHY
Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong
3.49/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
3.49/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
A corked and caged 750ml bottle, Batch #1, bottled in November 2013. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light to moderate funk, lime, lemon peel, floral, tea and oak.
Taste: Funk, light tartness, lime, stone fruit, citrus, lemon peel, tea and a touch floral.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The flavours didn’t really work for me. The lime seemed to overpower everything even the brett, and floral notes are not my favourite so it didn’t help balance it either. Not as complex or tasty as Arctic Saison.
Oct 21, 2019Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light to moderate funk, lime, lemon peel, floral, tea and oak.
Taste: Funk, light tartness, lime, stone fruit, citrus, lemon peel, tea and a touch floral.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The flavours didn’t really work for me. The lime seemed to overpower everything even the brett, and floral notes are not my favourite so it didn’t help balance it either. Not as complex or tasty as Arctic Saison.
Reviewed by Gatch from Massachusetts
4.52/5 rDev +16.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.52/5 rDev +16.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Batch #2 October 2015
Three years old! Picked it up right off the shelf at a clearance price. Apparently Floridians don’t appreciate the beauty of HF/Grassroots. My score is obviously inflated because three years in the bottle has enhanced the Brett character to make it incredibly complex yet simply delicious. The Brett has become funky yet subtle and has lost that chalky flavor and feel that I find in younger Brett beers. The lime and hibiscus are still there, giving it a fruity finish and feel. This is stellar. What a steal!
Oct 05, 2018Three years old! Picked it up right off the shelf at a clearance price. Apparently Floridians don’t appreciate the beauty of HF/Grassroots. My score is obviously inflated because three years in the bottle has enhanced the Brett character to make it incredibly complex yet simply delicious. The Brett has become funky yet subtle and has lost that chalky flavor and feel that I find in younger Brett beers. The lime and hibiscus are still there, giving it a fruity finish and feel. This is stellar. What a steal!
Reviewed by dertyd from California
4.24/5 rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.24/5 rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours out a slightly hazy golden peach color, with 1 finger of white head--------------- the aromas are of bandaids, funk, oak, lime and grassy/floral notes-------------- the flavors are of hibiscus, lime and oak with lesser funk and spice, the beer has a light body with a dry finish--------------- overall this beer was nice it's a wonderful saison, it's complex and all the components of the beer work well together
Mar 02, 2018Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)
3.62/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.62/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: Poured a hazy yellow color ale with a nice large foamy head. Aroma of tart notes with light funky ester. Taste is a mix of tart notes with funky Brett notes and easily distinguishable lime notes. Body is about average with good carbonation. Interesting mix of lime and Brett notes with some complexities.
Oct 09, 2017Rated by spinrsx from Canada (ON)
3.75/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
batch 1 - thanks to ian
Sep 21, 2017Reviewed by rand from California
3.38/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
3.38/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
750 mL bottle into a Duvel tulip glass
The beer has a peach-pink appearance with apparently low viscosity as virtually no head forms on a fairly aggressive pour. Soda-like effervescence as well.
Classic saison/Belgian pale aromas - dry grassy notes, a little citrus snap and a touch of funk. Fairly subdued bouquet for the style.
Lemon-pepper/dry citrus notes at the front, quickly followed by lime zest and a touch of crackery yeast. Not much going on here...hibiscus and Brett are nowhere to be found. There's a bit of a lime rind punch toward the end of the sip, quickly finishing with lingering bitter-citrus notes.
Light, effervescent complexion makes the brew at least drinkable.
Not at all what I was hoping for. I presume the acid from the added lime wiped out a lot of the flavor profile. If you've ever made ceviche, you know how you have to be careful with lime as an ingredient. Seems like I recall a lime-added brew from the Bruery that was a disaster, even worse than this. This is just kind of bland.
Jul 23, 2017The beer has a peach-pink appearance with apparently low viscosity as virtually no head forms on a fairly aggressive pour. Soda-like effervescence as well.
Classic saison/Belgian pale aromas - dry grassy notes, a little citrus snap and a touch of funk. Fairly subdued bouquet for the style.
Lemon-pepper/dry citrus notes at the front, quickly followed by lime zest and a touch of crackery yeast. Not much going on here...hibiscus and Brett are nowhere to be found. There's a bit of a lime rind punch toward the end of the sip, quickly finishing with lingering bitter-citrus notes.
Light, effervescent complexion makes the brew at least drinkable.
Not at all what I was hoping for. I presume the acid from the added lime wiped out a lot of the flavor profile. If you've ever made ceviche, you know how you have to be careful with lime as an ingredient. Seems like I recall a lime-added brew from the Bruery that was a disaster, even worse than this. This is just kind of bland.
Reviewed by BeanBump from California
3.91/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.91/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a cool pinkish orange color with little head. Smells a bit funky due to the brett and slightly floral. I never got any of the bitterness that other reviewers mentioned. Rather, I got sort of a malty, brett/saison with hints of hibiscus and a little lime tartness. Overall, pretty good beer. Its light and drinks well on a warm day.
Jun 29, 2017Reviewed by ajm5108 from Pennsylvania
2.67/5 rDev -31.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
2.67/5 rDev -31.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Classic golden color, great carbonation, thin lacing. Aroma is a very traditional Brett saison with the expected tart barnyard smells along with loam, but also has a bit of rubber / plastic in there too. Taste lacks dimension, and has a very sharp bitterness at the end which almost tastes like lime gone bad. Not bright, complimentary tartness but just sour & bitter. Zero hibiscus that I could detect. I think the Brett & lime really clashed with each other, and the result is a very disappointing beer from two very reputable brewers. Can't all be winners, I guess.
May 18, 2017
Arctic Soirée from Grassroots Brewing
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
486 ratings
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