W'12 Dark Saison
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

W'12 Dark SaisonW'12 Dark Saison
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From:
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 15.54%
Reviews:
117
Ratings:
267
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 19, 2015
Added:
Dec 31, 2011
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  4
Availability: Spring (2012)
Bitterness: 25 IBU
Alcohol by Volume: 5.5%

Original Gravity: 11.75 Plato
Malts: 2-Row Pale, White Wheat, Caramel 120L, Vienna, Dark Chocolate
Hops: Alchemy, Saaz
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Ratings by Pintofbrown:
Photo of Pintofbrown
Reviewed by Pintofbrown from Texas

3.85/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I had the Dark Saison in a shaker pint.

Appearance- The head is not as large or chunky as most saisons I have tried. It maybe hits a half finger of white fizz before barely getting full coverage of the cap.

The body is a pretty and transparent ruby-copper. Only a few strings of slow moving carbonation are noticed in the beer.

Smell- Soft and earthy yeast is at the forefront of the nose. Maybe a little tangy citrus is also appreciated, a lemon scent one second and an orange scent the next. There is a peppery quality here too. No real dark malt can be found. It is reminds me of a saison/wit combo.

Taste- A hint of cream corn and earthy yeast come right away, making the best case for this having a saison base. It also showcases that pepper-spice alongside some faint fruity qualities, like a combo of lemon and pear.

The finish is very interesting with the roasted malt and slight cocoa finally coming into play. It is a signature finish to what was just an "all-right" tasting saision. Let me stress how light these flavors are though. Would be much better if it were amped a bit.

Mouth feel- The medium to light body is made better by the creamy carbonation. This really helps the beer finish smooth and clean. The finish would be hurt without it.

Overall- I do not know if saison drinkers will really get behind this beer. I think Widmer has crafted a good beer with just a hint of dark malt and wit characteristics.

I think they advertise it to have a more pronounced dark malt presence than what there actually is, and in a way, that is disappointing. But I can't argue with how easy this beer is to drink.

If you don't worry about what this beer was supposed to be, and have a palate for saisons, you could do worse.
Jan 24, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.73 by nathanmiller from New York

Mar 19, 2015
Photo of seedyone
Reviewed by seedyone from New York

4/5  rDev +17.3%
04/24/13 At Home Bottle. Nice surprise. Very drinkable. Nice body for a session mate. balance...balance...balance. With all that balance one might think it's banal, but far from it. Can't wait to try it on tap.
Dec 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Nov 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by jzlyo from Iowa

Nov 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by bundy462 from Texas

Oct 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by bilhelm from Kentucky

Oct 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

Jul 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by GClarkage from California

Jul 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Latarnik from New Jersey

May 23, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by Can_if_you_can from Minnesota

Apr 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by jaydoc from Kansas

Feb 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by WVUbrew from North Carolina

Jan 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Jame515 from Texas

Sep 28, 2013
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.27/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Sampled on tap @ 1702, Tucson; February 2012
A dark Saison for sure, but only a dark, concentrated amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, full amber hue with gold highlights to it. The head is a nice, tan color and starts out about one-finger thick and it leaves some nice layered lacing on the sides of my glass. The aroma is quite subtle after having the our-side, but is softly musty, with a touch of phenolics, some cracker like grain character and there is a fruitiness that gets more noticeable with time. The fruit character provides hints of pear, a touch of apple, and even a touch of floral / tart melon character.

The beer has a sweetness that is accentuated by the fruit character; it is actually fairly light bodied though does have a touch of viscous character to it (especially considering the lower alcohol). The fruit notes have lots of floral apple character, a touch of red plum and perhaps some pear notes to it. There is a touch of spiciness to this brew that has some light peppery character (brought out by the soft carbonation), some subtle though lingering clove, and perhaps even a touch of ginger. The spiciness has a muted mustiness to it that affects the malt character quite a bit; the grain character comes through a touch muddied, but with flavors of slightly stale crackers and whole grain character as well as a touch of caramelized, brown bread like malt character.

This is a decent Saison, but it certainly pales in comparison to the Stillwater Our Side that I just had. The yeast character isn’t quite defining enough and somehow it seems to muddle the malt character here. The fruitiness is the defining part of the flavor here, and it doesn’t quite do it for me as it sort of reminds me of oxidized cider.
Aug 31, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Smurf2055 from Washington

Jul 19, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by TheMrFarnham from Oklahoma

Jul 16, 2013
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
A: The beer is very hazy brownish yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin white head that quickly died down, leaving a few bubbles on the surface and a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of Belgian yeast are present in the nose along with notes of toasted malts and hints of fruits and spices.
T: Flavors of earthy yeast and toasted malts are present in the overall taste; notes of cloves and spices are present in the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a low amount of carbonation.
O: This beer doesn’t taste like your typical saison and seems to be closer to a bière de garde, especially with the flavors of earthy yeast. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it had a little more carbonation and dryness.
Jul 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by jbaakko from California

Jun 27, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by DarthKostrizer from California

May 30, 2013
W'12 Dark Saison from Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 267 ratings