11.05 Imperial Saison
Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Burlington

 

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Purchased from the retail store for about $5 CDN. Brewed October 2, 2015. Canned January 11, 2016.

Appearance - hazy, rich golden beer. Honey brown hues. Impressive finger of head but recedes quickly (unsurprisingly).

Smell - boozy, sweet with some orchard fruit. Some funky yeast too. a slight undercurrent of dankness.

Taste - like the nose with some sweet honey and pear and peach. Somehow works. Boozy, but not incredibly so.

Mouthfeel - smooth slick, a little hot and boozy. Heavy body but that's to be expected with the high ABV.

Overall - pretty good high ABV saison but lacking the crisp dry finish I've come to associate with the style. An interesting a fruity rendition of the style.

This is a bit ambiguous for me - more of a shandy than a traditional saison. I prefer my saisons on the peppery side, but this one resonates with boozy lemon-lime feel. It pours a cloudy gold with a minimal, quickly dissipating white head that retreats to small ridges on either side of the class. This is an active brew, with plenty of life and carbonation. The nose is lime and pear with a grassy undertone. The taste is definitely refreshing and in line with my take on a saison, which is meant to be thirst-quenching. The flavour is plenty of lemon-lime and reminds me of a barley-based 7Up or vodka slime. It is very light on the palate and the kickass ABV creeps up on you. Overall, this is an interesting brew - another winner from @msjpearson in my CANBIF box.