Holiday Saison
Peak Organic Brewing Company

 

I have been endeavoring, over the past couple of months, to especially reduce the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody. The last couple of Sundays, I concentrated on Pumpkin Ales and Oktoberfests and having finished that mission, I am moving on to Holiday beers. I was a little surprised when I saw that no approved pic exists, but I just submitted one so that I may proceed.

From the bottle: "Ale brewed with organic holiday spices and with organic holiday spice flavor"; "Pure ingredients, delicious beer".

I Pop!ped the cap and briefly considered a heavy-handed pour before settling on a gentler one. A swirl raised a finger of foamy, light-tan head with reasonable retention. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a black pepper spiciness that had to be the product of the Saison yeast, along with a ginger & cinnamon spiciness of the "organic holiday spices". Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium. The taste was remarkable - a mélange of the earthy flavors of a saison with the spices of a holiday ale. It was more spicy than earthy, but both camps were easily discerned. As I sat drinking and thinking about it, I was suddenly reminded of organic ginger ale! The ginger became more prevalent as it warmed and the saison yeast was making it dry and peppery. Finish was (obviously) dry, thanks to the yeast and spices, but it was tolerable. I had a spiced ale earlier today that was so saturated with spices that it actually set off my asthma! This was MUCH better than that beer. Now, having said all of that, I am still not a Saison fan, so while this was an interesting novelty, one was enough.

On-tap 1/14/2016 at Doherty’s Ale House in Warwick, RI, served in a tapered pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep amber color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains Belgian yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramelized malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of Belgian yeast and a hearty malt character up front. Then the spice flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg quickly follow along with some caramel sweetness. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, very mild kick, good variation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while.

Peak Organic "Holiday Saison"
12 oz. brown glass bottle, "BTLD 10/29/15"

At first sip I felt there might be a bit too much "holiday" to this saison, but once the first hit of cinnamon passed the saison yeast was able to come through clearly and I was able to relax. In fact I think it actually does a great job of bringing the two "styles" together. Beyond that there's not much to say - it's well-made, nicely balanced, well-rounded, polished, and drinkable. One of the better "holiday" beers I've had this season.

12 fl. oz. bottle with a bottling date of 9/25/15. Sampled on January 1, 2016.

The color of the pour is orange-amber with busy carbonation leading up to a short-lived fizzy off-white head.

The aroma definitely has that Belgian yeast note along with toasted bread but I also get something that reminds me of Chinese Five Spice. A hint of range or tangerine in the mix too.

Light to medium body.

The taste is mainly sweet and malty with a slightly spice and mildly bitter finish. I liked it better than some of those who reviewed it before me.

On tap at City Taphouse-DC. Smooth and slick, lots of holiday spice, more sweet than savory. Slippery mouth feel overall, , flavorful, rich, but light in body and experience.

 

12 oz bottle dated 09/25/15

Pours a dark amber, near brown, in color with a solid finger of very light khaki head that slowly dissipates to a thin coating. Aroma is a bit of spice with some nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Taste follows the aroma, its very spicy with nutmeg and some clove. Good mouthfeel, light-medium body and moderate carbonation. Overall a rather enjoyable beer, interesting enough to make me want another.

 

 

 

 

Aroma holiday spices, mild vegetables, yeast, faint pepper. Taste sweet fruity notes, spices, lemongrass, ginger, slight bitter dry finish.

Look: A pleasantly crisp looking, caramel appearance. Noticeable carbonation.

Smell: An inviting blend of Belgian wild funk, mulling spices, gingerbread, and floral hops.

Taste: A more intense burst of all the notes listed in smell. Notes of orange peel and lemon zest also appear.

Mouthfeel: A lilting, highly bubbly body with the perfect amount of thick malt backing.

Overall: A unique, crisp take on a saison with some inspiration from the winter warmer style. Another victory from Peak Organic.

 

 

I have to admit that a holiday seasoned saison doesn't sound very good to me. Since this was abandoned in my Mom's fridge after the holidays, I felt like I should give it a try.

This was a clear golden amber color, it poured with a thick sticky head. Smells as advertised, prickly saison yeast and hints of what I'll call ginger cinnamon, and cloves. On the palate, thankfully, the spices are mild. To me though, they still taste out of olace in a saison.

Overall this was better than I thought it would be.

A: The beer is clear dark amber in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that quickly died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of spices are present in the nose—nutmeg and ginger seem to stand out in particular.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of nutmeg along with notes of ginger towards the finish. Slight hints of yeast are also perceptible.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. No dryness are perceptible.
O: If I was blindfolded, I probably would have guessed this to be a pumpkin ale with all of the nutmeg flavors and because the only saison-like quality is sone yeast flavors in the taste.

Serving type: bottle