Saison Versa - Beer Camp #30
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Pours a cloudy golden color with a bit of white head. Smells of wheat, lemon, and yeast. Taste is very similar with some spices in there as well - somewhere between a witte and a traditional saison. Body is on the light side of medium. Very refreshing...will make for a great summer beer.

I had a draft of this at Rattle & Hum last weekend, which must have had 30-plus Sierra brands on draft as a part of a promotion. As with many of the styles I tried, this was the first Saison I have had from Sierra Nevada.

I sample the Vice and the Versa together. Both are almost identical but the vice was a little spicier and the versa had a thicker mouthfeel. Both poured a light straw with a healthy saison-style head. Aroma was intense with belgian yeast and some hops. Flavor was also very true to stye and well crafted. Notes of lightly toasted bread, very yeast forward. Both beers are very good and I was glad to have tried them side by side.

On draft at Rattle n Hum, NYC.

Poured a hazy medium straw hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured an earthy hop spice and clean grainy malt.

The taste consisted of crisp malts, esters and an earthy herbal hop.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style with good carbonation.

Overall a tasty and well made saison.

Sampled the Vice and Versa at the 30th Anniversary Brewery party. Seemed like the logical thing to do...

From notes :

This one, was my favorite of the two.

Pours a light gold color with a smaller white head.

Aromas are of orange, lemon zest, coriander, mixed spices, and pepper.

Taste is like the aromas. A complex mixtures of yeast flavors. Lots of spice, coriander, light pepper, lemon zest, and a general citrus sweetness. Finish is crisp, bone, dry, and with some more citrus notes.

Mouthfeel is nice. Pretty full, smooth, and with good carbonation.

Drinkability is solid. Very nice saison. Just thought the Versa was more complex and tasty than the Vice.

Had the vice time for the versa.

A: Super clear and clean yellow color. A minimal amount of white head. They filtered the bejesus out of this.

S: Very estery but it lacks the complexity of the vice. It also has something to do with my love of all things fantome. The LaChoufe yeast is much more clean and it just does not work as well.

T: A nice light saison. Reminds me of saison DuPont in a lot of ways but does not have the dryness as part of the taste. Fairly crisp grain. It just lacks some of the complexity I want in the style.

M: Nice and light. I would prefer it to be a little bit more dry.

D: It drinks like a champ. The vice is the better beer but both have their time and place. I continue to be impressed with their beer camp beers. Some of these need to be seasonals.

A - Pours a clear yellow-orange color with a little bit of head that has okay retention and some spotty lacing.

S - The most powerful smell is the yeasty smell. This is joined by some fruity smells and touch of spices.

T - Nice consistent malt taste throughout. The beer starts out with a bit of sweetness, which is blended out by some hops taste. The hops eventually become more present and some nice bitterness is added. There are also some light spice and floral tastes mixed in. The aftertaste is fairly bitter.

M - Medium-light bodied, medium carbonation. Fairly dry, but the carbonation and bitterness keep it crisp.

D - Nice overall balance of flavors and overall a very smooth beer. Could use a bit more depth to the flavors, but what is here blends together really nicely for a very tasty and approachable beer.

A: Poured from the growler ($13.99 at Westmere Beverage) into a pint glass. Body is pale, straw-colored yellowish with a small white head.

S: Definitely yeasty - also something fruity-sweet underneath. Touch of spices as well.

T: Nice - light malt foundation, followed by a bit of sugary sweetness, rounded out by spicy, florally hops. Finishes with a good lingering bitterness that cuts through both the sweetness and the yeasty funkiness. Sweetness pops back up in the lingering aftertaste, however.

M: Carbonation is low, body is on the light side of things.

D: Very good. Light in heft but tasty means it goes down easily.

On tap @ the Tap& Mallet (Rochester, NY) on 10/30/10. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a crystal clear gold, with a finger of rich and foamy bright-white head. Good looking retention on this, with a robust flare-up to it that throws a rich cascade of smooth lacing up on the sides of the glass which then slowly recedes back down. The aroma smells grassy and spicy, with a smooth underlying mix of ripe fruit and sugary bread underneath. Hop character and the spiciness of the yeast do mostly control the nose, especially as this warms.

The taste is bit more mellow and smooth, with the malts having a dry and grainy nature to them, while most of the sweetness here comes from the soft fruit textures of the yeast. There is still a touch of a sugary aspect to this though from the malts that hangs on the edges of the profile. Bitter notes of citrus rind pull up the rear. I like how the spice is a bit more subdued and a little better integrated here than it is in the Vice. Dry finish here that lingers with some pithy bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with an easy sharp creaminess that flows rather nicely and this smoothes out even more as it warms. This actually feels like a 5% beer, something that I don't always get with this style.

This maybe lacked some of the deepness to the profile than the Vice did but I found this much more accessible and refreshing feeling, as it lacked some of the yeasty thickness that I find in so many Saisons. I was surprised at how fast this glass disappeared.

Poured into regular pint glass.

A - Poured cloudy pale yellow color with big white head that slowly dissipated leaving lots of lacing around the glass.

S - Very grassy and fruity upfront. Yeast scent is not too overwhelming but is well hidden by other farm scents.

T - Bread taste upfront with grassy and earth flavors afterwards which is followed by slight sourness and a nice hoppy finish.

M - Medium bodied with very high carbonation.

D - Very enjoyable and complex saison. Would definitely recommend it.

on tap 09/19/10 at Amherst Brewing Company

A - the appearance is nearly identical to Vice, pale straw yellow with that thin wispy white head, although Versa has some scant visible carbonation

S - apart from Vice, Versa is more fruity in the bouquet, more banana and bubblegum that was only in the taste of Vice, the yeasty bready notes are still here, with the hop profile as well

T - much drier and hoppier than Vice, that sweetness from the aroma backs it up nicely, however differing from Vice, there is no spice or citrus note that i can detect

M&D - not as lush as Vice, drier, with the same level of character and complexity, a nice same-style-twin to Vice, they form quite the dynamic duo, three cheers to SN