Ovila Abbey Saison - Mandarin Oranges & Peppercorns
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. Poured from the corked and caged 375mL bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass. 2013 vintage bottle, consumed sometime in 2018 (didn't note exact date).

A: Pours a hazy dark gold, with minimal visible carbonation and no real head formation.

S: Caramelly malts, light saison yeast esters, and peppery spiciness. Some toasted sugars and a touch of farmhouse spiciness and funk – but much less than I was hoping to have developed in a bottle this old.

T: Sweet malts, some caramel and oxidation. Peppery – I would have called it just black peppercorn. Mild funk, more Belgian yeast fruity esters – pears, apples, mild clove. A light citrus bitterness – maybe that’s some of the Mandarin oranges, but I would have thought it was the aged hop flavors. A modest lingering fruitiness in the hang.

M: Average body, and low carbonation sensation but not as flat as it appeared. Modest amount of alcohol presence.

O: Not amazing, though I'm not sure that the age has helped this one. I expected the funk to have increased more than what it has. There wasn't anything in particular to step up and take the place of the loss of the citrus , nor make it any more complex.

Poured from 12.7-ounce bottle into a tulip glass. An aggressive center pour yielded a finger of white head atop a dull opaque dark brownish-orange colored body. Much more malt forward and darker in appearance than I was expecting, very dubbel-like in character. Aromas and flavors of caramel and dark fruit, with quite a bit of sweetness and alcohol burn. The Mandarin orange and peppercorns do provide a nice dimension, and there is a pleasant lingering note of peppery spice on the finish. I picked this up intending it to be a table beer, but this is like a meal in a glass by itself. Would definitely drink again.

Pours a dull orange color looking like one of those high ibu ipas from yesteryear, full on 3/4" white head. Aroma hits a variety of notes, saison yeast, dry hay, clear blue sky, peppercorn and citrus. Layered nicely, nothing too dominate. Thankfully missing the spice rack from your kitchen.

Taste was citrusy, peppery, pretty clean stuff, none of that horse blanket dog funk that you get in some of those saisons or spontaneous stuff. Good dry mouthfeel, carbonation was pretty high. Did a good job at hiding the alcohol, this had me leery given the strength, I've pretty much universally disliked "imperial" saisons. There was some burn, but hey, peppercorns and citrus, whaddya expect this to be other than more acidic than your normal non adjunct saison? Orange notes were minimal, thankfully this is not a fruit dominant saison. The peppery note isn't hot, its more like you know black pepper/peppercorn.

I dug it. Still have one left. Will bang again come summertime.

 

[Original rating 2015-07-03] Pours clear orange/gold with a thin white head that lasts. Steady fine carbonation rises from the bottom of the glass. Aroma is sweet malt, flowery, straw, spicy pepper. Taste is dry saison, the orange and pepper are there but not overwhelming. A hint of alcohol in the finish. Great mouth feel. A solid saison on its own, the orange and pepper are just enough to make it interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a pleasurable pop from the cork after a simple twist of the wire harness, this baby pours a dark hazy mango blush with a tightly knit creamy cap of 2 fingers. It recedes slowly and retains at about 1/2 finger.

Fresh mandarin oranges come out straight away in the aroma, followed by the white peppercorns, slight clove and cilantro.

Flavors of golden malts, salty watermelon, melon rinds, and flavorless yeast. Some peppercorn flavors hang around a bit afterwards. After a few sips I am easily done with this beer, however. It grows stale and old real quick.

It feels creamy and full of carbonation, and the finish is crisp and bright.

Overall the beer starts strong but grows tired very quickly. I almost want to drain pour this but I feel ashamed for doing so. I'll age the other three bottles and see how they do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours out amber maybe copper. Smell oranges and some type of spices. Light to medium body. Taste lemon, pepper,and oranges. The finish is my favorite part about this saison. My very first saison hope to try many more. Cheers!

 

12.7 oz bottle poured into pint glass.
A: pours a clear dark honey orange, +1 finger white foam head, carbonation
S: mandrin oranges, heavy malt, pepper
M: medium body creamy
T: lemon, malt, citrus, mandrin orange, tiny hints of pepper
O: good saison brew with some orange flavor.

 

 

 

 

a: hazy (chill haze, probably) caramel color, with a few darker notes towards the center. 1/2 finger white, bubbly head

s: sweet malt and tons of spicy yeast - pepper and coriander. ripe pear, sweet oranges, a clean grassy aroma, a hint of lemongrass. finishes with some sweet caramel

t: caramel and ripe pears. lots of sweet orange, faint red apple skin, caramel, pepper, coriander, lemongrass, a bit of a grainy grassy flavor, and some clove. there is also a very faint funk in here as well that works nicely. this actually follows the nose pretty well

m: medium mouthfeel. the carbonation is a bit less than i'm used to for the style, making it feel a bit heavier

o: its pretty good. a bit less effervescent than i like for the style. i really enjoy the pear flavor in here, but would like it to be a bit lighter in the mouth. it is enjoyable, and theres nothing off-putting in here. but, i feel like it falls just a bit short of some of the really good saisons out there

L - Golden, 2 fingers of white head, and lots of lace left on top of the brew and on the glass

S - belgian yeast, sugarcane

T - Sweet and not real balanced

F - medium body light carbonation

O - A good saison, but there are others that are better