Smuttlabs Chestnut Saison
Smuttynose Brewing Company

Smuttlabs Chestnut SaisonSmuttlabs Chestnut Saison
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From:
Smuttynose Brewing Company
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
8%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 10.35%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
37
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 11, 2022
Added:
Aug 04, 2015
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  6
Farmhouse ale brewed with chestnuts.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tfsimpkins:
Photo of tfsimpkins
Rated by tfsimpkins from Florida

3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Apr 08, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of hopley
Reviewed by hopley from Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Drank January 10, 2022 out of a tulip. 16.9 oz bottle from 2015. Held up really well. Poured a dark amber with a solid 3/4 inch head. Smelled of chestnut or malt and taste followed. Syrupy. Thick mouthfeel. This went down very easily. Really enjoyed it.
Jan 11, 2022
Photo of beersampler6
Reviewed by beersampler6 from Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
First of four saisons for the annual Allagash celebration of this style. This one was quite pleasant. No date printed on bottle. Pours a medium honeyed brown color with some nice fluffy white head and just a little spotty lingering lacing. Smells of rich caramel, hazelnuts, malt, caramel, raisin, Belgian yeast. A little brown sugar and clove. Taste follows the nose, excellent balance, tasted even better when paired with savory food. Not my usual style of beer but this one was very enjoyable. Smooth, mild mouthfeel, good amount of carbonation. Higher ABV was well hidden. Very good. Cheers!
Apr 03, 2020
 
Rated: 3.79 by 6thstreetbrewpub from District of Columbia

Feb 06, 2019
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.67/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a tulip.
The appearance was a nice looking good orange color with a finger and a half's worth of white foamy head softly dissolving to leave some messy white lace.
The aroma had some shaved roasted nuts, soft Belgian yeastiness, floral to earthy character, blended funky tartness and a light touch of wildberry.
The flavor mildly leans towards the sweet side of the blend. Earthy/floral funkiness rides the backbone and provides a nice aftertaste of shaved nuts, crisp floral earthiness and a light basement-like funk.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Carbonation and ABV felt good. Finish was nice with the nuts and earthy/floral character.
Overall, pretty nice beer. Works as a saison but honestly, I couldn't quite tell if it was "chestnuts" as it just seemed more or less just regular nuts. I'd still come back to this.
Sep 29, 2018
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.56/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
L: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a golden-orange color and a cloudy consistency. There was a half inch of foamy, somewhat long-lasting head. Not a whole lot of lacing, though.

S: An underwhelming aroma of malt, yeast, a nutty quality, barnyard funk, and some citrus.

T: Tasted of a bit of the advertised chestnuts (not quite enough), lots of malt, some mild yeast notes, a little citrus (orange, in particular), a bit of yeast, and spices (pepper). Not a very saison-like flavor. It's unfocused and not a little thin and watery. Most of the ingredients are underrepresented.

F: A fair amount of carbonation with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Kind of a misfire with this one. Could have been much better.
Feb 19, 2018
 
Rated: 3.53 by VABA from Virginia

Jan 26, 2017
Photo of Bierliebhaber3
Reviewed by Bierliebhaber3 from Massachusetts

3.94/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This saison pours a tangerine color with a medium foamy white head and a fairly high amount of carbonation. The smell is tart, a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and perhaps very faintly of chestnuts. It’s a pretty unique scent. The flavor is, if anything, even stranger. There are very Christmas-like flavors of Belgian yeast and spices, which are much more prevalent than in the scent. There is a very faint nuttiness as well. There is also a tart, fruity, sweet aspect that is probably most reminiscent of an apricot tart. The body is medium. The finish is quite dry and there is faint alcohol warming, which isn’t too surprising given that this is a pretty robust saison at 8.7% alcohol. I like both sets of flavors, though I have to say that they lack cohesion. I can tell that the brewers were really going for a strong Christmas time feel to this one. I totally understand why people weren’t too into this because I agree that it is quite sweet and it also fails to deliver on anything more than a very mild chestnut flavor. I personally find it strangely appealing though. My feelings for it are similar of another much maligned holiday beer, Karl Strauss Mouette a Trois though I think that one is somewhat better.
Dec 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.04 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Dec 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by Barleycorn from Pennsylvania

Sep 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.58 by nickfl from Florida

Aug 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.66 by rjp217 from Massachusetts

Jul 11, 2016
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Look: It pours golden with orange hues and a full white head.

Smell: It has aroma of spice, chestnuts, earthly elements, orange, and fruity esters.

Taste: It has flavors that are high in spice with chestnut, fruity esters, orange, and a slight bit of plums.

Feel: It has a moderate body with a moderately bitter after taste with high spice.

Overall the spices dominate this saison that actually resembles a tripel based on the spice more than a saison.
Jul 09, 2016
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.51/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Clear gold, with a sparsely bubbled ring.

Warming fall spices, mild yeast, and squash aromas bring you back to falling leaves, cooling weather and cozy interiors.

Mild fruit flavors are brought forward in the Saison properties, with other classic, yet mild Saison attributes such as yeast and spice.

Because this doesn't go too strong in the Saison direction, this is very reminiscent of Autumn, and actually brought to mind one of our local brews, Thirsty Dog's Pumpkin Ale, which is light on spice and showcases the fresh pumpkins they grow every year themselves.
Jun 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by mklisz from New Hampshire

May 31, 2016
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
500ml bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Cloudy with an amber-orange coloration. Creamy white head settles after a bit. Spotty lacing is sparse.

S: Dusty yeast and chestnuts. A little medicinal and peppery. Tropical esters. Apricot. Allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon really ride up with repeated sniffs.

T: Cinnamon, nutmeg and spices are apparent right away. They aren't overpowering, but flag the palate's attention for the duration. Dusty yeast. Sharp tropical esters of peach and tangerine. Lightly tart. Chestnuts. Bit of hop bitterness. Pepper. Clovey phenols. Some warming alcohol. Spicy finish.

M: Light bodied. Soft and light creaminess. Sharply prickling carbonation.

O: Feels kind of forced. The flavors don't mesh that well, particularly the spicing. It also feels bigger than it needs to be, although it isn't outright hot.
Apr 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by DMcGirr from Massachusetts

Apr 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by Boone757 from Virginia

Apr 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.91 by Hootie159 from Massachusetts

Mar 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.99 by costanzo_mike from Massachusetts

Mar 27, 2016
Smuttlabs Chestnut Saison from Smuttynose Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 37 ratings