Lemon Pepper Black Saison
Maumee Bay Brewing Company

 

This "black Saison" very nearly is just that; it's a very dark brown in color that pretty much borders it. The head settles resolutely in at one finger, medium brown, creamy and dense. Lace is deposited in webby patches.
There's a good note of pepper, not too strong or light, setting the undertone for a beer that, in the nose, seems to alternate between dry and sweet without quite settling. The wheat and dry pilsner malts form a drier backbone, but caramel malts and something else, almost seeming a little sugary, turn it sweeter. The lemon peel adds pith and zest, and the Belgian yeast adds some earthiness and bubble gum. The major improvement would be if this had a little more strength to it.
Things come together more deeply and thoroughly in the flavor. The dryness runs through though sweeter notes come through. It's also bigger and more warming than most of the style, as the yeast seems to have been driven into overdrive to make this one close to 10%. The way the pepper and lemon zest blend into the flavor is nice.
The body is pretty full, actually, with alcohol thinning it into the end but not too much. It is a little slick in the feel, but the dryness doesn't kick in fully to alleviate it.