Red Saison
Maumee Bay Brewing Company

on draft at the brewpub

a dark amber/ruby red in color. aroma and taste are hoppier than normal for a saison, but also herbal, earthy. the taste definitely has some darker malt flavor. overall the variation works.

This so-called red Saison definitely is what it says which, according to the brewery, is due to the inclusion of dark wheat malts. Aside from adding a dry and snappy twang to the beer, it results in a color that's about medium red, leaning burnt orange at the edges and more of a cherry wood with darker brown as it goes deeper. A sandy head is slight and thin, the lacing a thin ring on the glass followed by spotting.
Tangy and tart fruits with the aforementioned dry and snappy tang make up an abundance of both the smell and the taste. Hops add some leaf with lots of zest. The interplay between yeast, hops and malts produces underlying spicy and semi-dry notes overall with lots of snap.
The body is dry with a tartness not scraping but certainly making itself known on the tongue. It dries a bit on the roof of the mouth and about mid-tongue with some zing on the tip of the tongue all the way through. Ultimately, the body remains semi-dry to dry and snappy with a crisp bite. There's no real astringency, but there is an impression of it lurking.