Saison Fergus 2005
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Originally reviewed September 17, 2005. On tap at the Big Lake Brewfest. Cloudy orange tine, no head. Lemon, apricot and cherris in the aroma. Very hexaned flavor, but also florally rich and tasty. Lucious and fairly complex. Finish is almost hop dry.

Appearance: Hazed light golden body. CO2 is somewhat vigorous, though not explosive. Great looking frothy white head tops it off and leaves nice looking droopy rings of lace.

Nose: Candy, mint leaf, lemon zest, pepper, musty yeastiness and orange pulp. Really, really nice nose.

Taste: This beer has a lot of bright citric tones on the palate and they are quite pleasing. Lemon peel and orange and a little grapefruit rind. It's all good. The base is a doughy, biscuity malt. Spiciness is present as well, with peper being in the forefront. Yeastiness adds a nice layer as well with a little mustiness.

Mouthfeel: Nicely carbonated medium body. Alcohol is hidden nicely, though it does surface from time to time.

Drinkability: I would say drinkability is good for this one. The high citric component of this beer drops this rating from a "Very Good" to "Good." Yet I will still not have a problem tackling this growler in one night.

Poured from the growler into a pint glass. Cloudy yellowish color with an inch or so of foam that stuck around awhile. Nice lacing when the glass was tilted. Have had this on tap several times and from the growler this past weekend. Growler was about three or so weeks old, but the beer retained its carbonation. Taste seemed a little sweeter from this growlered version than I recall from what I have had on tap. Nice spicy aroma, and alternating sweet and sour tastes. A very nice beer. I didn't like my first pint, but it has really grown on me since then. Doesn't seem like a boozy beer, but it does pack a wallop and you need to pay attention. Very drinakable with a medium mouth feel.

Tasted On-Tap 09/14/05 at the Minneapolis, MN location.

Hazy yellow with a nice creamy white head and active carbonation that leaves some lace. Spicy Belgian yeasty wit-like (?) aromas and flavors: cloves, coriander, light pepper. Light-medium bodied, refreshing, and easy to down more than one.

Very enjoyable !! This was my favorite beer of the RB-Minnepolis visit.

On tap at the brewpub...

Hazy palish straw color, nice creamy fat head of over 1/2 an inch and steady in staying power. Laces like thick whipped cream. Slightly yeasty and dust-ridden aroma, elements of citrus are also there in spades. Nice mouthfeel, almost full with good small carbonation bubbles leavening things up. Relatively complicated flavor profile, seems flowery and perfumey sweet with an accompanying bread and fruit preserve impression. Spices and citrus rind bittering float in and out, you almost sense them differently in different sips on the glass. Maybe a little heavy for style, but this one was a nice and very interesting drinker.