Saison Station 10
Hopfenstark

 

 

Bottle at one of the American release events @ Beer Table, Brooklyn.

Pours cloudy orange, soft, rich color, glowing, no real head.

Nose is light lactic sourness, orangey, bit of barnyard funk, round, richer and not quite as bright as say, a gueuze, but the connection and complexity is there. Wondering if this was fermented with the saison yeast first, then the full on wild yeast treatment, because the peppery and spicy saison notes are there underneath.

Taste is crisp, lightly sour (clean, lactic, round) up front with just a bit of funk and a tart, orangey marmalade note. A bit bready, and some honey comes out as well in the body. Very nice, loving this.

Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, medium body. Very drinkable.

500 ml bottle shared with grub on his birthday, at Volo!

Pours a hazy and chunky looking golden amber, no head at all, but left a few spots on my glass. Smell is very nice, funky and sour, pineapple and tropical fruit, wood, apple cider, spices, bit of brown sugar, smells tart and lemony, nice! Taste is similar, very funky and sour at first, wheat and spice, pineapple, apples, wood, brown sugar, tropical flavour, very sour and tart finish, a bit yeast, very dry. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation, very nice. Reminds me some what of Temptation/Beatification, this is very good stuff!

500ml bottle. sampled at volo sept 4/08.

pours slightly hazy deep orangey amber with no sign of any head or lace.

aroma is great. peach, apricot, tangerine. bit of funk. sour cherry. bit of grapefruit. bread and cracker. bit of grain. light caramel sweetness. light alcohol.

taste is great. big citrusy sourness - sour orange, lemon. peach and apricot, but less than i expected from the aroma. sour cherry. white bread. light alcohol. very low bitterness level, but the sourness does a good job balancing the alcohol and malt. touch of horse blanket funk, but more sour than funky.

mouthfeel is nice. fairly light bodied with a nice dry finish. very low carbonation that i'd definitely like to see higher.

drinkability is good. nice balance. good funky/sour character. i'm not used to saisons being this sour, but i like it. an interesting twist on the style. good stuff.

A-Clear golden yellow with a small bright white head. Head quickly disappears to leave a thin ring.

S-Sharp sour punch and a mix of tropical fruits with tell tale funkiness.

T-Less funky on the palate than in the nose but make no mistake this is still wild! Good biscuit maltiness with a bowl full soured fruit flavours with pineapples, apricots, lemon, grapefruit and a touch of banana. Sourness is present but held in check.

M-Medium-light body with a pleasant lingering sournes. Finishes on the dry side.

D-Mmmmm, mmm, mmm this is a complex, funky bowl of fruit. I like very much. Well done.

Enjoyed at Mondiale 2008. This upcoming brewery is coming on strong, and this is another style it excels out. Between various saisons, the yeast is great and felt, in this version sourness dominates. Sour like a cantillon, so other versions will likely be more popular. Transparent, small head. Spicey aroma.