Saison Du Meyboom
Brasserie de la Senne

Pale straw yellow color with a moderately elegant white head.
The aroma is quite subtle, with light orange and bergamot peel, a hint of lemon, and a hint of ginger.
The palate is also very light and uncharacteristic, with citrus and a hint of wheat, but not much.
It sleeps into the aftertaste, too much.
There's better.

 

 

L- cloudy
S- lovely fresh air
T- complex, nice carbonation.
F- medium body
O- just an exquisite saison. The bubbles dance on my palette with complexity. This is a special brew, fermented in the bottle, they way it is supposed to be.

 

de la senne is one of my favorite breweries so i always geek out when i get to drink a new one to me, was stoked to find this at a cool little shop in reno yesterday, not sure ive seen this one before. its pretty subtle as they go, masterfully crafted but mellow to drink, low alcohol, not as fermentation driven as a lot of their beers, cleaner rather than funky as many of them are, bright and easy, like drinking a cloud, among the best bottle conditioning i have ever known here too, just epic. hazy deep straw to light brassy colored beer with just a bit of haze as i pour lower into the bottle, and a pillowy almost beaten egg white looking two inches of airy creamy white head rising well above the rim of the glass and staying there, peaky and gorgeous. the aroma on this is subtle white pepper, dried apricot, and earthy grain, and young white wine, relaxed and well integrated, no real bretty component, chill on the esters too, sort of belgian blonde to me, not as rustic as some, i suppose the grain is though. subtle spiciness in the flavor too, clove and coriander, trace bubblegum but not phenolic. hearty with the cereal grain base, and completely weightless on the palate with the bottle conditioned excitement. i love the peppery note this warms up to, the vinous aspect, and how well grounded it is, layers of honey and nougat, dill seed or fennel, and a little anise and apricot on the finish, really pleasant, simple in a good way, brilliantly bubbly and frothed up feeling, and overall another banger from these guys, if not their most distinctive saison from a fermentation standpoint. could drink this all day and night!

This is a delicious albeit ugly looking beer. The taste is light, crisp, and refreshing, the mouthfeel is like a good champagne. This beer deserves an outstanding or even world class rating.

Pours an unfiltered amber-yellow color with a huge, stable head atop.

Aromas on this are defined by lime zest, spicy, resinous hops, bread dough and a glimpse of melting caramel in the background.

Drinks soft with a fitting, suddenly appearing bubbly carbonation, creating a refreshing, well balanced, easy drinking beer.

Tastes of dried citrus, wet earth and fresh cut hay among a flowery toffee smoothness, immediately getting rolled over by a lively, effervescent carbonation, which inherits a stony quality. Has a spicy, elegant, yet lighter middle part with more emphasis on bread dough and its grain driven rusticness. Finishes with a crisp, well developed dryness among drops of caramel and a mellowing yeast pillow, revealing late oranges and lighter mango.

This is a great Saison with a fantastic depth of flavor, while maintaining its light, crisp body playfully.

Bottle: Poured an orangey/light amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of lightly fruity Brett notes with some funky ester and floral notes. Taste is a nice mix of lightly Brett notes with some light fruity notes with some funky notes and a dry finish with nice floral notes also perceptible. Body is full with great carbonation. Solid saison with great complexity and also some great drinkability.

 

 

Hazed pale orange, ample foam with lasting coverage, spotty lacing. Soft, yeast driven aroma, estery pear and lightly floral. Malty taste, vague fruitiness and not a lot of hop presence. Medium bodied but easy drinking, airy carb and light feel.

Overall it’s not as wild or hoppy as their other beers, but it’s simple and refreshing, which is nice in a world of excess.

Today is the occasion of my New Odds & Sods Beer Sunday (Week 711) & this is my first of the eclectic lot of bottles & CANs that will follow over the course of the day.

From the Bottle: "Unfiltered Blond craft beer, refermented in the bottle. Pour without the sediment - it can be drunk separately. Store in a cold and dark place. Enjoy its freshness: Do NOT age this beer!"

Ooops! Mine has some age, but if it is bottle-conditioned, I will be curious to see what has developed as a result. I began by Pop!ping the cap & starting a very slow, gentle pour into the awaiting glass. I think that the yeast was STILL active as it began with a soapy foaminess, but quickly puffed into just over a finger of dense, foamy, bone-white head with excellent retention. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-quality clarity as a testament to my pouring skills. Nose was VERY yeasty, kind of musty, but less like barnyard and more like proofing bread dough with a papery mustiness! Wow. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was quite spicy, almost like black pepper, but that would be imprecise. It definitely had a papery mustiness, like old newspapers from the attic, as well as a distinct breadiness, but the barnyard funk was very muted. It was MUCH more to my liking as a result, but it was kinda out of whack for the style. I am not going to dun them, since it may have been due to my failure to follow their instructions. I suppose that the bottom line there is that if you don't need a lot of funk in your Saison, then age away! Finish was crisp & dry, but not so dry as to be gasping, which I also do not like. This would have been fantastic during some of this past Summer's hot, humid days, but it was still enjoyable on a cool, crisp Fall morning.

And now, for the lees pour: I had a nice, murky glassful of mud! The nose was more pronounced in terms of its doughy breadiness. Mouthfeel was rather full, almost creamy. The taste was oddly bitter, as though the hops had gone to rest with the yeast. Finish was quite dry. Enough. I am ready to move on.

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a hazy golden/straw with a fine two finger white head with great retention and thick lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt, grassy hops, saison yeast, light lemon and mineral. Flavor is grainy biscuit malt, grassy hops, lemon and grapefruit rind, apple and pear. Flavor tapers off into a dry and slightly astringent finish with residual citrus rind and grassy hops. Medium bodied with sharp carbonation. Look, aroma and initial taste are all standard saison profile, but the nice supporting grain and fruit flavors do not continue into the finish, which leaves the hops a little stark on the tongue. Overall a nicely made, semi-dry saison that's a little hoppier than normal. This is a Shelton Brothers distributed ale, so the hops may be a little tired, contributing to the finish.

Greenish - yellow color, slightly opalescent. A white, creamy foam.
In the smell fruit, medlar, lychee, yellow fruit.
Fruity taste, again (peach), yeast, quite raw.
Citric aftertaste, again too much yeast, and a not too fresh hoppiness.
Meh.

 

 

Just had a Revelation that explains the great differences between my two styles with the most Hads.
First... American IPAs (which I rarely drink a second time), I also usually do not eat with foods as the hops interfere with subtle foods and further inflame my mouth when eating spicy foods.

For the second style, saisons are what I usually pair with garlicky, herbal foods. Since I try to drink when I eat, that explains why saisons are the style that usually I buy a 4 or 6 pack... and rarely do that for any other style.

Saison du Meyboom Looks like a good saison, murky and blonde. Smell improves as it warms and I get more of the yeast effect producing a fruit medley. Taste comes in the same... although there is a tad more hops than I prefer. But the hops are handy in cleansing the palate and preparing it for more herbal food. I will have Saison Du Meyboom again.

I've Had 9 beers from de la Senne, so I went on their website. They are truly independent and brew their way, experiment a lot and don't compromise. I like their attitude, but they need to use less hops before I buy their beer in a 4 pack.