Saison De Lente - 100% Brett
The Bruery

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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
4 | pDev: 5%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
19
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 30, 2014
Added:
May 17, 2009
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by Williaar from Colorado

May 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 01, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Chieftog from Nevada

Nov 27, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by silentdonkey from California

Oct 24, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by BdubleEdubleRUN from California

Feb 20, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by John11486 from California

Feb 15, 2012
Photo of ehammond1
Reviewed by ehammond1

4.2/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On Tap

The Bruery
Orange, CA

A beautiful clear golden and yellow ale with an off white head. Plenty of sticky lacing down the glass. Gorgeous.

There's a pleasant mixture of Brett, sweet apple and a bit of welcome barnyard/hay. Very nice, better than the original Saison de Lente even.

A combination of hay and barnyard, sweet apple, some bitterness, and mild tart lemon. It's funky, sweet, and bitter all at once. An incredibly easy drinking saison, though I was truly hoping for (even) more Brett character. I prefer the regular Saison de Lente's flavor over this one.

Medium bodied, well carbonated, nearly perfect mouthfeel.

Wonderful saison.
Jan 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by TheCrowsNest from California

Jan 24, 2012
Photo of BassBone
Reviewed by BassBone from California

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured on tap at the Bruery tasting room in Placentia.

The beers. Pours a beautiful golden orange with a substantial head. The head dissipates and leaves some moderate lacing behind.

In the nose is a bit of tart funk under a layer of grassiness and a bit of spice.

This beer tastes like spring. The overall flavor is fresh and grassy, with a bit of spice. There is a solid malt backbone to it and the brettanomyces adds an additional layer of funk to the proceedings, though not as much as you'd expect from the nose. Overall, a tasty brew.

There is a bit of grit in the mouthfeel that I'm not sure of the origin, but for the most part it is fairly smooth.

Overall, it is a very drinkable beer. A nice break from the hop bombs you can find in California. I will probably try this again if I find it on tap somewhere.
Jan 23, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by jerz from California

Nov 16, 2011
Photo of Gobzilla
Reviewed by Gobzilla from California

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at the source

A: poured a hazy golden orange in color with pale yellow highlights and had a half of bubbly head leaving some frothy lacing sticking to the glass.

S: not really any brett character but did sniff out some belgian yeast, spice, applasauce notes but had hints of coriander, citrus, and pear notes.

T: the taste also had very faint brett flavor with the belgian yeast yeast dominating the taste but had pear, applesauce, coriander, accents and a touch of citrus.

M: the brew was medium in body with a good amount of carbonation which had a swee, spice, fruity, and yeasty finish.

D: definitely drank well but was not as bretty or funky as I thought it would be; still a solid saison.
Feb 05, 2011
Photo of danmouer
Reviewed by danmouer from Virginia

3.83/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This my third or fourth tasking of the Family Rue's Saison Lente, a seasonal Saison style designed, as the name suggests for Spring. I poured this lovely wheat ale from a crown-cap-finished champagne into a tulip. The explosive, shaving-cream-like billowy head quickly filled and overtopped the glass. The head is fairly persistent, eventually settling to a frothy wreath and spiders web of Brussels lace all over the sides of the glass.The brew itself is pale, light gold and milky-white with moderately dense wheat haze and some suspended yeast.

The aroma confused and intrigued me. There are clean fresh hops dominating the nose, but spicy yeast and subtle-but-undeniable Brett-funk follow quickly behind. There may be some actual spices--not just yeasty phenols--but that is more apparent in the drinking than the sniffing.

The drinking is fine!! I am a counter-hops-snob when it comes to Belgian styles, but The Bruery has managed to capture a beautiful grassy hop prominence that is balanced by--well, by everything else. I wish the fresh dry-hop character could remain and the bitter biting finish could just go away. This is a Saison that lovers of American ales will love.

Mouthfeel is rich, dry, and refreshing. Very satisfying. The alcohol isn't over the top (as it is in one of my very favorite brews, Saison Rue), but beautifully balanced.

The finish is long and satisfying, marred for me only by the bitter twang on the palate. For a brewery that vowed to never brew an American-style IPA, this beer throws way too many brumbs in the direction of the hopheads.

Nonetheless, it's a very fine beer, and I will keep on drinking it--and saving away some bottles to see how the Brett whittles away at the dextrins and starches present here. The Family Rue continues, in my less-then-humble opinion, to produce some of the very finest beers in America--and a couple of the best Saisons in the world!
May 20, 2010
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
On-cask at Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood. Served (fairly warm) in a tulip.

Golden citrine body, hazy, with very fine carbonation. Ivory head is thin but persistent. Light sticky lacing forms a delicate web before seemingly evaporating.

Very grassy, earthy, and spicy hops joined with a mild cracker element in the nose. The yeast and bacteria are just barely discernible, but do contribute a hint of musty cave.

White pepper, coriander, and a hint of citrus on the palate. Hops contribute substantial flavor but only a moderate amount of bitterness. Yeast yields to the Brett. notes as you hold the liquid suspended in your mouth - and an increasing mildew-like flavor builds up, bringing to mind an aged soft cheese, but without the penicillin. Oak and funk in the finish makes this rather dry, though there is a spiciness (from hops?) that is carried forward on into the aftertaste as well.

Light-bodied, low carbonation (I'm missing the full effervescence of the regular bottle-conditioned version), with a light astringency.

Surprisingly drinkable, as the Brett. remains mostly in the background and doesn't overwhelm the base with wild notes.

Interesting experiment, but overall I prefer the standard Saison de Lente, especially after a year or so in the cellar.
Apr 19, 2010
Photo of chaz01
Reviewed by chaz01 from Ohio

3.54/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Served from a 22 oz bottle into a Belgium fishbowl glass on Easter Sunday.

A: Yellow, golden in color with some cloudiness. Rich thick 3-4 inch head with nice lacing

S: Picking up a little grassy/hay with a light flowery aroma.

T: Some Belgian yeast flavors, followed by a bit of lemony citrus and peppery flavors.

M: Creamy, velvety mouthfeel with nice effervescence. Beer kind of floats on your tongue.

D: Nice crisp lemony flavor, although a bomber was a bit much for one person.
Apr 05, 2010
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-cask for First Firkin Friday

A: The pour is an incredibly cloudy golden-yellow-orange color with a finger's worth of white foam.

S: The nose is very "saisony". Good tropical fruit notes along with a lemony and orange citrus with some pepper and coriander. I was expecting more funk, but it's very minimal.

T: The flavors are very similar to the nose. The fruit is a bit more pronounced and provides a nice sweetness which is a counterbalance to the pepper and bitterness. The finish is dry and there's some notes of Brett, but again, not overly pronounced.

M: The carbonation is low, but to be expected from the cask. The body is medium.

D: A little bit more enjoyable than the regular Saison de Lente, but fairly similar. I was hoping for a bit more funk, but this was still a nice beer.
Mar 06, 2010
Photo of bulletrain76
Reviewed by bulletrain76 from California

4.38/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Draught at the Bruery's anniversary. Once I saw this on the tap list, it had to be my first beer of the day. Hazy yellow with a big pillowy white head that lasted for days. Popping fresh fruit, spicy, hoppy, dusty, hay, dough, and sweet-sour aroma. The flavor had nice bread and cracker malts with hoppy bite and a dry, spicy finish. Medium-light body with higher carbonation. The aroma on this just blew me away. The brett didn't add much perceivable funk or tartness, but a great fruity character that put this above the regular version for me, though both are great beers.
Nov 07, 2009
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

4.12/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sampled at the Bruery's 1st Anniversary party, reviewed from notes, served in one of their own tulip glasses, golden yellow color, a bit cloudy, one inch soapy white head that lasted a while, good retention as well as lacing, aroma consisted of Belgian yeast, funk, brett, pepper, barnyard, bread and biscuit malts, mild citrus, and hint of spice, taste starts off with a lot of dry earthy tones, middle is full of horse blanket and has quite a bit of funk to it, finishes slightly bitter with some spice and bread as well, stays rustic feeling all the way through, dry and spicy mouthfeel, medium body, crisp strong carbonation, aftertaste lingers with dryness, could drink a few glasses of this stuff with ease, refreshing and goes down without hesitation, easy drinking saison, hope Patrick makes more of this, this made a beer that was already good even better, recommended
Jun 21, 2009
Photo of 0110x011
Reviewed by 0110x011 from California

3.85/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at the Bruery's 1st Anniversary party. Reviewed from notes.

A - Pours a super pale, super cloudy straw color. Big, fluffy head leaves some decent lacing.

S - Bretty horse funk, toasted bread, lemon peel and herbs. Much more horse funk than the standard De Lente, as expected.

T - Similar to the palate, with a bit more lemony citrus in addition to the breadyness and funk.

M - Big-bubbled carbonation makes for a bright & spritzy mouthfeel. Very, very dry.

D - Good, but would be better for funkheads. The funk is a bit too much for me as far as the style goes.

A fun beer to try, but a bit too funky for me. With all of the amazing offerings coming from the Bruery, this is probably one I won't revisit.
May 17, 2009
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

3.87/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
On-tap at The Bruery,

A: Pours a lightly cloudy yellow, with a medium pillowy white head. Good retention and lace.

S: Heavy Brett funk, white pepper, sourdough bread.

T: Saison de Lente had a good balance of the Brett complexity and saison drinkability. 100% Brett completely dries it out and brings in heavy barnyard, wet sock, bitter spice in. A unique flavour, tasty, but tough to get through at times.

M: An interesting mouthfeel as the Brett completely dries out the regular Saison de Lente, which was dry to begin with. Ultra dry, relatively smooth and spicy.

D: A unique take on the Saison style. I love that a brewery is willing to experiment like this. While I wasn't completely taken with it, I enjoyed the artistry of this brew.
May 17, 2009
Saison De Lente - 100% Brett from The Bruery
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 19 ratings