Merle Saison Nocturnum Regal
Trinity Brewing Company

another far out beer from trinity with a ton of weird ingredients, sassafras in this one, and they are calling it something else now, you never call me by my real name, or something like that. a dark brown beer, with a deep ruby glow in bright light and a short tan head. a nose of earthy cocoa, roasted malts, and a deep nuttiness, along with a interesting sweetness, almost like rootbeer barrel candy. the flavor is better integrated than the nose, and the long list of strange ingredients doesnt necessarily present itself as vibrantly as it might have, but the beer is nice, rich in dark grain character and loaded with booze. definitely unlike other saisons and i appreciate it for what it is, but both the price and the hugeness of this are turnoffs for me. still, delicious and different, and thats what we have come to expect from trinity, so this did not disappoint. just make sure you dont crush a bottle on your own, seriously strong saison here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm rolling the dice on Trinity; this is my first beer from them. 750ml brown glass bottle with interesting if cartoonish label art and what appears to be a beeswaxed over green unbranded pry-off pressure cap acquired at a local CO bottle shop and served into a Verdugo stem-tulip in me parents' gaff in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given this brewery's current 91 rating. That said, it's a bit disconcerting that the label says "Bottle Number" but no number is actually marked. 12.2% ABV per the label. Reviewed as a saison per the label.

Served cold - straight from the fridge - and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as it's poured.

Pours a two finger wide head of dull unappealing white colour. Decent creaminess and thickness. Complexion isn't great. Consistency could be far more even. Head retention is good for the ABV - about 5 minutes. Little lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.

Body colour is a very dark nontransparent quasitranslucent amber-brown. No floating yeast particles/sediment is visible. The label mentions it's on lees, but I don't see any lees.

Overall, it's a subpar appearance for a traditional saison, but if we're treating it as a dark saison it's within style conventions. Frankly, I'm suspicious, and it isn't all that inviting. It's far from unique or special.

Sm: Honey, clove, floral notes (hibiscus I guess), floral hop character, vague fruity notes, and grains of paradise (when I look for them; I wouldn't have been savvy enough to find them if I tried it blind). I also get some nectary/pollen-y notes. There's some biscuity yeast, sure; I guess you could call that note lees. I don't find any sarsaparilla, sassafras, or cumin. Biscuit malts, Belgian brown & amber malts. A kiss of nebulous nuttiness.

I suppose the floral/flowery character is dominant, but only by a small margin. It's a pleasant and uncommonly built aroma of mild strength. One might even call it unique for a (dark) saison. I'm also surprised the 12.2% isn't at all detectable; they've hidden the alcohol content nicely - at least on the aroma. It's not alive per se; after all, it is on lees. This is shaping up to be an interesting brew.

T: The alcohol is almost as well concealed here as it was on the aroma. Almost.

It's got a nice biscuity yeast character which is accented nicely by plenty of diverse and interesting flowery/floral notes; I find both actual flowers (hibiscus I guess) as well as hop-induced floral notes. The subdued malty core is comprised of Belgian biscuit, amber, and brown malts. I find grains of paradise, clove, light cream, and a kiss of nuttiness. Faint cocoa. There's also some honey - though it's not quite as sweet as normal here - as well as some pollen and nectary character.

I'd like more spicing given it's a saison; white pepper in particular is sorely missed. The sarsaparilla, sassafras, and toasted cumin mentioned on the label never make an appearance, but they might contribute to the beer in an intangible sense.

It's certainly got an interesting, inspired build for a (dark) saison. But as cohesive as it is, it still isn't gestalt. Balanced? Sure, in a general sense. It doesn't seem all that carefully executed. There are some good elements here, but ultimately it feels timid and it lacks the complexity, subtlety, intricacy, and nuance of the absolute best brewed saisons. I do like it, but there's substantial room for improvement, and at this price point (~$20 if I recall correctly), you have got to deliver. Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour.

On the sweeter side.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Overcarbonated. Not as soft as would be ideal. It's got a decent albeit unrefined presence on the palate. The best saisons are far more delicate and fragile than this; it comes on too strong with too much thickness and body. The texture suits the taste generally well, but fails to really accentuate the many flavours in the profile. Decent execution, but it needs work.

Not oily, astringent, harsh, boozy, hot or gushed.

Dr: A nice little (dark) saison from Trinity, and as my first beer from the brewery I would find it intriguing and I would want to pursue their other offerings - if not for the deplorable price point. With Fantome hovering around the $15.00 USD mark and breweries like Brasserie Dupont around there too, I can't see why any consumer could justify buying this obviously inferior brew. That said, I'm very impressed they masked the alcohol this well; if I had it blind I'd guess it was 7 - maybe 8 percent. I wouldn't recommend it to friends or trade partners, but it's far from an amateur attempt at a saison and it does pique my curiosity about Trinity. Maybe I'll try some of their other beers if I see one at a bar.

High C+

 

 

Bottle number 457. Bottled 12/12.

Pours out very dark with a surprisingly large head for being 12%. Very nice lacing.

Dark malts, Brett and grassy hops start the nose, earth and slight cocoa follow.

The taste is very rich with a nice bit of funk. Wish I would have cellared longer. Cocoa, funk, hops, dark fruit and earth. Slight hint of booze, but not as much as you would expect for a brew this big. Goes down smooth with a hint of heat.

Amazing dark saison. If you have one cellared, save it a year more. This one will age very well.