Jack D'Or
Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project

 

 

Solid saison but nothing more. Classical in taste, with belgian yeast, crisp citrus, some belgian spices, brett, apple, slight funk, and pear. Body is bready but light yet not thin. Decent carbonation, booze hidden well, artful. Has some lager characteristics in the nose with the grains.

 

Found some Pretty Things lingering in Kansas City after the brewery had closed. Retroactive review.
It was a malty and complex saison, earthy and dry with some bitterness and peppery yeast phenolics.
Medium bodied with ample carbonation, overall it was unique and memorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Price data not currently available, purchased on line from Craft Shack, $ 4 shipping
22 oz bottled Mar 2015 at 42 degrees into snifter, allowed to warm to 50 degrees
Aroma – fruity, like apples
Head average (Three cm, aggressive pour), white, fizzy/frothy, diminishing to irregular four to eight mm ring and partial frothy layer
Lacing excellent – complete rings of tiny bubbles
Body light gold, chill haze, some effervescence
Flavor – slightly bitter, very lightly fruity; no malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate light, watery, lively carbonation

Appearance 4, Aroma 4, Flavor 4.25, Palate 4, Overall 4.

 

 

Sept. 2015 bottle poured into a tulip glass. Dark gold in color with slightly orange hue and translucent chill haze. Minimal head.

Bready malt aroma with clear hop notes. Rich flavor. Amazing citrus tartness that stands out from the light malt body. Touch of yeast in the middle, with clear sourness in the finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and bubbly with gentle carbonation on the tongue.

A really good saison that likely pairs well with food.

 

 

 

Right away this crystal clear golden beer looks promising as the thick white pillow of a head rises right up and leaves behind a slightly sticky lacing.

Nose is wildly pleasant as that yeast brings a bouquet of slight clove, musty clay, champagne, a dash of pepper, hints of melon and bitter hop.

Fantastic tast. Melon pops immediately, followed by a musty, earthy and ever so slight funk. Further on along I get pear and pepper. Finish mostly carries the bitterness which floats between nondescript and slightly earthy along with an almost eucalyptus sensation in my nose.

 

Bottle. Thanksgiving. Gift from MA

 

I picked up a bottle of Pretty Things Jack D:or a couple weeks ago for $7.99 at The Lager Mill. I've been wanting to try some of this brewery's beers for a while and I thought I would start off with their popular Saison, so lets see how it goes. 2015 Vintage. Poured from a brown 750ml bottle into a teku.

A- The label looks nice, it has a unique look to it and it's a little eye catching. It poured a cloudy golden orange color that took on more of a golden color when held to the light with a little over a fingers worth of fluffy white head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left a little bit of patchy lacing behind. This is a good looking beer, it looks just how i expect the style to look.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the saison yeast being the first to show up and there's also a little bit of banana and bubblegum like aromas coming through. Up next comes a little bit of spices followed by a fruity aroma with some stone fruit and lemon like aspects coming through. Towards the end comes a little more of those spices which just impart a mixed spice aromas with a malty aroma showing up in background. This beer has a good aroma, it's very true to style.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with the saison yeast still being the first to show up and it seems to be just a little lighter than it was in the aroma. Up next comes the same spices that I got in the aroma and they lead into the fruits which impart more of a stone fruit like aroma this time and it's just a little lighter. On the finish there's just a little bit of hops with a medium amount of bitterness and there's lots of saison yeast flavors showing up in the aftertaste. This is a good tasting beer, it's just what I look for in the style.

M- Fairly smooth, a little crisp, a little creamy, medium bodied with a slightly higher amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was very nice and it worked well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and good example of the style, it was very true to style with nothing showing up that didn't belong there, but I did find it to be a little hoppier than most. This beer has nice drinkability, I could drink a couple of these especially if it's warm outside. What I like the most about this beer is the mouthfeel and how true to style it is, to me those were the highlights of this beer. What I like the least about this beer is that the hops weren't a little lighter, I would like just a little less bitterness. I would buy this beer again and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Saisons. All in all I was happy with this beer and it turned out to be a tasty and true to style Saison. It made for a good first impression for this brewery and it's a good example of the style. Good job guys, this is a good saison.

 

Disconnected. Great nose - I dove in with great anticipation. Unfortunately in the mouth the hop bite is unpleasant (in character) and dominates on the backend and on the finish, and that detracts from the saison opening. I love IPAs and I love Saisons - this beer wants to combine the two, and for me, it doesn't quite work. This is good - and certainly unique - but not great.

 

 

Grabbed this awesome beer while on a recent trip. Beautiful golden straw color and slowly dissipating head. Nice malty, wheat and apricot smell. Nice earthy, citrus and hoppy smell as it sits. Taste is wonderful and not too assertive. Very smooth. Great beer Pretty Things. Keep them coming!

 

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 8/2015. Pours lightly hazy golden yellow color with a 2 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lemon, grapefruit, orange peel, pear, apple, white grape, clove, pepper, pine, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, light honey, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/floral hops, and light-moderate pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, grapefruit, orange peel, pear, apple, white grape, clove, pepper, pine, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, light honey, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Good amount of yeast spiciness and pine/citrus rind bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, grapefruit, orange peel, pear, apple, clove, pepper, pine, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/floral hops, and light-moderate pale malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Good amount of dryness from bitterness/yeast spice as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, crisp, and moderately sticky/resinous mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is an awesome hoppy saison style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/floral hops, and moderate pale malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A highly enjoyable offering.

 

 

 

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle, filled in (July?) 2015. Hazy but radiant orange yellow, golden in appearance. Very little head, and low carbonation for the style. Nice and clean hoppy aroma, though somewhat subdued.

Flavour is balanced, nice combination of slight maltiness and pleasant, not overtly assertive hops that linger on the palate after a sip. Mouthfeel is a bit watery, somewhat thin. Really nice aftertaste, drinks almost like a smooth pale ale with a little more character. Seems like it would pair well with food.

(Edit: although there was no visible yeast at the bottom of my bottle, I just read that this brew is fermented with at least three different strains. From the descriptions of others, I'm wondering if we just had a bad bottle. Will give it another try and re-review.)

Overall, for me and my drinking partner, a pleasant but not impressive interpretation of the style.