Blood Orange Saison
Upslope Brewing Company - Lee Hill

 

 

Pours a hazy amber color. 2/3 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of strong citrus, sweet malt, yeast, slight coriander, hint of wheat, and a hint of clove. Fits the style of a Belgian Saison. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is also a spicy dryness. Tastes of strong citrus, sweet malt, yeast, slight coriander, hint of wheat, pepper, and a hint of sage. Overall, great appearance, but aroma and body are not well blended and the Saison aspect seems derived.

Type: 12-oz. can
Glass: Clear 16.5-oz. Belgian ale tulip
From: Total Wine in Uptown (Albuquerque), N.M.
Price: $1.99
Purchased: Nov. 3, 2018
Consumed: Nov. 15, 2018
Reviewed as: Saison / Farmhouse
Misc.: Best before Dec. 18, 2018 at 9:12 p.m. MT

Picked this up on a recent work trip to Albuquerque, N.M. Had tried three from Upslope in the past, giving their IPA a 3.75 on July 25, 2011, their Raspberry Belgian Pale Ale a 3.73 on May 18, 2018 and their Lee Hill Series No. 7 - Barrel-Aged Imperial Milk Stout a 4.43 on May 20, 2016. Online description read, “Blood oranges and Mandarina Bavaria hops seamlessly complement one another in this saison providing aromatic notes of citrus and bright, juicy flavors. The addition of pink peppercorns amplifies the spicy notes imparted by the saison yeast while balancing the beer’s natural sweetness and dry finish.” I love me some blood orange and really coming around to Mandarina Bavaria.

Poured a medium amber clear color with 3-to-4 fingers of rocky white head. Lots of fast moving bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass at a fast pace. Outstanding spiderweb foamy lacing. Perfect retention. (Sight - 4.50)

Smelled dish soap, lemon, barnyard funk, blood orange, coriander, mandarin, Mandarina Bavaria, clove, pepper spice, pear and apple. Smelled kind of like a mix between a Saison and a wit. From the can got even more blood orange and that Mandarina Bavaria. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted almost as good as the nose with much of the same flavors. In order got blood orange, peppery spice, clove, Mandarina Bavaria, pear, red apple, sugary mandarin orange, peach and barnyard funk. (Taste - 3.75)

Medium body. Oily-to-creamy texture. Lively-to-fizzy carbonation. Spicy finish. (Feel - 4.00)

This was pretty damn good. Still contend that it was probably 66 pct. Saison, 33 pct. Witbier, but I enjoyed it. (Overall - 4.00)

3.93 | 88 | B+

[Original rating 2016-06-10] Can. Pours hazy orange with a big white head. Aroma of spice, citrus, yeast. Taste is spice, clove, black pepper, orange. Nice carbonation. Ok but not great.

 

I really enjoyed this and will be buying again. Love the orange and spice flavor.

 

12oz can. Poured out a clear, golden amber color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. Strong tripel-like flavor - must be the peppercorns. Very little blood orange flavor and an odd-spiciness.

The can's artwork is a mountain, the artwork is boring.

Poured into a pint glass at 40 degrees. The beer has white airy and foamy head. The retention of the head is steadfast. The color of the beer is SRM 4 with reddish orange hues. The clarity of the beer is crystal.

The initial aroma of the beer is citrus, pepper, grass, and crackers. Additional aroma in the beer is yeast, earthy, and floral.

The beer is just meh. The flavors in the beer are mellow nothing stands out. Yeast, pepper, crackers, earthy, floral, and grass are the flavor of the beer.

The mouthfeel of the beer is clean and dry.
The body of the beer is medium, medium carbonation, and a medium finish.

The beer just is atypical for its style. A standard saison, with nothing special about it.

 

 

 

I wanted to love this beer, but it honestly just didn't deliver. The blood orange flavor is probably the highlight, unlike most beers brewed with blood oranges it isn't overwhelming, it balances well. And that's about the extent of what I appreciate about this beer. I expect a Saison to have a mild funk to it, not quite on the level of a Farmhouse Ale..but it shouldn't be clean either. Yet, I get more of a Pilsner/Kolsch aftertaste from this brew..it's too clean, there's nothing terribly exciting about it. It makes me feel like the beer was fermented at too low of a temperature to be honest, the fun flavors come out when you hit those higher temps with these yeast strains. I think this beer has potential, I like the idea of the recipe, but as it currently stands it just isn't what I would expect from a SHV/Fruit Beer Saison.

 

 

 

12 oz. Can

Pours a nice yellowish/orange color, pretty nice carbonation, with a nice small thick/creamy off-white head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is yeasty, malty, with some spice. The taste is malty, yeasty, spicy. Medium body, with a nice little dry/bitter finish. Overall, a tasty brew.

Mixed feelings about this one. Had it on a couple different occasions (but from the same 6 pack), and it tasted a little different and left a different impression both times. The first time I liked its tartness, clean finish, and mild ale flavor. I wa impressed overall. The second time I noticed the tartness less and on the finish it tasted more wheaty, almost like a hefeweizen, which I don't like. The second time I had it the beer was not as cold, so maybe that's to blame. Will have to see what I think again on another occasion, but for now overall I'd say it's just "good" and would recommend it as a lighter, hot weather beer.