Saison
Half Moon Bay Brewing Co.

 

Draft at the brewery in Half Moon Bay, CA!

 

 

 

Draft at the brewery
Fair creamy head with moderate retention, soapy lacing, mostly clear slight chill haze med straw to pale color

Nose fruity esters, lemon zest and star fruit, citrus, light pome fruit, phenol spices, fair spicy in general, bubblegum, fair cereal grainy malt

Taste bubblegum up front, fruity esters with pome fruit, a hint of strawberry, citrus and little lemony, fair phenol spices again, light herbal hop, doughy base malt with a little cereal, straw, dry finish with med bitterness

Mouth is med bod, med carb

Overall pretty nice, easy drinking saison

 

 

 

 

My first from Half Moon Bay. I notice their most rated brews are American renditions of English styles. Fine.
But, that is not lots of practice to produce a great saison.
Nonetheless, their Saison was a decent table beer that went well with hearty risotto and Brussels sprouts, the vegetable at least similar to how the style started as complement to farm workers meals.

This Saison actually Looks and Smells like a German Pils. It Tastes more like a Saison. But all three of those factors really lack a well-cultivated Belgian yeast.... which seems hard to come by or work well for a while. If they work at cultivating that yeast, they could get it done well. For that is what usually distinguished Belgian saisons from American crafters.
But only $5 for a 1 Pint 6 ounces that goes well with food.., well, that is good enough for today.