Tamarindo Bay
O'Connor Brewing Co.

 

O'Connor Brewing has done much better with previous efforts in the Endless Saison Summer Series. It's not that this is a bad beer. It is light and quite tasty but the coffee totally obliterates the elements that make a good Saison. Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a small cream colored head. Head retention is better than average and there is some light lacing. Aroma is mostly coffee with a little Belgian yeast. If the malt profile was a bit richer, you would think this was a Porter. Taste is mostly sweet coffee with some Belgian yeast and a significant light bitterness. Mouthfeel is light and refreshing but there is no hint of mustiness or funk that is usually found in a good Saison. I like this beer and would drink it again but it is not really a top-shelf Saison.

22 oz bottle, poured into stemmed glasses. Brown color, and off-white, decent carbonation. Pleasant coffee aromas along with the spicy esters found in saisons. A combination that I thought would not work, but actually works very well. Soft malt and spicy flavors, with a pleasant coffee finish.

 

 

I don't see a bottle date on this.

Appearance: It has a dark orange and brown colored body that is too opaque to see through yet it allows enough light through to change the hues to a lighter shade of orange mixed with dark gold and amber. The color is nice but there isn't much of a head. It has this light off-white head with a bit of light brown in it and it is there and nearly instantly gone. No retention or lacing.

Aroma: There is a strong coffee aroma. Even sitting away from the desk I am at there is a strong earthy coffee bean scent. That is all I get from the beer.

Taste: It is a light flavored beer with a dominant coffee flavor. There is a touch of a acidity. A mild earthy flavor mingles in there but the coffee bean pushes through. At times I get a little bit of grain flavor but again the coffee really dominates the flavor. If there is a saison under this it is either hidden well or buried entirely. I was curious to see what kind of interesting beer a coffee saison would make but unfortunately all I am really picking up here is coffee.

Mouthfeel: It has a great mouthfeel. It is smooth and easy to drink with just a very light touch of acidity. Aside from the strong coffee flavor and aroma I would say that the drinkability of this beer is its strongest suit. Even at 7% ABV it drinks like a much lighter beer with a lower ABV. It is also a very refreshing beer. Much like the label depicts I could see this beer being enjoyed on a beach somewhere watching the waves crash in.

Overall: Nothing really came out of the beer that said "I am a saison." Maybe it is in there somewhere and I am not noticing it but it might as well be a headless murky coffee amber ale. Basically what you are getting here is a coffee beer without anything extra. If that is what you want then this will scratch the coffee itch but it isn't likely to amaze anyone at first sip. As the drinking experience goes on, coating the palate, warming up, it very slowly starts to take on a bit more character but never really breaks out of its coffee coated shell. I doubt I would get it again because there are better coffee beers and better saisons. It wouldn't be hard to beat this on either side of the fence. Don't get me wrong; overall the beer still delivered a decent drinking experience and it was enjoyable. If somebody handed me one I would gladly take it and enjoy it but I am unlikely to buy it again for myself or as a gift for somebody else.

Poured a copper body with minimal head and no lace. Spicy, dry, roasted coffee beans dominate the aroma and I don't get much else in terms of aromatic notes. The coffee is dry but not roasted over heavy and actually is balanced, much more than aroma, with a sweet malt aspect and beer has a rather heavy/thick body for a saison. Not sure I'd consider this a saison or "coffee saison" at all but the coffee notes are pleasant with a touch of flavor (not just dry/roasted and bland) with some caramel/toffee malt sweetness and enjoyable beer to relax with.