Saison
Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal

Hazy golden yellow colour. White head, made up of fine, medium-sized bubbles, which dissipates fairly quickly.
Sweet malty aroma
with notes of coriander, earthiness, cellar, grain and a slight funky note. The aroma appears to be moderately strong.
The flavour is malty sweetness slightly counterbalanced by hoppy, spicy bitterness.
Medium carbonation. Medium to full body. The texture of the liquid is smooth, slippery and soft. Medium-long sweet and dry aftertaste

 

Interesting saison. Aroma is all Belgian yeast, no funkiness. But the taste has a lot of tart and slight sourness going on unexpectedly after the aroma doesn’t lead to this flavor profile. But this is what I like in my saisons so it was a very pleasant surprise. Highly enjoyed.

May 2020: 330 ml bottle, from Être Gourmet, Belgium. ABV is 5.5%. Nearly clear straw colour, small white head. Sweetish aroma of stale jam and yeast. Citric mouthfeel. Moderately sour and acidic flavour, notes of lemons. Clearly past its prime.

 

 

a: murky burnt copper color with a hint of orange and yellow. 1 finger fizzy white head that fades quick. head is a bit too small for a Saison

s: super funky and tart on the nose. barnyard funk, lemons, grass, lemongrass, green apples, pears, pepper, coriander. candied lemons, band aids, and a bunch of malts. a touch of vinegar

t: tart lemons, hay, and lemongrass. green apple skin and pears. white wine grapes, oak, coriander, cardamom. pepper and Belgian yeast as a backbone

m: medium moutheel with high carbonation

o: quite a complex Saison. it's more tart than many others I've had in the style, however it does have some nice funk in here to balance it out. at 5.5% it sits in the ABV range I expect from a Saison, and it drinks quite easily

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a pale golden amber with a fizzy half finger head that dissipates quickly to patches with no lacing. Aroma of light grainy malt, white wine grapes, lemon, a little breadiness and vinegar. Flavor is tart, light grainy malt, lemon, orange, wild yeast, candied fruit. Finishes tart and citric. Medium bodied with sharp carbonation. A classic example of the tart, wild yeast style of saison. These are too sour and acidic for my palate, so it's tough for me to review them. This has good tart citrus and light farmhouse grain malt and seems well within the parameters of a well made tart saison. For me, this tart style, which is common in domestic saison/farmhouse ales and the more grainy malt, earthy, bretty ones, which I really like, are like day and night. It must be factor of differing tastes, but these are as different as an IPA and a Belgian pale ale in flavor to me and I'm baffled why most people consider them as one category. I'm a big Hof Ten Dormaal fan, but I should have checked reviews first before getting this. Reviewed to style as far as I can compare.

A: unremarkable, weak head, hazy, golden body
S: incredibly funk heavy nose, smells immediately like a gueuze, less sweet pineapple and peach, subtle (very) subtle cheesiness to nose
T: incredibly tart rite off the bat, with a subtle malt presence, there is definitely an emphasis here on the tart, funky and bretty characteristics, there is a dry and wheaty note here as well. I get lemon, some peach and orange and of course some pineapple. some white pepper as well on second thought. there's a hint of spice here too but I couldn't really say what
M: very dry
O: this is a very good beer but I wish I knew that it was going to be more of a "farmhouse ale" like fantome and less of a "saison" I love funk and I love funky beers but I hate it in a saison, this is good but I wish that the labeling had been a bit more telling, nevertheless if you like a funky "farmhouse" ale, this is a solid offering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoyed from the 750 ml bottle. This nice saison pours a light clear golden color with a moderate head of white foam that dissipates to a thick ring, light pool, and spotty lacing. Nose of lemon zest, white pepper, crackers, white pepper, and some earthy yeast goodness. Flavors follow the nose with lemon and cracker notes to the front and sides, coriander and earthy yeast settle on the middle and back, and finishes somewhat tart and refreshing. Good carbonation makes for a lively mouth feel and thus a perfect saison. Excellent for the style.

Cheers