Vidal Saison
Royal Oak Brewery

 

 

 

Appearance: a deeper shade of yellow, quite hazy with a white head that sticks around a bit

Smell: fruity, along with some belgian yeastiness and wheat

Taste: sweet fruits open up to spicy wheat and yeasty flavors. pretty pleasant taste

Mouthfeel: a stronger funkiness that lingers in your mouth. could be a bit more refreshing

Overall: a well crafted, tweak or two away from being a great beer

This beer was served from the tap at Royal Oak Brewery in Royal Oak, Michigan. It arrived in a generic pint glass, glowing a dark golden wheat coloring. It held a half finger tall head of creamy, soapy white bubbles, showing okay retention. Flecks of lacing were left here and there. Thick haze was noted, without sediment. Carbonation appeared to be light. The aroma gave a wet and wheaty malt base, with spice of coriander, ginger, cinnamon, white flour, and bittered musk and dust. To balance were lighter lemony hops, metallics, spicy orange rind, and sourdough breadiness. With warmth came a dried macaroni graininess. Our first impression was that, as in the nose, it tasted much like a Wit, but with a bigger Belgian malt base, and juicy, fruity sweetness. As we sipped, the flavoring opened with syrupy caramel and wheaty malts, red cherry, bright strawberry leaf, light bubblegum esters, boozy bite, lemon rind, soft basement zing, and pear fruitiness. The middle came to a peak with saltiness, more fusel but sweeter booziness, root beer sugars, tobacco leafiness, pale malts, mineral, and continued sweet wheat and banana esters. The finish came with orange peel bitterness, dustiness, gravel, grapefruit hoppiness, dried straw, more coriander, cold honey, spinach, pencil eraser, and light chemical phenol coming to a quick mix, only to be washed through by massive wheatiness and raw barley. The aftertaste breathed of light black pepper, fusel booze, chalky yeastiness, raw wheat flour, gravel, dirty earthy hops, tobacco leafiness, light cheddar cheesiness, and faint plastics. The body was medium to full, and the carbonation was lighter. The mouth was left thickly coated with a syrupy liquid, with eventual pucker from the citric rind and booze, and the lightest chalky dryness. Each sip gave softer slurp, cream, froth, and smack. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its nose, especially with warmth. Fresh off the tap it smelled inseparable to the nose of a Wit, but as it sat, much more sourness and dirty breadiness began to take form. While it wasn’t as “farmhouse” as many are these days for the style, there was a certain degree of age and funk to it. That being said, the flavoring was much more sweet than sour, without as much mineral or soured yeastiness as you would hope for. As in the nose, however, the beer did open up much more to style, with light rustiness and zing. The latter was actually much more attributable to the bitter hoppy inclusions, rather than yeast or agedness. While tasty and refreshing, in the end this is an exciting beer for the brewery, and the flavors are certainly robust, but it did lack that overt barnyard punch that we’ve come to expect from the style.

A very good seasonal offering.

A- A medium-bodied yellow color, opaque, with about a finger of head and minimal lacing.

S- A fruity/citrus smell.

T- The best part, as it should be. Reminded me of a triple but without the alcohol burn; fruity but not too sweet. Very refreshing after a bike ride. No hop bitterness present.

M- Nearly perfect- not thin like water, but not too thick for the spring/summer months.

This is my favorite beer from this brewery so far, and I plan to get it again next time I'm in the area.