Saison De Garde
Cascade Brewing / Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub

Week old growler poured into tulip.

A: Pours a burnt golden/light amber color with a large, dense and very soft and fuzzy looking off-white head that held great retention and took forever to slowly fade into a thick film. Sheets of fine lace were left down the glass.
S: Very fruity and spicy overall. I get huge notes of fruity esters and phenols, banana, cantaloupe, bubblegum and tons of peppery, earthy, yeast. There is a good dose of clove, sweet candied sugar, brown sugar, and spice rack as well.
T: Follows the nose with sweet and spicy flavors of clove, pepper, banana, and sweet sugars. There are notes of fruit and bubblegum, and the finish is earthy, with a hint of grainy and crackery wheat and very very mild band-aid. The aftertaste is full of pepper, all-spice, clove and cantaloupe. There is a slight minerally quality to the beer as well.
M: Rich flavors and a medium-full body create a potent and fairly thick saision. The carbonation is soft and smooth, and adds a nice chew to the body. Drinks well, albeit a bit heavy.
O: Cascade isn’t reinventing the saison, but there are also really no flaws with this beer. Pretty archetype to the style, and very easy to drink.

 

 

 

A bit on the sweet side, but with plenty of saison flavor as well. There seemed to be a hint of clove, ranier chery, banana and underlying spice, along with ocnsiderable honey. As is typical with Cascade, I was shocked to see the 8.3% abv. The drinks like a beer with a lot less alcohol.

Maybe not outstanding, but I thought this another tasty, well made effort from Cascade.