Souvenir: Brewer's Reserve Hoppy Saison
Brewery Vivant
- From:
- Brewery Vivant
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Saison
- ABV:
- 8.1%
- Score:
- +9 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.46 | pDev: 0%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 13, 2018
- Added:
- Jan 08, 2018
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
A big and hop forward saison for the colder months. Amarillo hops take the lead with supporting roles from Citra and Centennial. Rustic character rounds out this farmhouse ale.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by ichorNet from Massachusetts
3.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This is the first Vivant beer I've had since we got a small drop of their beer probably 3 or 4 years ago in the Boston area due to the brewery being involved in a nearby fest. I remember being really pumped to pick up their variety pack, but in all honesty, nothing in it was particularly impressive to me. So, when I saw them being fully-distributed in MA, I checked out the lineup of cans in my local Craft Beer Cellar to see mostly stuff I'd already had... except this one! This is called Souvenir and it's a hoppy saison clocking in at the rather-high ABV of 8.1%. BV's site says this utilizes Amarillo, Citra and Centennial hops.
The pour here is rather the definition of "great." Souvenir presents as a charming-looking, hazy farmhouse pale ale with some sunburst-orange highlights and a chalky, endearing head of solid white foam. Good legs, honestly, and very, very solid lace on this one. The haze is uniform, the color solid and the structure seemingly on-point. Can't say much more, but first impressions are strong here overall.
The nose is a little plain... not much going on. Faint whiffs of dried grass, hay, funk, light citrus and notes of black pepper. I'm not convinced, honestly. I'm not getting much in the way of the "hop-forward" element they were trying to push with the marketing here. Perhaps it's a bit old? I have no idea, because this can isn't dated! I'm really sick of breweries not visibly dating their beers... it's getting to the point where I'll pretty much give up on you unless I know the beer is fresh due to local-ness, and even then, an upgrade should probably be in the works for something to tell me when your beer was made.
On the tongue, I get a nice hit of rustic funk with a definite "strong saison" backbone to the malt and rich, boozy ABV but there just isn't much character to this one. The hops don't feel special or outstanding in any particular way and the beer itself doesn't really have a definitive beginning or endpoint on the tongue. It just tastes like a strong, pointless saison; very Americanized and without any intricate details regarding yeast or provenance.
Feel is pretty decent, as it were. I like the crisp and airy feel with the slight element of hefty ABV noted by the change to a semi-heavier palate toward the finish as some spices crop up and fade away with each swallow. However, I think I'll pass on Vivant in the near future... their initial impression a few year back wasn't anything special, and this new beer is quite disappointing, indeed.
Jan 13, 2018The pour here is rather the definition of "great." Souvenir presents as a charming-looking, hazy farmhouse pale ale with some sunburst-orange highlights and a chalky, endearing head of solid white foam. Good legs, honestly, and very, very solid lace on this one. The haze is uniform, the color solid and the structure seemingly on-point. Can't say much more, but first impressions are strong here overall.
The nose is a little plain... not much going on. Faint whiffs of dried grass, hay, funk, light citrus and notes of black pepper. I'm not convinced, honestly. I'm not getting much in the way of the "hop-forward" element they were trying to push with the marketing here. Perhaps it's a bit old? I have no idea, because this can isn't dated! I'm really sick of breweries not visibly dating their beers... it's getting to the point where I'll pretty much give up on you unless I know the beer is fresh due to local-ness, and even then, an upgrade should probably be in the works for something to tell me when your beer was made.
On the tongue, I get a nice hit of rustic funk with a definite "strong saison" backbone to the malt and rich, boozy ABV but there just isn't much character to this one. The hops don't feel special or outstanding in any particular way and the beer itself doesn't really have a definitive beginning or endpoint on the tongue. It just tastes like a strong, pointless saison; very Americanized and without any intricate details regarding yeast or provenance.
Feel is pretty decent, as it were. I like the crisp and airy feel with the slight element of hefty ABV noted by the change to a semi-heavier palate toward the finish as some spices crop up and fade away with each swallow. However, I think I'll pass on Vivant in the near future... their initial impression a few year back wasn't anything special, and this new beer is quite disappointing, indeed.
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