Zaison
Brewery Vivant

 

16oz can

Pours a finger of white head into my snifter. Retention is poor and the head fizzes away within a minute. Initial lacing looks ok. Body is a cloudy yellowish orange. Looks pretty meh so far.

Some sulfur on the nose, significant citrus, wheat. Not much in the way of fruity esters or spice. Smells more like a Witbier than a Saison. I don’t hate this but I certainly don’t love it; the citrus is nice.

Flavor is definitely better, there is a lot going on here. Big citrus hits up front, wheat, faint sulfur, finishes with a touch of spicy esters. Alcohol is very present, but not offensive and there isn’t any burn.

Mouthfeel is huge. Carbonation is very high. The body starts off light but quickly fills the palate with a heavy presence. Not extremely sweet, but the sugars do hit pretty hard in the finish and are hard to ignore entirely. Bitterness is decent, combined with the alcohol there is a significant bite. A little in your face, but I dig it, very cool mouthfeel.

Drinkability isn’t wonderful, it’s definitely a semi-slow drinker, but it’s still an enjoyable beer.

Appearance turned out poor, zero lacing to accompany the nonexistent head.

Overall this is a nice beer, I’ll always appreciate an attempt to make an imperial Saison. That said, this doesn’t have all the great qualities a killer Saison would have. Perhaps those qualities were never here in the first place, or perhaps they are slightly dwarfed by the adjunct spices, who knows.

16oz can PACKAGED ON 08/02/21 (5 weeks ago) poured into a becher glass at fridge temp 9.5% ABV. The beer pours hazy peach colored amber with off white head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring with no residual head or lacing. The aroma is mild with orange peel, light black pepper and a little spicy yeasty note. The taste is semisweet pale malt with the orange peel and black pepper showing up immediately. Further sipping brings out a touch of clovey yeast and mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. The ABV is well hidden. Overall, very good imperial saison. I like the sweet and spicy interplay.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 16oz. can into a New Belgium glass. Nice looking golden orange beer with quickly retreating white head. Smell is glorious. Stone fruit, some peppery spice, funk, booze, and maybe a touch of orange peel. This would be great with brunch. Taste follows suit. This is a very drinkable Saison for the ABV. I would definitely have this again.

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 6/14/2017. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy medium golden/yellow color with a 1 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, citrus peel, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, biscuit, white bread dough, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, light funk, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, spices, and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, citrus peel, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, biscuit, white bread dough, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, light funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast spiciness, light citrus peel bitterness, and slight tart/tangy wheat/yeast on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, citrus peel, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, biscuit, white bread dough, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, light funk, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, spices, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth and creamy/bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with a mildly increasing warmth of 9.3% after the finish. Overall this is a delicious imperial saison. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, spices, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the big ABV. Great rustic feeling yeast character complexity, with balanced spices and malt sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and great style example.

 

 

Not getting orange or peppercorn, but I do enjoy this as a straight up Saison which is a tad hotter than the run of the mill of the style. Even with that, it's no stingingly hot beer either. I'd rate it higher if it lived up to the label, but it doesn't.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like many of Vivant's experiments. Spicing is beyond pleasant, but I would have this again.
But judging by the reviews, Zaison is not for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Clear, light copper with very little head, little retention. Slightly above average.

S: Citrus notes, strong spices, but nothing really sticks out. A good saison nose, but not memorable.

T: Coriander, lemongrass, malts, strong booze, and a spicy zest.

M: excellent medium body and very fresh.

 

 

 

 

 

Undated 16 oz can at 45 degrees into a Brewery Vivant snifter
$ 4.09/16 oz can at the Lager Mill
Aroma of pepper (slight)
Head fizzy, completely gone seconds after pouring, leaving neither head nor lacing nor ring
Lacing – none
Body light orange, chill haze, effervescent
Flavor – slightly sweet, some taste of pepper but only a slight bite, no hint of the orange peel, some estery spiciness present; no particular yeast phenolic taste or aroma, no malt, no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl. The blend is oddly pleasing and not the typical saison.
Palate light to medium, very thin syrupy texture, lively carbonation

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 4.5, Palate 4, Overall 4

 

Coors Ice with a touch of Brett.

 

9% saison? Huh? Poured pale and minimally carbonated (with some lemon yellow highlights in the light). Bright fruity esters on the nose, mild peppery note. Overall a light, airy nose that came off as extremely clean. Big peach/apricot type sweetness up front leading into the spiciness of the yeast towards the aftertaste. Came together particularly well as the glass warmed. Spot on mouthfeel. Don't know how to explain it... but this managed to feel Imperial and substantial while still maintaining the prickly and ephemeral notes of the style. Another tasty Brewery Vivant beer... can't wait for these to continue getting better and better.