Flor Z
Mystic Brewery

an old one, bottle marked 2014, i love these guys, this has aged super well, so interesting and wild and different, i wonder what it was like fresh though, probably much more subtle. pale and fizzy from the bottle, this felt ready to be opened. a little haze, a straw color, and lots of head. the aroma is amazing, a little oxidation, iodine, and funk, its old and super rustic, mature, and with an attractive tartness. almost a mustiness, a wetness to it, dank in a non hoppy sense, really interesting. light phenols, white pepper, coriander, zested lemon, lacto but not just clean acidity, lots of funkiness and depth to it as well, complex to say the least! some brettiness too, fruity as can be in the flavor, white grape and lemon and lemongrass, tangy but not overly sour, i get some lambic maturity to it too, old like that, tastes blended, like wild beer and clean saison together, its really incredible stuff, bubbly and dry too but so interesting, these guys impress me every time. wildy funky and bacterial, lemon lime soda, it has aged really well. wow, just amazing beer!

This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a gentle hazy burnt yellow color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated nicely. Thin lacing starts and slides into the beer. The smell starts off with some sweet crisp lemony hops. Light sweet and sour grapes. Delicate vinous qualities. Subdued yeast, can’t tell if its Belgian or champagne, hmmm...I know Mystic tends to use their house yeast but somehow the aromatics of this one seems a bit combined - very nice. The taste leaned towards the sweeter lemon crisp hops than the Belgian or even champagne yeasty qualities. Wet sweet lemon aftertaste. Quick wet finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fantastic sessionable quality about it. Carbonation runs fairly light. Sweetness hits appropriately, nothing off or overly penetrating. Overall, a knockout of a saison by Mystic, perhaps one of my favorites even with the vinous quality surrounding it. Would be perfect with some black & bleu cheese encrusted steaks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

a sour saison. Drinkable although not superdrinkable. Josh's bottle. A bit of a lace.

 

No head pour, golden straw body. Nose of honey and apples. Taste is reminiscent of a sav blanc, very dry, lots of green apple. Overall a great saison and one to seek out.

 

750ml bottle.

Pours hazy light gold with a short-lived head of white. A few whisps on the surface for the duration with zero lacing.

Aromatics lead off with dusty biscuits drizzled with honey and faint cut grass. Clove-studded apples and dried pineapple skin.

Light bodied with a limpish mouthfeel. Lacking carbonation for the style.

Sweet apples and a wheaty twang start the palate. Hints of lemon and citrus. Zero malt and quite dry.

Finishes with a faint tartness and a grassy bitterness.

The low carbonation level doesn't help this beer be all it can be and beyond that the Saison character in general is pretty subdued.

 

A: The beer is clear golden yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high bright white head that died down, leaving some specks of bubbles on the surface and a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of lactobacillus are present in the nose along with some notes of floral yeast and hints of lemons.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has a slight amount of sourness from the lactobacillus along with faint bits of lemons and grainy malts. There is a moderate amount of carbonation.
M: It feels a bit shy of being light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. A slight amount of dryness is noticeable in the finish.
O: The lighter-bodied nature of this beer and subtle sourness could make for a good pairing with salad greens. It's an interesting take on a saison but still exhibits the easy to drink properties that you would normally expect from a beer in this style.

Note: Bottled on 12/11/2014

Serving type: bottle

Poured from a 750ml bottle (bottled 11Dec14) into a tulip.
LOOK: Pours with a finger and a half worth of white foam that dissipates into a quarter's worth after 25 seconds. Straw yellow in color with a high amount of cloudiness. Rising bubbles are very small and moderate. Lacing is thin and subtle.
SMELL: Has mild aromas of sour yeast that entangle with subtle wheat and hay and hints of cloves.
TASTE: Strong sour yeast flavors enter initially along with mild wheat. Subtle clove and banana flavors enter immediately after as initial flavors persist.
FEEL: Medium-bodied and over carbonated. Goes down rought due to carbonation. Finishes very crisp, I love it.
NOTE: Sourness was a great addition. I loved the Belgian-influenced cloves and bananas.