Fresh Hop Saison
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales

 

 

Bought four from Tavour... really a repeat of my August purchase from Tavour of four Fortunate Suns, Logsdon's great saison for the summer table. Fresh Hop Saison is, well, more about the hops being fresh and less about how saisons are supposed to make the food better.

But, Fresh Hop stands well by itself. Refreshing and fresh; canned less than eight weeks ago. I've taken it to dinner for two courses and it passed the saison's muster both times. First was a very buttery squash and it cut through the butter's fat. The second course was the red pasta test. It passed.

Fresh Hop pours surprisingly clear with a big foamy head of large bubbles. The head goes quickly; but when I pour the rest of the can, I get the yeasty and unfiltered residue. Suddenly, we have a cloudy and flat looking saison which creates something of two personalities that stays with the beer. Smells are tree fruit and, then, a mix of grass and cooking herbs and, barely, a touch of peppa. In the Taste, Logsdon's aptitude for yeast becomes clear as all works together in balance. In the mouth, Fresh has sufficient bubbles to cleanse the palate.

However, Logsdon erred on the side of more yeast for this recipe. It really wasn't necessary. If they are worried about the outcome of changes in the recipe, maybe a higher quality yeast and less quantity. This is just an impression that I could change as I work through the three other cans.

12/9/20 Had a second can with another red sauce on pasta. No significant changes in the rating or review and am satisfied that I can keep count over at UnTappd. Besides, I've now had eight from Logsdon. I think I know their work good enough and will continue to explore these American masters in the Belgian tradition.

Clear, golden body; excellent carbonation; thick and creamy white head, slightly sculpted. Fresh grassy hop and malt aroma; earthy herbal quality. Mellow, earthy flavors with a fine herbal quality; subtle saison funk; basil and thyme; muted cereal grain creates the foundation for the hops and yeast; excellent, tamed hop bitterness emerges towards the finish; a bit of mint and anise also make a presence. Medium body; soft and warm on the palate; mild sweetness offsets an otherwise muted dryness.

Logsdon did an excellent job with this beer. It brings a rustic, robust grain and grass-like flavor to the beer while the yeast appears to have nicely provided the catalyst to make it all work. My kind of fresh hop beer...

16 oz. can. Pours clear golden with some white bubbles and then no head. Smells of leafy centennial. Grapefruit, deep grassy and pine notes, and strong yeast aromas. Tastes, again, of leafy, dank, herbal, and citrusy centennial. Quite intense. Earthy, almost plasticky, yeast flavors behind it with a long yeasty bitterness. Medium body. This is an intense beer. I like it, but it's a bit over the top on the hop profile.

This one pours a slightly hazy straw yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells earthy, with pear, stone fruit, herbal funk, spicy hops, grapefruit, pepper, and forest floor.

This is a big earthy thing at heart, as the fresh hops meld with the funk to create this dirty (in a good way) and foresty type flavor, with more typical clove/white pepper/stone fruit type funk characteristics that you get from this brewery.

This is light bodied, and clean enough, with a slight lingering bitterness on the back end. It's pretty drinkable stuff.

This is very intriguing and well done. I love fresh hop beers this time of year.

A: The beer is a little hazy light yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of floral and citrusy hops are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell, except that the citrusy flavors are a bit stronger - lemons and limes seem to stand out in particular.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and faintly juicy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The use of oats in this Saison lightens up the body a bit, allowing it to really showcase the flavors of the Centennial hops.

Serving type: can

Can from Market of Choice.

A clear light orange with a dense white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is solid, with a spicy bubblegum, and mild, grassy citrus hops, a light straw and spicy clove, light phenols, and a touch of allspice. Light floral honey rounds out the nose. The palate opens with a blend of straw, honey and bubblegum, fruity and floral. The midpalate has a dry, grainy spice character, a blend of white pepper, clove and grains of paradise. While sweet, this is light in body and drying on the finish. Fruity bubblegum notes linger. Fresh hop character is basically nonexistent here. Still, this moderately carbonated saison is solid.