Seizoen
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales

Pours a straw color gold. Sunshine and shining as if you had put the sun in the glass. Fat head of sticky white foam that leaves lace. Nose is lovely. Lemon grass, lemon peel, stone fruit like mango, a bit of yeasty funk but not too much and a woody airy lightness. There is honey on this nose and it smells like when the honey turns solid int he jar. Sugary but still full. Floral like flower petals. sweet and not bitter. Taste is lovely. It has the underpinnings of sour on an explosion of fruit. Stone fruit, apple, pear, lemon. Tart but mysteriously so. Lightly woody yeast like sweet fresh air. If you had stepped outside your door to a meadow that took up your entire field of vision ti would smell like this beer. Drinks with champagne dryness, a perfect light and ticklish carbonation, a soft malt with bread, cracker and honey. A fruitiness that is endless and a bit of sweet grass to finish this one dry and with room for plenty of hearty food. The floral on this one is brilliant and so is the tartness that brings you to the edge of your palate and then backs off so that you stay satisfied and not regretful.

This beer will grace your table with a not so subtle perfection. Why should it be modest? Grilled meats? Fried chicken? Meat and cheese platter? crusty bread and greens? The honey in this one is inescapable. It teeters decadently between soft bread and crisp cracker but it has honey and it stimulates the senses. Finishes dry and with a residual taste of honey and that light soft malt. Just damn pretty is what it is. It is more than the sum of it's parts. It evolves in the glass to be a welcome bit of joy in a world that goes on way too long like this review.

Copenhagen 16/12 29018. 37,5 cl bottle from Mikkellers Webshop. The usual idyllic Mountain landscape on the label.

Pours hazy pale yellow with big white head. Bubbly. Settles as thin layer of foam covering the surface of the beer and crawling up the sides of the glass. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is sharp, citric and sour. Very tart and unripe berries. Citrus in abundance. Acidic and acerbic.

Medium carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, prickly texture. A little sticky.

Flavor is lightly sweet followed by strong sourness. Aftertaste is sour with a little sugary undercurrent. Lingers for a bit.

Not much of the pepper spiciness I often meet in a Saison. But they surely knows their sour stuff.

750ml bottle at share. Golden pour, mild haze, frothy white short-lived head. Savory aroma, grassy, white pepper, lemons. Taste brings te funk with mld tartness, lemon grass, savory spice. Nice.

 

On tap:
Lightly hazed dull golden body with a fluffy head that falls unevenly. Nose is orchard estery with a bit of paper and hay/grass. The pear juice might fit into the esters, at least I can’t differentiate it as pear juice from some saisons I’ve had. That said, it paired with the farmhouse base gives a slight musty impression.

Minuscule carbonation provides a slightly electric buzz across the palate. Flakey cracker gets a sprinkling of grass and a little pepper (both bell and black). A fairly dry ending to this that results from a seeming struggle for the pear juice to bring itself to the party with much distinction.

This one starts nicely, but trips up a little with closer inspection. It doesn’t fall down, though.

This is slightly more pilsner-y than other Saisons I've had. Hazy appearance, not much head, and plenty of that classic Belgian funkyish malt complexity. If you're tempted to judge beers by the can art, I'd say the art describes it quite accurately. Great for late afternoon picnics and watching sunsets in springtime in the mountains.

Small sample from bottle, at a 4th of July tasting. Gusher bottle, like every beer I’ve had from Logsdon. The remaining contents were nice though - a decent saison, with mild spicy notes in both aroma and flavour. Might well sample again.

Batch No. 516. Bottled 3/26/18; drank 2/17/22 @ the Yarchives.

Cloudy dull orange/yellow appearance.

A slow pour yielded a nice white head; decent lace.

White grape, soft wheat & faint tart strawberry notes in the nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

White grape & faint clove flavors up front; tart strawberry & mild sea salt notes on the finish.

Fruity, tart & refreshing. This has aged nicely; love to try one fresh!

(375 ml crown-capped bottle, re-barcoded 7/7/2021, bottle no 13483, best by: 02/2019; purchased single off shelf at Total Wine last week... decanted into a fat tulip)

L: fluffy scruff of sediment in bottom of bottle... clear, amber liquid, slight sediment haze; foam starts to sizzle away on pouring, but briefly stabilizes, making for a fleeting attraction... messy, broken cap maintains; even laces a broad splotch or two

S: signs of oxidation/staling; baked apple, dried fruit, musty yeast; rounded caramel tone, accented with subtle musty spice... signs? no it's badly oxidized

T: yep, dull malty foundation; thin caramel, peppery spice, old hay in the aftertaste... stale, old beer... unfortunately, a pleasant holiday spiced cookie note is trying to poke through, but the papery static it's fighting is too much

F: light-bodied (thin), dry, with an enlivening peppery prickle and tonic glow lingering

O: 8.49 a bit steep, but I bought it initially thinking it was the Bretta, then realizing it wasn't, but then hoping it had gotten funky in a good way... hopefully I'll be willing to revisit this closer to its origin; I'm afraid any Logsdon I seen out this way were the same bottles I've seen over the past 5 years (1826)

BB 4/18.

Bit of a gusher. Burnt golden orange color. Lace.

Nice farmhouse. A bit of Brett and funk show. Wheat and citrus. Some white grape notes. A bit of crushed black pepper. Brett like finish. Solid.

Bottled 3/18, consumed 3/20.
Pale gold with ample foam, some drippy lacing.
Aroma is yeast forward and vinously fruity, doughy, light oxidation.
Lightly sweet and doughy, light fruit acidity, minimal hop bitterness.
Medium bodied with ample carbonation, vinous dry finish.
Overall it’s ok, starting to show it’s age after 2 years. Bretta is better.

 

Only my 3rd from Logsdon, I'm starting to appreciate their respect for the Belgian tradition and their American innovation.
Seizoen Looks close to average for an excellent brewer. Show me more swirling protein, and I'll increase my rating.
Smells are subtle, tree fruit (let's say pear) and some mild yeast-driven tart.
Tastes balance the aromas with a mild hop finish that makes a nice semi-dry; letting the fruit in for a few seconds at a time.
Soft in the mouth, yet enough tart and bubbles to clean the palate for food. Paired nicely with a basil pesto.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a nice 355 mL bottle, kept in refrigerator for some time to leave sediment behind. I've long been a fan of the Seizoen Bretta, this is the first time I've tried the non-bretted version.

This is a pretty opaque, yet radiant beer. Colour is a golden yellow, plenty of fine white bubbles to produce a persistent head. Ample lacing around glass. I'd guess a generous amount of wheat, oats, or spelt was used in the grist.

Aroma is spicy, very earthy with a slight hint of coriander. Flavour is bright -- strong citrusy character, a slight lemony/sour twang, more coriander, and a crisp bitter finish. Refreshing, though not quite as much as the Bretta. A faint phenolic aftertaste, not terribly unpleasant but I think the beer would be better without this in the finish.

Mouthfeel is buoyant, lots of carbonation. This would pair excellently with cheeses and grilled meat.

Relative to Bretta, I'd say this might be hazier (it's been a year, so going on memory), has a lingering malty sweetness that Bretta does not have, and the coriander I perceive here doesn't seem as noticeable in the funkier version. Both have the very noticeable lemony sour character, but it's less intense in this one. I'm curious if this is due to a combo of lemon peel and a healthy proportion of acidulated malt.

Overall, an excellent American saison which is drinkable and authentic. Worth a try, though I think the Seizoen Bretta is a bit more interesting.