Catalyst
Oxbow Brewing Company

 

L: Poured from a 22oz bomber into a sniffer - Dark golden pour which almost looks like a hazy IPA pour. Huge head risen - approximately 2-3 fingers length. Quickly dissolves back into liquid form.
S: Getting sour lemon/ citric aromas with some wheat in there as well. Getting some earthy aromas too.
T: Wow - The beer starts sour but quickly dissolves into sweet malt flavors resembling the honey as notes on this with a lemon citric flavor. Back end reminds me of filtered orange juice with slightly more acidity then normal.
F: Not to acidic compared to most sour ales - easy to drink, medium carbonation.
O: I haven't tried many sour ales but man this one hits the number one spot among the others I tried. The thing that separates this among the others is the balance in the sour followed by the sweet and many flavors among this. Worth a try for sure!

A - Pours a clear gold with a large fizzy white head. The head fades extremely fast leaving some light clingy lacing.

S - Aroma is lemon, green apple and light barnyard funk.

T - The taste is white grape, green apple, lemon, yogurt and a good punch of lactic funk.

M - Medium body with low carbonation. Chewy mouthfeel with still dry finish.

O - Really nice Saison. 8.5% abv is nowhere to be found.

Gushes an orangeish hue with white head. I mean pours, but also gushes. Lemon and honey on the nose. Some nice appley funk as well. It's lemony upfront but gives way to some apple cider pulpiness. Not particularly acidic. Really pleasant drinker after the initial volcanic eruption of beer everywhere.

 

Bottled July, 2016. Drank Feb, 2021 out of a tulip. 6.5% ABV. Wonderful beer.

Look - poured a nice clear gold color with a half inch of white head that settled out leaving a nice island of head in the center and lots around the edges of the glass as well as a couple dots lacing.

Smell - a little Brett, a little lemon.

Taste - not too tart, not too acidic. Nicely lemony and back end quenching.

Feel - light mouth feel.

Overall - a nice light saison, really enjoyed this.

 

Notes of sour apricot, peach, orange marmalade, bready crackery malt, floral honey, oak barrel, hay, straw, barnyard farmhouse funk, some spice, finishing dry with earthy grassy floral hops

A nice tart mixed ferm ale. Honey and peaches on the nose, tart/acidic flavor dominated with some softer honey sweetness a shadow in the back.
Little to no head and murky orangish amber color
Mouthfeel is fine.
Overall a very nice beer, a bit one note on the flavor for me but certainly would drink again and would happily try other offerings from the brewer

 

 

Bottle pour @ Glorietta Baldy.

Stemmed wine glass, the glow of Star Trek pinball, a random mix of 70s funk from the speakers, it works.

Opaque, my favorite word from 2015. Obvious honey-colored brew. Wish-washy, faltering head.

Smell is herbal, wildflower, pre-ferment honey botanicals. Maybe a little back sweetened for the bottle? Doesn't matter, it's a plus. Big lime & a scratchy mineral note.

Taste is bold with lime, honey & tannins, like cold, medicinal tea. Scratchy, barely there malt. This is my flavor. Something like fermented orange juice, but cleaner, this adds a bigger citrus note. It all amounts to a solid twang that calls in for everyone to dive in.

Not quite thick, very well carbonated bottle pour. ABV is almost irrelevant.

Love this.

 

 

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy honey color with a one finger head that fades to a collar; splashy lacing

Smell: Acetic lemon aromatics, with barnyard funk, oak and a hint of honey

Taste: Acetic lemony sour flavors forward, with just a hint of honey underneath; oak and barnyard funk in the middle and a tart, puckery finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I thought the flavors here were harsh and angular - not to my taste

Great dank farmhouse beer containing Maine sourced honey. Pours straw colored with white head. Very drinkable. Another fine beer from Oxbow brewery...

 

 

 

an awesome beer here, featuring this honey really well. there must be some batch variance on abv, which is not uncommon with ales so reliant on honey, our bottle said 8.5% abv i believe, quite a bit stronger than it is listed as being here. every single time i have a new beer from these guys, i am impressed, they do such a good job with everything, and it always seems to start with the fermentation profile, which here is funky and only a little tangy, not real acidic at all, and with a lot of wood as well, gives it a rounded richness and layers of interest even before the honey becomes part of the mix. a little darker in shade than i anticipated, very active in carbonation, and with an awesome nose of sweet floral honey, rich dense oak, and mature bretty funk. the honey really is awesome in the flavor, and most interestingly, its not by itself in here, there is a little more malt depth than i anticipated here, which the honey sort of latches on to, and the two of them take me for a ride. rustic and bready, baked and sweet, but also floral and citrusy, delicate in an unexpected way for its size and complexity of flavor, the honey stands out as unique, but i appreciate its partner in the malt here. neat tartness, not acidic enough to break down the significant body this has, and really fascinating beer all up, sturdy and woody, rich and honey forward, still wild and perplexing. they nailed this! great showcase of the honey too!

The beer poured a slightly hazy, light golden honey color with a huge foamy head. The head settled to a decent ring around the edge with a raft in the middle. Pleasing to the eye.

The smell was wheaty, a decent level of barnyard funk, lemony sweetness and a fairly floral honey.

The taste opens with a modest level of sourness that is immediately balanced by sweetness from the honey. Lemony notes ride on top of the taste, with a nice level of funkiness and a moderate hit of spice notes - a little peppery. As it warms up, these flavors just open up. The honey is not a distraction - it is nicely melded into the overall flavor and does not stand out. You can pick up a bit of sweetness and some floral notes which I assume come with the local wildflower honey used.

The feel was a little bit on the thin side. I'd say it is a little less than medium bodied, definitely not "heavy". Amply carbonated, slight acidic and drying on the finish.

Overall, a great tasting and easy drinking beer if a bit on the pricey side. It is not overly complicated, yet delivers a fulfilling flavor experience. Well done, recommended.

 

 

Look: Bright Clear yellow with medium white head. High spritzy carbonation.
Smell: Brett funk, hay, barnyard, peaches, and honey.
Taste: Brett funk, hay, barnyard, lemon, with a little honey to top it off.
Mouthfeel: Light easy drinking.
Overall: A good Saison from Oxbow,

 

 

 

Drank from a 1 pint .9 fl. oz (500ml) bottle purchased at Lois' Natural Marketplace, Portland, ME
Bottled on July, 2016
Served in a tulip

Gorgeous label with beautiful typeface, per usual. The beer itself poured a clear golden amber and was topped by an inch-tall crop of frothy, bright white foam that quickly dropped to a thick, lasting collar. Streaky lacing stuck along the glass.

The nose was amazingly funky and complex. My initially thought was that this beer smelled nearly identical to a Gueuze. Loads of Bretty tartness, damp earth and barnyard character. Really wheaty and hay-like. Lemon and lemon rind notes were also apparent. There was a powdery yeasty quality that stood out initially but mellowed as the beer sat. Good dose of oaky barrel too.

The flavor was nearly identical to the nose. Crackery malts were detectable up front before the sourness kicked in. Loads of tart wheatiness and lemon-like acidity. Subtle dry, powdery yeasty notes came through in the center. Hint of funk. More lemon, lemon rind and acidity on the back end and in the finish. Dry, okay barrel notes lingered after the swallow.

Really crisp, lively, sprightly mouthfeel. The liquid contained a larger bubbled, fairly aggressive effervescence. Almost Champagne-like. Medium bodied for the style. As the beer sat, the carbonation subsided and the liquid turned creamy and soft on the palate.

Catalyst reminded me a lot more of authentic Belgian Gueuze than any type of saison I have ever come across, and that certainly is not a bad thing. My bottle seemed to do very well with a year-plus of age, but I would also like to try a fresh bottle someday and see if the honey plays a greater role.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a pale yellow color and a cloudy consistency. There was an inch of creamy / fizzy, fairly long-lasting head. Not a whole lot of lacing, though.

S: A big, enticing aroma of light fruit, yeast, a musty, funky quality, honey, malt, and spices.

T: Tasted of a bit of Belgian-style yeast, some light fruit elements (grapefruit and lemon in particular), a good amount of the advertised honey, light malt notes, the typical saison funk, and spices (a bit of pepper). An incredibly vibrant, light, sweet flavor. Aggressive, but never obnoxious.

F: A highly carbonated beer with a mostly dry finish. Light- to medium-bodied.

O: This is an excellent American version of a saison. Very easy to drink.