Super Saison
Oxbow Brewing Company

 

 

Can from Blending and Bottling in Portland. Pours a slightly cloudy light amber/orange gold with a finger of white head that dissipates to a ring; smell is funky brioche, spicy clove, candied ginger, candied malts, caramel, hints of banana esters; taste is candied malts, caramel, brioche, clove, candied ginger, hints of cinnamon and funky strawberry; feel is full bodied, medium carbonation, mild carbonic bite, slightly spicy. A malty, spicy, and dangerously drinkable delight.

Enormous soapy head with great retention, falling to about a quarter inch cap above the burnished gold liquid. Fairly turbid.

There's a bit of alcohol smell at first, but it doesn't persist. There's quite a bit going on. Fruit bread in a good way? Bready and yeasty, then some green apple, a little citrusy lemon and a bit of orange, a little hay, a tad bit of banana, all topped off with coriander and some clove. A very faint funk.

The taste flips the script a little. Definite bready and yeasty underpinnings, but the spice asserts itself pretty quickly and it is fairly strong. Once that calms down, the fruit kicks in. Banana stronger than the nose suggests, lemon/orange zest, slightly sweet pear, green apple - all nicely aromatic flavors not necessarily sensed on the tongue. The spice fades for a while as this plays out, but the bready bit carries through. When you think it's done playing, the coriander and clove emerge again and put a decent "sting" on the tongue. Weaving in with all this is an ever so light funk and a hay note and I get a woody taste suggesting oak...hmmm...all the Oxbow site offers is that it uses Maine grown ingredients and whole leaf hops, so not sure where that comes from.

It's fairly light bodied, and the alcohol is well hidden but there is a nice warmth going on. Carbonation is pretty lively, bitterness is barely a sensation. Not overly drying, but the spice does accumulate some, adding to the warm sensation.

It's fun and funky, well made with deep but restrained flavors, lots going on, seems very much Belgian- influenced, very smooth and drinkable for a high octane Farmhouse ale.

Poured from a can into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a hazed orange-amber color with a one finger head of off- white foam. The head has a decent retention, fading over time to leave a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is rich of a funky bready smell with some very light sour notes of green apple, lemon, and some apple cider vinegar. At the same time there are aromas of banana, hay, and wheat as well as some light yeasty smells, mixed with a decent showing of spice; mainly coriander and clove.
Taste- The taste starts out with a drier bready malt flavor that is matched with spice flavors of coriander and clove. Right from the start there are some yeasty and funky flavors mixed with some banana, peach, and some very light harvest fruits (pear and apple). While the nose is slightly sour, the taste is not at all, with very little to no sourness. As the taste moves forward on the tongue, it gains more and more wheat and grain, all while losing a little bit of the spice. A little bit of hay and grass come along for the ride and the funk gets slightly stronger. A touch of boozy alcohol and wood comes in at the very end, leaving one with a rather rich and warming taste.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is rather light to average for a 9.5 % brew with a carbonation level that is rather high. The feel is fantastic for the brew, giving a nice compromising media for the style and the higher than average abv.
Overall – A very well-crafted brew. Rich in flavor and rather smooth in drinking with a great overall enjoyability.

 

Because of their tendency to go Wild, I'm still taking my time to really like Oxbow. But with Super Saison, I'm getting to a good place with Oxbox much faster. And it's not just Super's well-concealed ABV. There is lots of genuine terroir going into Super Saison. It was flexible with tonight's range of leftovers that used both sweet mustard and BBQ sauces to cover-over not fresh food. Passing the leftovers test, I will review the beer in depth with I drink the second can just purchased from Beer Drop.

6/27/22. Had the second can it Looks pretty luscious with a rich foam that stays the length of the meal. Smells are fruity, but not exceptional. Tastes balance fruit and spices and neither interferes with yet another meal of leftovers. Driven mostly by a sophisticated yeast and, I'm guessing, sufficient wheat in the malt bill, Super sits soft, or so soft, in my mouth. I'm liking Oxbow's Super more and more... and I hope I find a 4-pack soon. Counting @ UnTappd.

 

Pours a hazy orange with a tall stiff head and a lot of lacing.

Smells of yeast and citrus.

Tastes of sweet bready malt, yeast, orange and spice with a wheat tanginess.

Medium body with light carbonation. Smooth lush mouthfeel.

This is a very drinkable, sneakily strong sipper.