Freestyle Series #1
Oxbow Brewing Company

I was lucky enough to try this at Lions Pride during a Maine Beer Week event, from notes that I just came across!

Murky, honey-colored, with a huge airy foam head. Tons of soapy lace clinging to the glassware. Grassy, yeasty, and earthy nose. Lots of hoppy bitterness lingers on the palate. Vegetable, onion, bready yeast and more bitters poured on top. Light bodied, and very soft and pure tasting. Lots of piney and citrusy bitterness settles in the back of the throat. Creamy mouthfeel w. low carbonation. I want more!

 

Another special saison discovered at The Lion’s Pride in Brunswick, Maine, this imperial version has a cloudy golden amber appearance with a big white froth on top and gobs of lacing. The aroma offers a classy but slightly pissy citrus hop sharpness. There’s also a very likeable skunky cereal base that makes for a pretty unique allure. The flavor says bready toffee and luxurious herbal/skunk cabbage and citrus hop beauty. Very nice. This brew has a medium-heavy body with a foamy feel. Carbonation is smooth yet plentiful. This has a very nicely balanced presentation as you get into it. The hop bite is bright on the roof of your mouth while the blend of flavors settles evenly on the tongue. This is really an impressive outcome for a newcomer brewery. Bravo!

To be clear, Oxbow does two Freestyle ales which will change with each batch. Basically they are both brewer's specials at this time. I happened to have the Imperial Farmhouse Ale at the 2011 Maine Brewers Festival.

A - Poured a beautiful light amber and hazy. Half a finger of cream head that left behind nice lacing.

S - Smelled of citrus, piney hops and yeast.

T - A wonderful explosion of grapefruit and funky yeast that finished with a bite.

M - Thick and creamy.

D - My favorite beer at the Brewers Festival. I would have had it more than once, but it was kicked the second time I got in line.

Enjoyed this at Lion's Pride while on a beerventure through Maine. Poured into a tulip.

A - Pours a light hazy gold/orange with a one finger creamy head that leaves good, thick side lacing.

S - Super fresh, bright hops. You can definately pick up the Chinook and Centennial, as well as the wet hopped Citra. There is some very light saison yeast/funk in there too.

T - This is where the departure from the norm is a bit too much for me. Its just TOO hoppy of a saison for my liking. The hops are delicious, as mentioned above, but they overpower and drown out what makes a saison a saison. This drinks like a delicious IPA, but not a saison.

M - Very creamy beer thanks to lower carb with big juicy hops.

O - Overall I did like this offering from Oxbow, I just felt this was too hoppy for a saison. It was still delicious and I would drink this again.

Growler thanks again to rudzud for bringing this back.

Pours a big creamy fluffy head, sticky lacing, super hazy orange peach color.

Nose great fresh hops, centennial, simcoe, fresh hops, light resin, light citrus and grapefruit, some spicy, touch of sweet malts, just a bit of a spoiled hop oil too which prevented this from 4.5.

Taste nice fresh hops but not heavy, grassy, floral, soft fresh hops, bitter spicy hops come through, light creamy malts, light rustic farmhouse like spicy yeast, bitter. Finish is bitter orange tangerine sweet sticky, bitter orange marmalade linger.

mouth of med bodied lighter carb, bit creamy, hint of warming booze.

Overall not bad, nice creamy malts, hops, decent overall, the booze is hidden fairly well, hops smack you around but are pretty good, the nose would have been higher if I didn't get that strange bad hop oil like aroma (like it was spoiled rotting oil or something), which is probably a product of wet-hopping.

Billed as an Imperial Saison with ample amounts of American Hops. Pours a bright and lightly hazed gold color with thick cap of dense white froth, good retention and spotty lacing. Scent is dominated by big bursts of fruity and juicy citrus, orange and tangerine, from the American hops, underneath lies a lightly musty grain profile with a touch of tanginess. Taste follows suit, very juicy and fruity, definitely not subtle, the backbone is musty and damp grains, tangy wheat and light bready yeast and a kiss of spice. Medium bodied, active carbonation, finishes dry. A great introduction to this brewer, has a very strong resemblance to a Belgian IPA at times but the musty, damp and earthy backbone brings it back to farmhouse ale territory.