Turnhoutse Saison
Brouwerij Het Nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is hazy golden yellow in color and has a high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high bright white head that took a long time to die down and left a pillow of bubbles on the surface in the center, a collar around the edge, and a thin head in between.
S: Moderately strong aromas of Belgian yeast are present in the nose.
T: The taste tarts out with flavors of Belgian yeast and has some hints of grainy malts and slight amounts of bananas. It finishes with strong notes of peppery spices that linger through the aftertaste.
M: It feels a little more than light-bodied and a bit dry on the palate with a high amount of carbonation, making it feel airy.
O: The light and airy mouthfeel of this beer makes it easy to drink and the peppery spices make it very refreshing.

 

 

A bright golden color with a touch of haze to the body, Turnhoutse grows a pure white head high but not tightly bubbled, though it stays together just fine and remains for the full session. There appears to be lots of carbonation. A modicum of lacing is left on the glass, mostly in spotting but with some patches as well.
The smell is good, but unusual to a point. There's a bit of earth/grass under some yeasty esters and a light touch of floral hops with just a little nip of spiciness. There's an odd, though not bad, sweetness to it that first reminds me of sweet white grapes after late harvest, such that it's very much a white grape note but without the tang or tartness.
The taste is a little unusual as well, with some herbal character and sweetness working in tandem along with an underlying grains presence. A bit of lemon zest is detectable, and just a slight hay note despite its being a Saison.
This beer is more heavily carbonated than I would have thought even with the look. The carbonation is a bit too much to bear with in anything more than a sip. True, there's more to it, but the mouth-filling carbonation overwhelms all.

 

 

33cl bottle: best before Mar 2014, poured into a Duvel glass at home on 2 Apr 2013.

The beer filled the Duvel glass with a huge pure white head and a dull, slightly hazy golden body which showed plenty of carbonisation bubbles rising through the brew.

Yeasty aroma, so typical of good quality Belgian beers, some grainy notes too.

Crisp and sharp, refreshing and tangy: this is a good beer, the flavours blend well and hide the alcohol nicely. Floral hops with modest maltiness and a shake of peppery spices all add up to an interesting and tasty beer. A delightful drink.