Sandbar Saison
Northbound Brewpub

Notes from July, 2014:
Appearance: straw yellow color, slim white head. A little clouded.

Aroma: Saison yeast funk greets the nose immediately. Little bit tart, little sweet, little spicy.

Taste: Light/medium bodied. Citrus and spice flavors. Belgian yeast flavors grace the whole affair, and it exits the palate with a dryness. Clean and crisp and refreshing. All the hallmarks of a true saison are here. I like it a lot. It's good saison and you can drink it.

i tend to prefer my saison a little more rustic and raw on the grain side, or farmy and funky on the yeast side, these clean belgian/french ferments with clear looks and white wheat and pils malt bases and similar estery yeast profiles never really turn me on, even when they are done really well, as this one is. the quality is there, but this to me is almost more of a belgian golden, sure its yeast driven, but its white wine and pear esters, its got some green apple and some clove spice, ripe banana and apricot, minerals and brightness, its all there, but its lacking something interesting. the grain is almost sterile, efficiently mashed and fermented dry and all, but its devoid of character other than freshness, and as well executed as this is (which is to say approaching extremely well), the beer ends up samey and overly american to me, and not because its hoppy or anything. this is done with a yeast they obviously understand and trust, and its clearly an effective fermenter, but want my saison to have a little more grit and nuance. this is all personal preference and not a bash on the beer, this is real well made and the carbonation and lightness of body are wonderful too. just more of a drinker than a beer that inspires contemplation or scenes of the old world...

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Re-review 7/22/18, original score 3.5)

Look: mostly clear, copper, small head. Aroma: barnyard, hay, old leather, lemon grass, sweet orange peel. Taste: lighter than the aroma. There are still some farm things happening, but without the citrusy things from the aroma. Mouthfeel: Light bodied, moderate carbonation, somewhat watery texture. Comments: it's not that this beer is bad. It just doesn't do what I want a saison to do. It's a very broad style though, and this one could work for others.