Heralded Nocturnes Fall Harvest Project: Harvest Apple Saison
Paradox Beer Company

 

 

 

 

Thanks to drumrboy22 for the bottle. This one looks interesting. Bottle 545 of 1350. Says 100912 on the side, which I interpret as bottle date of 9 October 2012.

Popped the swingtop and found a little brownish sludge just inside. Not sure what that is. But it pours really nice, dark for a saison, the color of unfiltered apple cider, and nearly as cloudy. A soft lightly reddish brown. Two big fingers of light tan head with a faint orange hue. Good retention, nice lacing. Solid.

Smell jumps with apple and sweet white wine. It's somewhere between an apple riesling and a relatively sweet alcoholic cider. Very vinous, and loads of crisp apple pulp. Saison comes through as a lightly funky yeast punch, breaking through the front-end lightness. Very different, and intriguing.

Taste is similarly distinctive. It has a more potent white wine character here, still sweet rather than dry (which makes me happy). But it's powerfully grapy and mildly astringent. The apples are weaker, as is the saison presence, which I'm struggling a little to find in here. I think it blends so smoothly with the wine that it almost disappears. Finishes dry, like chardonnay almost. For me, this is interesting, but a little heavy on the wine barrels.

Mouthfeel is splending. Surprisingly light, with fluffy carbonation that dances in my mouth like light sponge cake or meringue. Lasting finish, with that dryness kicking in late.

A really unique beer. I've had a few beers that were aged in white wine barrels, but none with the additional complexity of fruit. I like the way all the pieces mix, though I think the saison gets a bit lost in the shuffle. The whole is quite good, though I don't know if I'd call it a saison if it weren't labeled as such.

Reviewed from notes dated November 18, 2012.

From a 750 ml bottle into a tulip.

A-The brew produced a two-finger dirty-white head that faded pretty quickly. The beer was quite murky with some visible carbonation. The color was interesting...sort of a blood orange or ruby red grapefruit hue.

S-I definitely smelled apples, but also some green grapes, a slightly medicinal alcohol, and a touch of funky banana/clove yeast.

T-The taste tracks the smell with red and green apples up front followed by overripe banana and clove on the followthrough. Alcohol is well integrated. The whole package is quite sweet.

M-The brew is lighter in body with a solid hit of carbonation that tries to (but does not completely succeed) mitigate the sweetness.

O-This was my first beer from Paradox and I think I'll try more in the future because, as far as fruit-forward beers go, this one wasn't bad. I would take this beer all day over Ephemere, for example. Nevertheless, it was a bitt too sweet and the flavor profile was too simple to stand up against a really good saison.

 

Bottle 229 of 1350

Well, the brewer's web site said right up front that this beer is "effervescent - open gently". Pretty sudsy on initial opening and pour (at least it's not a gusher like some beers).

Initial appearance is a turbid orange-copper body with a thick, sticky, fluffy head. Tart, ripe apple scent with other fruit and sour components; gentle phenolic action; soft sour funk; hints of orange and lemon. Nice mix of malt sweetness, slightly toasty, and light, green apple sourness all followed with a healthy bitterness. Light bodied, clean, crisp, dry finish.

Just when you think a beer may be so-so, you let it course through your pie-hole a few times and - surprise, surprise! - you find a lot to like about it. That's this beer. Initially it seems kind of funky and disjointed, but after a few sips its depth and complexity reel you in and you find yourself rather impressed. Smooth and balanced nicely between soft malt undertones and saison fruitiness, this beer needs to be tracked down and tried while still available.