Saison Kau Wela
Ohana Brewing Company

 

 

this beer is fabulous, my first from ohana, a real pleasant surprise, and it has me keen to try more of their stuff. apparently kau wela means hawaiian summer, and this definitely has a light summery vibe to it. its a saison, not a flanders out bruin as listed here, not sure how that happened. anyway, the beer is sensational, only a little cloudy with a tall white lasting head with pretty spiderweb lace is it sips down. it smells awesome too, really original for the style, its much less about the yeast here i think. its either dry hopped heavily with a unique varietal to me, or this yeast really is something special. i get notes of cantaloupe, canned mandarin oranges, vanilla saltwater taffy, and lemongrass. its vibrant and summery and very distinct. the flavor is just like the nose, really memorable, nothing like this at all out there. all this fruitiness really does mix well, and wherever this vanilla thread is coming from, it really works. maybe a touch of citric tartness to it, and a little rustic funk, but this is cleaner than that, brighter, more alive, more belgian, its just amazing. carbonated to the moon, and dry as a bone. one of my favorite examples of the style ive had this year, absolutely fantastic saison.