Hawaiian Shirt Day
Black Bottle Brewery

 

a tasty and refreshing glass of beer, very well hopped, but this is not the type of saison that excites me, more belgian estery than farmhouse funky or rustic, and it drinks more like a belgian pale or even a belgian ipa, but in that context is very good. its lightly orange in color, a little hazy but holding a really tall belgian looking white head on it, pretty brew, inviting and summery. the nose has slight mandarin orange to it, white pepper and white grape from the yeast, pear and apple too, and then a lot of hops, citrusy and bitter with pineapple and guava tropical elements as well, and all of this is there in the flavor. the grain doesnt have a ton of flavor, or rather its flavor doesnt come though a whole lot, but it does contribute a nice sturdy but soft mouthfeel, wheaty for sure, almost creamy which is nice with all these hops. its yeast on the front end, a little sharp, a little over developed from a typical belgian sense, and then all hops in the back, bitter orange, wet grass, and dried pineapple and mango. a tasty beer and a well made one, but they have to switch up the yeast strain and complexion if they want this to drink like a saison. as it stands, its a solid belgian pale with a robustly fruity hop profile, very clean though. nice for the upcoming warm weather...