Saison: Grisette Coriander Columbus
Partizan Brewery

Purchased from the brewery recently, coming in a 330ml slim brown bottle, bottle-conditioned; bottled on 30/07/2013, BB 30/07/2014, served lightly-chilled in Gulden Draak’s short-stemmed tulip-shaped sniffer.

A: coming in a fairly clear, light golden colour with a thin off-white foamy head on the top, supported by healthy and moderate flows of carbonation.
S: the acidic oxidised apple-ly, limey, gooseberry-ish and elderflower-like flowery esters come in harmony with very light coriander-seed aroma, while Columbus hops most likely are integrated well with the other aroma elements in the background, hence a very limited presence. Light and almost… “breezy” on the nose, while the funky elements are at their minimum.
T: lightly spritzy on the entry, very light in terms of fruity flavours and funky impact, and thin/watery on the swallow, while the malt bill is the lightest I’ve ever come across in relation to a Saison or a, in this case, Grisette, a dying traditional version of farmhouse ales. The well-attenuated finish has a very faint acidic fruity edge to it, along with some zingy tannic feel; coriander seeds and Columbus hops are very hard to find on the palate, on the other hand. Well integrated? I don’t know…
M&O: the carbonation feels a bit stimulating on the palate but soon quiets down following the entry in each sip, while the flavour profile overall simply is too weak, showing a meagre presence of the elements featured on the beer label, i.e. coriander seeds and Columbus hops. An o.k. offering to me, someone without any knowledge of how this type of beer might have tasted, though.