Seasonal Saison
Hall Brewing Co.

 

 

sub par saison, but can i please ask... a saison lager... what exactly is that? saison is a style typically defined by its yeast, which is, always, an ale yeast. can you lager it, do you add lager yeast to it, is there a bottle conditioning technique i dont know about, or are these folks clueless. second beer from hall, and i dont hate it, but a saison lager? enlighten me, or you, something has got to give. strangely clear and bronze in color, lighter maybe, copper, older penny copper, lackluster head but okay carbonation overall. nose is funky but malt driven for the style, its already strange. lager yeast doesnt present itself, but a crispness does. this bottle is probably a little past its prime, although a bottle date is not offered. i see turbid sediment in the bottle, yet my glass remains clear. i get an odd amount of nuttiness in the flavor here, above caramel sweetness and underneath wild yeast. this is the only hall beer that probably deserves the farmhouse distinction, even though its on every label. almost a hefe yeast aftertaste, some clove and spice, and some residual sugar from an almost english toffee malt. medium body, straight up. a decent brew, but im missing wheat malt and yeasty haze here. misses the style mark but tastes alright.

edit: the aftertaste is all cigarettes here, dont know if thats old lager yeast or what, but im out. blah. i quit years ago!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into tulip.

Color is interesting - it pours a hazelnut, slightly dark golden color. It definitely doesn't look like a Saison or a lager. It looks more like an Amber or a dark Pale Ale than anything else. No lacing and NO HEAD. Uh oh ....

Taste is a muddled mess. I get a little bit of the funky/spicy Saison-ness, but the clean character of the Pilsener malt base (I'm guessing what that is) isn't robust enough to support the Saison character. Two flavors really pop out at me: black pepper (okay in a Saison, not in a lager), and diacytl. I dont get much citrus fruit that one normally associates with a Saison,

Most disappointing part of this beer is the mouthfeel. I want my "Farmhouse" ales to be big and robust. Instead, this beer tastes thin and watery...almost like it's watered-down. And the carbonation is almost non-existant. I'm not exaggerating when I say I thought I bought a tainted bottle until I read the previous reviewers' notes about the lack of carbonation. It's the flattest beer I've ever opened.

I highly recommend against buying a bottle of this beer. I dont really understand what Hall was going for. A saison is a big, fruity, funky style of beer. A lager is a easy-drinking and delicate type of beer. They are about as opposite as beer styles can get. Combining them into one beer? Not a good idea.

 

What the heck is this thing? A seasonal saison (redundant) farmhouse lager (whaa...?)

Not even sure how to categorize this, which isn't a bad thing by itself. After trying to drink this, I still have no idea what it is.

Pours a light hazelnut body, like watered down tea. No head. No lacing

Aroma of stale grain and some grassy spices. Actually smells like my second homebrew I made, which was pale ale with hefe yeast (hey, it's all i had at the time). Seems like Hall was under the same circumstances.

Flavor was weak. Spices were strained to make an appearance. The lack of carbonation made the flavors filmy and dull. Not a pleasant experience.