Sunlight Park Saison
Left Field Brewery

 

 

 

 

*this was the grapefruit cranberry version
A- Peach colour with a pink hue. White head that remained a while when gone with the wind.
S- Farmhouse funk and must with a light fruit aroma and mellow banana
M- light mouthfeel with carbonation medium high
T- Crisp and refreshing upfront with no real heavy sweet or bitterness. Just a snappy acidic and peppery bite
O- This is a refreshing saison with good character that could use a bit of complexity. However it served its purpose and achieved the saison/farmhouse profile for me.

 

 

 

 

650 ml bomber picked up from the LCBO and served cold into a pint glass. Purchased for around $6.50 CDN. Dated May 10, 2017.

Appearance - Bright and clear golden colored beer. A fine finger of white head rests on top, with impressive staying power and lots of spidery lacing. Coalesces into a thin soapy head that stays. Loads of effervescent bubbles throughout the beer, the the point where it's noticeable.

Smell - Candi sugar, plenty of yeast, healthy grain and lots of sweetness. A subtle hint of grapefruit, so subtle that you might not realize it is there unless you are looking for it.

Taste - Plenty of grain, some sweetness, but not too sweet. Yeast is dialed back a notch from the nose but present. Hint of grapefruit that acts as more of a thinning agent from a candi sugar and yeast and grain overdose. Grapefruit shines a little more as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, reasonably light in part from the grapefruit cutting through some of the thicker and syrupy body. Dry, almost chalky finish. Good carbonation levels. Not a fan of the chalkiness, however that dissipates once the beer starts to warm.

Overall - Left Field's Sunlight Park Saison is a solid saison, and while I don't love the feel, and the grapefruit is just a touch too subdued it's probably worth seeking out a bottle (maybe to share) just to prove that left Field is putting out some pretty good beers these days. Definitely a beer to serve slightly warmer too, as the chalkiness was reduced and grapefruit was more prevalent.

Clear golden brew under a monster sized head that slowly settles to a film leaving lots of lace. Lemon citrus and yeast on the nose, some very nice floral honey, overall quite appetizing. Spice, lemon, and yeast to taste. Tingle from carbonation. Pretty simple, drinkable.

 

Lots of citrus rind melds with the saison yeast character.

Bottle: Poured a clear golden color ale with a nice large white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light floral undertones with some light honey notes also perceptible. Taste is a mix of light rustic malt with honey and floral undertones with a subtle spicy yeast also noticeable. Body is about average with good carbonation. Not bad but not bursting out with a ton of complexity.

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Lightly hazed golden blonde colour, 2 fingers of white head, some lace. Smell is spicy and yeasty, bright fruity nose, lemon and orange, the old world influence dominates but certainly seems like it has a new world hop influence. Taste is lightly spicy upfront, pepper and yeasty, fruity with heavy focus on lemon and citrus peel, wheaty and lightly doughy mid palate, lightly bitter with a clean fruity finish. Medium carbonation, medium-light body. Pretty good, fairly simple entry level saison that may find more fanfare with the novice beer drinker crowd.

 

Bomber picked up at the LCBO; can't find a bottling/BB date anywhere. Served barely chilled.

Pours a brilliant, sunny golden-yellow colour, with a crystal clear complexion. Roughly one inch of frothy, soapy white head is produced, and then proceeds to wilt off over the next five minutes. A modest-looking collar remains afterwards, along with some scant lacing. Plenty of wheaty malt goodness on the nose, with notes of grapefruit, citrus oil, wet silage and a slight "stinky feet" funkiness. Moderately yeasty and somewhat spicy.

The taste is much of the same, with grainy, bready pale barley/wheat malt sweetness serving as the relatively neutral backdrop. Notes of red apple and a faint hint of bubblegum midsip, leading into citrusy flavours of lemon and grapefruit zest. Slight bitter citrus oil notes on the back end, mingling with hints of grassy hay, straw and yeast. Finishes with spicy, peppery phenolic astringency, then ends with a drying aftertaste. Light-medium in body, with lively carbonation levels that produce a good, solid, crisp bite at the end of each sip. Not a very novel or memorable saison, but quite refreshing and eminently drinkable.

Final Grade: 3.81, a B+. Sunlight Park Saison is the first Left Field product I've had the chance to try, and I'm happy to say that I rather enjoyed this saison. It's noticeably more sessionable than most modern examples of this style - so even though the flavour profile isn't particularly complex by the standards of this style, it's still an easy-drinking, satisfying summer gulper. At $6.50/650 mL, this bomber is decent value and I will certainly consider picking it up again in the future.