Saison Facile
de Garde Brewing

Thanks, Eric

The nose is lovely, funky saison with soft oxidation to go with the lemon, light white wine notes, light sherry. The palate is light, airy, tart, funky and with really lovely breadth. Lemon, a little grain. Lovely.

 

unique saison here, mature now, big thanks to my buddy for sending this one out my way, it was a nice beer for after the thanksgiving feast! it is very woody and complex, has an almost gin botanical to it, and has quite a bit more body than i was expecting it to, some from the oak, some from a sturdier wheat malt structure, yet also very effervescent which keeps it from being heavy. notes of everything in here from alfalfa to hay to honey to tea, rosemary, spruce, and elderflower, a springy complexion to me, sort of blossoming and alive, with lots of white wine tannins to it, subtle orchard fruitiness, and a very cool and well developed fermentation profile that is lightly sour unexpectedly, and then soft estery and belgian for a second before relaxing into familiar bretty funkiness at the end. this is very complex and has aged really well, a fun one to share around the table, and another fine offering from de garde, although this didnt even compare to the framboise which we also enjoyed yesterday. these guys are really making some special beers!

 

 

Bottle from Rick and Sarah. Light, hazy golden with nice fluffy head. Light fruity, floral aroma, recalls a witbier. Taste also , light and lively could drink this all day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a small stretch of time where I was kinda iffy on de garde stuff because it seemed like they were churning out a bunch of different beers that tasted similar and seemed to increasingly display a strong acidic tendency beyond what I prefer. This was kind of the prototypical example: they call it a saison but its clearly a wild ale.

Golden/yellow pour with 2/3" fluffy white head that accelerates away and downward. Aroma is sour and not much else, maybe mineral water.

Some yeast-y like feels came out in the taste and mouth feel that weren't there in the aroma. Substantial lemon citrus feels and acidity. Light funk and oak. I'm starting to gather where the facil (easy/simple) comes into the name. One of the more Cascade-esque beers from De Garde. Its a good beer at a good price (which is where it differs from Cascade).

750ml bottle, poured into a de Garde snifter glass. Enjoyed on 1.22.17, reviewed from Tasting Journal.

The beer pours a light amber color, orange hues, hazy and cloudy with some bubbles rising to the top of the glass. One finger of white head, little retention and spots of lace. The aroma is okay, light funk, strong banana, light clove, citrus peel, oak, lots of pale grain. It reminds me of a funky and mineral water forward hefeweizen at times or even an a base beer that wasn't quite at the right temperature, interesting, but not the most intriguing aroma from a de Garde beer. The flavors, thankfully, are a lot more enjoyable. Tart citrus, mineral water, nice funk, soft stone fruits, oak barrel, pale grain, a touch of spice with only a hint of banana. Light body, very lively, lots of carbonation providing plenty of texture, bubbly and crisp with a lightly dry and tart finish.

Verdict: A nice funky saison from de Garde, pretty simple, not the best aroma, but it tastes a lot better than it smells. Very easy going, very drinkable and approachable and shows off the signature de Garde funk and mineral water character nicely.

Bronze with a white head, bit of retention, shows some lace.

Aroma has a light funk, earthy metallic, hay, horse blanket.

Pleasant green apple tartness, with a dry, leathery finish.

An all around great beer with balance, depth and drinkability. Wish I had more.

 

Review from notes.

750mL into a tulip. Pours a clear coppery golden color w/ a soft white head.

Aroma is delicately floral and tart. Bready wild yeast, light grain.

Taste follows nose. Pale grainy malt, tart wild yeast. Floral, delicate.

Mouthfeel is soft, medium bodied, semi-dry finish

Overall a balanced, refined saison.

 

Thanks for the share, Umberto!

This one pours a clean shimmery golden yellow, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

Smells like like yogurt mixed with candied sour lemon and sour orange, along with some oak and hay.

I haven't had too many farmhouse ales from de Garde, so this is fun to try. It's pretty insanely citrusy, that classic yogurty yeast opened into lots of grapefruit, orange, and lemon, with mild bitterness, and a little bit of oak. This is really delicious.

This has a good level of carbonation, pretty lively, with a crisp and juicy mouthfeel.

This is your usual de Garde flavor blast- not much subtlety, but lots of deliciousness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huge white wine barrel, grapefruit, lemon, funk, minerals, flowers and grass

Very lemony, some funk, bitter and grassy with a yogurt lactic finish. Does develop a bit as it warms but am getting a slightly off putting lactic character. Not as much as in some of the Bus but it's there.

Very carbonated. Prickly carbonation.

Overall this isn't one of my favorite de gardes. Maybe it will improve with time. I thought the dry hopped cuvee was a much better interpretation of this beer

750ml bottle into snifter.

A: Pours a clean golden with a couple fingers of fluffy, airy, and long lasting off-white head that slowly collapsed into a thick film. A network of fine, sticky, lace was left down the glass.
S: Light and bright notes of cracked wheat and green apple on the nose with hints of peppery, spicy, Belgian yeast and hint of lemon tartness. Minerally quality as well and lightly musty along with hints of sweet golden fruit.
T: Subtle yet complex flavors of yeast and oak. I get notes of spicy yeast, bubble gum, green and golden apples, musty and damp oak, sourdough, wheat, wheat, and seltzer water. The finish is sweet and fruity, and the aftertaste has lingering notes of spicy yeast, dry grains, and a hint of pear.
M: Medium body, smooth and clean mouthfeel with a nice creaminess to it. Carbonation is soft and fluffy, and the tartness is subtle and rounded. Sweeter fuller mouthfeel than it is drying and crisp.
O: A very complex beer for being so simple. Very smooth, creamy, and soft, with a delicious balance between fruity, musty, and spicy flavors.