EMC Belgian Saison
FATE Brewing Company

 

the belgian part of this never really happens for me, i dont get any hint of that yeast at all, but as far as saisons are somewhat belgian in origin, i guess i can abide. blonde and clean drinking, short finish for a saison, but loaded with sweet grain up front and funky straw yeasty dryness in the finish. its what a basic saison should be, but with some nuance. there are floral honey notes in here, and a lot of fruit on the back end, pears and apples primarily, but maybe some citrus from a robust hopping as well. i like how well layered everything is, nothing too dominant, not boring in the least. fate does some really neat stuff, but to this point saisons (in my experience) have been a weak point in their lineup. i think this brings them back up to solid, its different than others, really easy drinking, and just a little sweet. probably a crowd pleaser and a nice introduction to the style. not yeasty or weird enough maybe for the mature saison palate, but that doesnt hurt it overall for me. i like this one a lot.