01|01 Saison (Citra)
Brew By Numbers

330ml bottle. BBNO return to where it all began: “A Belgian inspired dry-hopped saison. Crisp and light with a classic yeast character and zesty Citra hops.”

Crisp, clean and refreshing. This was a great beginning. Not too sour, not too hoppy. Perfectly balanced. Delicious.

 

 

 

 

Cloudy blonde with lots of sediment and clingy white film. 4
Erasers and flowers on the nose. 4
Thin thread of cracker, some lemon rind, herb, phenolic rubber, and a touch of grass. 4
Crisp, light, round. 4

Citra

To style - and there you go. Nice aromatics, hops don’t overwhelm, and no flaws. Nothing revolutionary, but not stupidly new school, either. 4.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled and bottle conditioned
The Citra Saison is BBNo.’s modern interpretation of a Belgian farmhouse-style classic. A light, crisp body, fresh fruit/spice flavour and a mild bitterness make this a very refreshing, drinkable beer.

 

 

Purchased at the BBNo Brewery in London recently; bottle-conditioned in a 330ml brown bottle, bottled on 18/09/2013, BB 18/09/2014, served lightly chilled in a straight pint glass.

A: pours a dark golden hue with haze, coming with a well-lasting frothy white head and very healthy flows of small fizziness.
S: lightly dusty and resinously-hoppy true to the hop variety, boasting passion-fruit, mangos, and bergamot fruits, while lime zests, lactose-sugar drink’s yeastiness, floral esters and pepper-ish spiciness stay loyally in the background to contribute more depth on the nose.
T: clean and lovely smooth on the palate, the entry packs lots of hop resins, savoury acidity and tropical-fruity flavours of Citra but at the same time gets decorated colourfully with prevalent spicy esters and consistently chewy bitterness. Well attenuated in the finish; besides the fruity undertones and tannic bitterness, there also goes a semi-tangy quality of citrus fruits and lingering estery spiciness.
M&O: softly-carbonated and tasting surprisingly clean on the palate against an otherwise richly hoppy flavour, while the malt bill is kept at the minimum to let the esters and hops shine. All in all, this medium-bodied and hugely flavoursome Saison ale is perhaps the most successful sample of the modern, less funky, take on the style that I’ve had for a long time. Given that the two brewers at the BBNo seem to enjoy experimenting with unusual ingredients, this beer style can be a perfect platform all in all. A lovely, lovely session Saison this is… in its bottled form and on draught alike.