01|08 Saison (Wai-iti & Lemon)
Brew By Numbers

 

this is awesome beer, perfect saison, way better than the only other beer i have had from these guys before. cool to see some of their stuff around on draft this week, i hope it sticks around beyond shelton fest. this is expertly done, really dialed in, simple, raw wheaty and pils malty, crackery and mineral forward and bone dry without hardly any body but a rustic vibe to it and plenty of flavor. the lemon peel is fresh and zesty and full of life without being acidic or bitter at all, both in aroma and flavor, and the hops seems more noble to me than new zealand, more spicy and grassy and subtle than fruity and vinous and dry hoppy, there were wise to keep the dose mellow, i think it lets the fermentation profile stand out quite a lot. a little rustic funkiness to it, but a cool clean french type saison profile leading the way, white grape and pear and hay and light funk to it, even brine, and then also a belgian ester, but dry and tidy in the finish, subtly complex and really fresh and delicate with the hops and the lemon, neither of which is overdone in the least. some kiwi and melon and grass notes to the hops, soft, not bitter. fresh and springy and interesting, they absolutely nailed this. i will buy this again if i see it again.

 

 

 

 

Coming in a 330ml brown bottle, bottle-conditioned; bottled on 21/01/2014, BB 21/01/2015, served mildly-chilled in a straight pint glass. Notes: according to the back label, Wai-iti hops and fresh lemon zest are used in this brew.

A: pours a dark straw hue with faint haze, consistent flows of fine carbonation, and a thin off-white frothy head to last.
S: sweet lemony, passion-fruity, sweet flowery, and overripe-fruit estery at the same time, what defines the beer on the nose is still the saison-yeast they use for this line of products, which yields a spicy and richly estery aroma all in all. Lemon zests, if any, are hard to detect on the nose. All in all, lively fruity and reasonably complex.
T: very light in taste, with a very light, almost lager-malt like backbone of pale malts supporting a rather low profile of yeastiness, showing zesty spiciness, savoury-sweetness mixed with lightly guava-ish, lemony and green mango-ish fruitiness at the back, finishing at the end of each sip with a moderate but consistent input of hop bitterness and tangy tannins (maybe from lemon zests, this time), as well as blessed by a very decent level of acidity.
M&O: softly carbonated, refreshing by its style, not strongly flavoured, but overall a nice balance is reached on the palate. Most importantly, this one comes very very quaffable, as it’s light, not overpowering in terms of flavour, while alc. strength is so well hidden. Well worth a try!