Sabine
Reformation Brewery (Woodstock)

The region that separates Belgium from France has had an ever changing boarder alignment, but the beers that dot that landscape share many commonalities. The farmhouse styles of ale take on a similar demeanor while trending maltier and slighlty more lager-like as they dip into the more French region. And that's the style that Reformation Brewery is going for in their Biere de Garde, Saison hybrid beer.

Burnt orange and cast in a diffused yeasty glow, Sabine pours with a voluminous froth, dotted with yeast. Looking like rising dough, the beer's scent soon embarks upon a peppery scent of dried fruit, bread crust and rose wine. Modest sweetness hits the palate with an eruptive carbonation pop. Bread crust, pecan and granola comes to mind as the bubbles settle.

But continuing to ping and pop on the middle palate, the sweetness subsides and the fruit begins to blossom. Apple, orange, peach and lemon swirl with a sensation of being branch ripened and dehydrated. Hints of cantaloup arise while the spices offer a peppercorn, cumin and coriander pep on the late palate. Moderately bitter, the finish is grassy, spicy and slightly wine-like in its brisk acidity.

Medium light on the palate, the beer's taste seems to carry a savory taste but its texture is lightened considerably by the abundance of effervescence, the decidedly spice tilt, and its tart wine-like acidity that plays out boldly in a medium length after glow.

12 ounce can - Charlie's Beer & Wine in Marietta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, orange-yellow body with a plush, white head.

Smell: Spice dusted citrus wedges and melon cubes with honey-kissed barley and malted wheat.

Taste: Flashes of wheat and crackery barley amongst lightly tangy tastes of melon, citrus and florals. Small touch of honeyed sweetness. Spicy flourishes of pepper and sage. Modestly bitter. Hints of grain and melon persist into the dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-high carbonation.

Overall: Pretty decent.