L'Abondance
Wolf's Ridge Brewing

 

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a very frothy head; good retention and some splashes of lace

Smell: Peppery yeast and estery with pine, tart wheat and quite a wallop of sulfur

Taste: Wheaty tang, from the outset, with peppery elements and a strong mineral character; a pine aspect builds, in the middle, but the finish is dry with the sulfur building in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: The bottle is six months old and, perhaps it was mishandled, but this is a very odd Saison

 

 

Bottle pkgd. on Jun. 19, 2018. CBF tulip.

A: pours a dark yellow, with a slight haze. Poured some of the sediment in, but not all. Active visible carb. and about one finger of thin, foamy head. Awesome lacing.

S: a little Belgian phenols, a little wheat, and a healthy dose of hops - mosaic, maybe? Quite tropical, citrusy; pineapple, mandarin, mango, key lime.

T: arrives like an IPA. Hoppy, citrusy, mildly sweet, white bread and orange blossom or clover honey, then the changeover - turns to a saison at the end, bubblegum, clove.

M: feels like an IPA; heavier side of midweight, high carbonation makes it feel light on the palate.

O: classic Wolf’s Ridge: expertly crafted, perfectly executed, extremely drinkable. A weird blend of saison and IPA, though. As saisons go, I rate this high. As IPAs go, not so much. Worth trying. Hops bring an interesting counterpoint to the spicy and bubblegum notes on the end.

I got this off the single shelf at my local Giant Eagle. It poured a clear golden with thin white head that is not leaving any lace. The scent had floral spice. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with potpourri spice finish. The mouthfeel is medium in body with good carbonation. Overall its a solid beer.

 

From a 12 oz bottle from the brewery in a snifter. This decent little saison pours
a bright and clear amber tinged blonde color with a decent head of white foam that
settles to a thin ring and subtle lacing. Nose of light white pepper, pear notes, citrus
notes of orange rind and pineapple, and light sweet honey malts. Flavors exceed the nose
with white pepper dashed moderately heavy citrus flavors with orange and pineapple mingling
with light pear and mango flavors touched lightly bread a breaded malt sweetness and a hint of
herbal pine. Nice mouth feel; medium light body, low carbonation, and a lightly dry finish that gives
way to a touch of white wine flavors as it warms.

Overall, a solid offering from a great brewery.

Cheers

 

 

 

4 oz pour on tap

A: small bubbled creamy looking head clear body light yellow gold color

S: lightly hoppy wet hay some pepper

T: light peppery hay, light bit of sourness a little bready

M: effervescent good carbonation

O: pretty good but not a show stopper easy drinker

Deep gold in color. Mainly clear. Moderate head.

Smells and tastes of light banana, some coriander/white pepper, a bit of orange rind, a lot of doughy yeast. Maybe a little too sweet.

Solid beer all around.

Description: Golden, slightly hazy with only a very small amount of head or lacing. Smell is banana, orange, spices and maybe some pepper. Taste follows the smell with some added sweetness (white grape?) but also a bitter finish. Feel is light and carbonated with a dry, clean mouthfeel.

Suggested food pairing: Bleu cheese

If you like this beer then you should also try: Chimay Tripel (White)

Overall: 4 (This beer is good and I may or may not have it again) This is a good, textbook kind of Saison. Nothing remarkable about it but nothing wrong with it either. Just very middle of the road.