Hop Drink
Transient Artisan Ales

Bottled fall 2016; drank 10/27/16 @ the Yarchives.

Opaque dark orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a HUGE off-white head (careful pouring!); a thick curtain of frothy lace.

Mango, cane sugar & mild banana notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Mango & mild banana flavors up front; cane sugar & mild caramel notes on the finish. No booze heat. Dry yeast notes emerged as this warmed.

Fruit forward Belgian DIPA; I'd have another. My only complaint: it took FOREVER to start drinking due to the massive head!

 

Purchased from the source in Bridgman, Michigan. Drank out of an Urban Legend pint glass.

Look: Poured with a three finger off-white head, the color is the same color of a good fresh pressed apple cider, strong ring lacing, very cloudy, no visible down-up bubbles.

Smell: Strong pineapple upside-down cake aroma, Brett but light on funk, green apple, melon.

Taste: Hop bitterness, light funk and barnyard, weed tincture, honeydew. Overly sweet, has a stale herbal flavor from the hops on the finish, muted Brett flavors.

Feel: Medium bodied, a bit of effervescence on the finish, syrupy, a bit drying.

Purchased a 500 ml bottle from the brewery on 11/26. Poured a cloudy amber with immense head into a standard pint glass; initial pour gave about 4 oz. of beer before the foam topped the pint glass. Foam dissipated very slowly, once I had ~60% of the bottle in the glass I decided to enjoy. Only smelled sour, though I was drinking it from under the foam. The taste was overpoweringly sour, had to search hard for the hop flavor even though this was a DIPA. Maybe sour bombs are the new hop bombs (?), but this was way too sour for me. I won't be buying this again.

 

 

 

A 500ml purchased at the brewery on 9/10/16 poured in their signature stemmed glass for the review.

Look- Pours a lively and slightly cloudy dark gold with a generous three fingers of off white soapy foam.

Smell- Slightly sour candied green apples, melon, a pepper like spice, some mild floral notes and a dose of brett funk in the back.

Taste- Spicy floral notes, followed by orange/grapefruit zest and green melon. A peppery flavor in the finish.

Feel- Slick, thin and creamy with a mild bitterness.

Overall- While there are some farmhouse qualities to this beer, it reminds me more of an IPA brewed with Belgian yeast. Nothing world class, but pretty tasty and easy drinking nonetheless. Give it a whirl if you're in Bridgman!

 

 

Dark Orange Amber in color. Hazy. Fluffy white head. Nicely balanced between an ipa and farmhouse ale. Getting some brett funkiness. Perfect sweetness level. Shorter finish. Refreshing and delicious. No frills. great candidate for canning.

500 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a cloudy apricot color, with about a two inch head and some soapy lacing. The smell begins with lots of floral hops- wish I knew which ones, some Belgian yeast, some citrus hop aroma as it warms. Really smells nice. The taste leads with a good amount of floral hop bitterness, and again, as it warms, some citrus- grapefruit. More yeast than the nose, malt, a sweet note on the finish. Smooth, refreshing, a good, medium body, well carbonated.

A solid offering, different. Does a good job of being both a Saison and an IPA. The Belgian yeast keeps the hops from running the show. Really good flavor and aroma, although the aroma faded a bit. Would definitely buy this again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served in a tumbler at Mundelein Brewfest 2014.

Standing firm at Transient for another saison, a hoppy one this time. It pours a hazy brass topped by over a finger of white foam. The nose comprises bright grapefruit zest, light pineapple, mild pine sap, light Belgian yeast, a pinch of cinnamon, and a spritz of green apple. The taste brings in more of the same, along with a bit of mixed greens for good measure. It doesn't taste too much like a saison to me, maybe something of a Belgian or Belgian-inspired IPA of sorts. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a drying finish. Overall, a nice beer, one that loads itself with hops without overdoing it somehow. I think I would have preferred some more farmhouse character, but things work pretty well here regardless.