Belle Fermiere
Overshores Brewing Co.

 

 

 

A: slight haze; medium gold in color; 1 finger moussy white head that receded to a thin cap; very nice lacing;

S: Belgian yeast with lemon and some spice;

T: lemon for a moment, then Belgian yeast; a little lemon tartness on the finish; very mild bitterness;

M: light bodied; light carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: refreshing;

 

Picked this up as a single in a mix a six. Bottle conditioned, no dating. It poured a hazy, dark orange-gold with a touch of sediment and a heavy white foam head. Nice floral/yeasty aroma. Very flavorful...spicy, Well carbonated with a dry finish with a bit of a sour tartness. My first from their brewery and I will have to grab a few more of these and some of their other offerings

 

 

 

When I saw this on the shelf of Craft Beer Cellar in Westford yesterday I couldn't help but buy the very last bottle... a curvy bottle very much in the same vein as Duvel's 33 cL size available as a single for a mere $3! Unfamiliar with anything by this new brewery, I opened the bottle and began to pour...

...wow! So much foam. Definitely has an intense bottle refermentation going on. Actually reminds me of Duvel in this way, as well. Fun to pour and watch the foam very slowly sink as heady carbonation pushes up from the bottom of the glass. Lace is wonderfully chunky and color is somewhere in the lighter-leaning copper realm with some orange tones present as well, especially around the edges. Looks beautiful sitting in the glass. Appearances mean a lot when it comes to first impressions, and I've got to say... I'm already impressed!

Nose is rather more sophisticated than I assumed, though it's definitely helped along by the refermentation. Banana esters, vanilla cream, dry hay and fruit. Yeasty, spicy and doughy with a very balanced nose. Slight clove and allspice on top of a very sweet-smelling, biscuity malt base.

Tastes mostly excellent with a very convincing Belgian-esque combination of hay, yeast, slight funk and spice with some floral hop notes for good measure. This actually drinks more like a Belgian pale ale than a saison as it somewhat lacks that farmhouse-y character and dryness I usually associate with saisons, but the base beer is good enough to eclipse the slight stylistic difference. Loving the interplay of slightly funky yeast with the spicy/floral hop notes and rather heavy, malt-dependent profile. It all feels very well-rounded.

Feel is drying and very yeasty with a medium body. Slightly wet and sticky on the tongue until the finish which is pretty desiccating. As I said, it's more BPA than saison and thus has a slightly heavier feel than I thought it would. A little less crisp and more spice/malt/ester-focused than most bright farmhouse ales are. That said, it's still quite good for what it is.

Overall, my impression of this is quite good. From the beautiful, voluptuous pour to the focused, consistent flavor profile befitting a true Belgian-style ale, this has convinced me to grab something else from this brewery soon. Seems that they basically only make Belgian style beers, and they seem to generally be quite under-the-radar to boot. Color me interested!

The aroma in this saison is too muted for my liking. I feel like the brewer may have been holding back. The flavor is decent, nothing that particularly pops but it seems to be well made. Aggressive carbonation makes it very thirst quenching. I get some light grassiness in the flavor. Finishes fairly dry but not bitter per se. There is a saison yeast aroma for sure and it opens up somewhat as the beer warms up. The floral notes pop a little more as well. There's a slightly sour (not tart, just sour) profile in the mid palate that I wasn't expecting, but I must say it feels welcome here.

I would want to try this again at home where I have more control over the temperature and glassware. The nonic pint showcases carbonation nicely but it does nothing for aroma.

 

Poured into a tulip, typical saison look and smell. Tastes a bit like Hennepin but less spiciness. I really enjoy Hennepin but I really like the less spicy aspect of this one. Thankfully I have 5 more to enjoy.

 

 

 

Still kind of new to the style, but this is one of the best ones I've had! Delightful smell and taste that go together well, while mouth-feel and appearance match the style well I think.

 

Good light Saison