Fresh Hop Saison
Chain Reaction Brewing Company

a really clean saison, and maybe not the best expression of wet hops out there, but its drinkable beer and i like the idea. i wish the yeast was something other than a simple belgian or french one fermented clean and dry, there are no rustic elements here at all, this almost has the yeast profile of a duvel or something, a belgian blonde, although i still really like the beer, just maybe not as a wet hop saison. crystal clear and golden with a nice white head on it in the pint glass (a weird shape for a saison i have always thought), foamy and bubbly and very attractive. it smells mildly hoppy, lost maybe a little to some belgian esters of pear, white wine, and bubblegum, but its not fermented too warm or anything, the hops just seem kind of mild, green and vegetal more than anything else, like just picked yellow powdery middles, oily on the fingers as you break a cone apart, but i dont get that much in the taste, mild as it all is. i think some funk or some interesting grain character is basically essential in a saison type, this is too clean in both regards, the grain bill might have some wheat in it, but its mostly a pils type, so refined as to not have much rustic appeal. i dont mean to knock this too hard, its drinkable and tasty, but more as a lightly hoppy belgian blonde, at least in my opinion. still worth a try, a unique take on wet hop beer for sure...