L'Ange Tombé
De Proefbrouwerij

A solid tro fingers of full rocky light tan head has excellent retention. Considerable lace is left after the slow fade. Body is a deep burgundy in tone with beautiful ruby shades when held to light. Nose is nicely sweet with some soft phelonic spice tones that add nice zest. Citrus rinds and fresh white grapes show in the aroma with soft Belgium yeast. With first sip this beer is incredibly smooth and noticeably drinkable. I really search for something to stand out in the flavor profile. Some soft light spices and a bit of creamy fruit, but overall it just really lacks depth and character. Mouthfeel is relatively clean. this isn't a bad beer, as a matter of fact it is super drinkable, just a little bland.

 

 

 

 

I picked up a bottle of this from Julio`s.

Appearance is murky brown water with a 1/2 finger head. Its` nose is old brown sugar, yeast, alcohol. The tase of this "dark saison" is malts, pepper, more stale brown sugar. Mouthfeel is low-medium, rather flat in the finish. Very much disappointed in this beer. It is bland overall...thankfully I believe this was a one-time beer release.

Thanks Ben for sharing this beer

A dark beer that takes on a brownish amber color. Forms a foamy light brown coffee colored head, keeps a good retention with some lacing. Noticed a some carbonation, enough to believe this beer would be a little bubbly.

A few things to note about the smell. Not picking up a whole lot of hop aroma - maybe a subtle grain-y/husky character that's embodied in a sweetness similar to brown sugar and honey. Not sensing any citrus-y notes. Toasted bread is also noticeable.

Very similar scents are translated into flavors on the palate. I can definitely taste the bread notes and brown sugar most notably, the finish being more bread notes, a little blandness. I also get some simpler, table sugar as well. Medium light in body with moderate carbonation, a little crisp from the refrigeration. The addition of the yeast mellows out diacetyls and adds a yeasty character. Would have this again.

 

A chilled bottle is split between two pint glasses. The bottle opened with a less-than-promising quiet pop, not what I expected from a caged and corked beer. Pouring it out did alleviate my fears, as a large foamy head rose up from the dark brown liquid.

The beer has a fruity aroma. I can smell green apples and raisins. Some crystal sugar is also present.

The beer has an interesting sweet taste. It is both sugary and bitter at the same time, and unlike other saisons I've had. I am tasting raisins and plums.

The beer is on the thicker side, with some large carbonation bubbles. It leaves a sticky film across my lips and throughout my mouth.

This beer is enjoyable, but I don't lie it as much as the other Julio's limited release I've had (Ry(e)an Ale by Smuttynose). I'm glad I've tried this one, but I won't be upset if it is never brewed again.

L'Ange Tombé

Served in New Belgium globe glass. 

A: Pours clear deep amber with two-finger head that has above-average retention and leaves very nice Brussels lacing on glass. Scant effervescence, which the faint pop of the cork foretold. 

S: Green apple jolly ranchers and spices, especially cinnamon, allspice and cloves, in that order. I will say a more natural apple aroma can be found, as well as caramel and pear.  I suspect this will be a relatively sweet but sour beer.  

T: Much more subdued and flatter than I expected. Not very sweet or sour.  Still, the elements that I described in smell are present. Additional flavors include white pepper and mild hop bitterness. 

M: Medium body and medium-light carbonation. A little thin. Fairly dry. 

O: L'Ange Tombé soars in appearance and smell categories but mouthfeel and especially taste drag it back down to earth. About the worst sort of disappointment when it comes to a beer. 

Pours a three finger cream head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Hazy amber color, ton of yeast left in bottle. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is unpasteurized apple cider, but flavor is not a saison more bready and hints of caramel. Higher ABV is hidden. $8.99 for a caged & corked 750ml bottle from Julio's Liquors Westborough, Ma.

Picked this up last February at Julio's Liquor (the only place I assume one can find this beer).

The beer pours a brownish amber color with something of a red highlight to it. The beer also has pretty good head retention and lacing. The beer smells pretty nice, as I pick up considerable brown sugar, tootsie roll and cherry vanilla. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely in this moderatel sweet beer, though the finish is a bit watery, with a significant dropoff in flavor at the end. Mouthfeel is fairly light, and as noted above, the finish is a bit watery. The alcohol is integrated into the flavor profile very well, and the beer is not the least bit heavy or tiring on the palate. So drinkability is in fact pretty good.

Shrug. While nothing special, I thought this a pretty nice beer. It sort of reminds me of a lighter style of dubbel (rather than a saison noir as the label indicates).

750 mL bottle

A: Amber hued brown under a small slightly off white head. Little lace and retention.

S: Hints of dark fruit, maybe some apple as well, little bit of the expected Saison yeast character.

T: Fruity and a bit tart in the middle, mild bitterness in the finish but mostly dry, hints of spices.

M/D: Medium bodied, carbonation is high, even a slight creaminess. Good drinkability. A good beer, but overall a bit all over the place, maybe could be classified as a dubbel just as easily as a Saison. If I were to rate strictly on style, I'd probably give slightly lower marks.

Bottle shared by a generous soul.

Pours a hazy dark amber color with a one-finger slightly off-white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of muted and fairly dry caramel malts with hints of toastiness. Also present are earthy hops and indistinct dark fruits.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Equal parts toasted malt and caramel malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by moderately sweet dark fruit flavors - raisins mostly with hints of prunes. Midway through the sip slight yeasty spiciness works its way into things before quickly fading. Right before a moderately bitter ending hints of earthy hops come into play.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with active carbonation.

Drinkability is OK. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass however I'm not sure about another.

Overall nothing about this beer stood out and everything seemed as though it could be ratcheted up a bit. Certainly not worth seeking out but not worth avoiding either.

750 ml corked and caged bottle, MasterSki left us this one.

Pours a hazy dark orange/almost bronze, thick off white head forms and settles down to a medium ring and thin layer around the glass, lots of lacing sticks to the glass.

Smell is weird, very fruity, some wood, nuts, caramel sweetness, mango, lightly funky, a bit of vanilla, some biscuit, a touch of tartness, orange, weird.

Taste is weird too, cherries up front, some dry biscuit, weird fruitiness going on, wood, nuts, lightly funky, really strange stuff, not quite sure whats going on.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation. A bit of an anomaly, this is an odd duck. Not entirely unenjoyable. Thanks Alex!

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep reddish brown color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a very thick on the glass.

S: The aroma contains brown sugar, Belgian yeast, spices, caramelized malts, some fruit and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel, brown sugar and fruit. Then some breadiness comes in from a hearty malt character and a strong Belgian yeast backbone. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, slightly filling, good kick, different representation of style, overall this is a good beer that is worth drinking when you want something a little bit different.

Served in a Sloeber tulip glass.

Big thanks to connecticutpoet for this bottle!

I'll echo previous sentiments: A black saison? All right. It pours a translucent russet ruby topped by a bit over a finger of cream-colored foam. The nose comprises figs, raisins, rye bread, nutmeg, cinnamon, red grape skin, and a hint of what seems to be watermelon. The taste very similar, but with the addition of ruby red grapefruit, orange rind, and saison-style earthiness. These new flavors drag things down considerably, not meshing very well with the more BSDA-style elements. The body is a nice medium, with a light carbonation and a pretty smooth, fuzzy feel. Overall, a pretty good brew, but I think the attempt at darkening a saison went a bit awry. Had the target been a straightforward BSDA, it seems like this would have been a strong success. Still, I'd definitely say this is worth a try.

MasterSki hooked us up with this one. thanks alex!

750ml bottle, corked and caged. sampled aug 10/2010.

pours hazy pale red, more orange at the edges with a very thin fine off white head. the head drops fast and leaves spotty lace.

aroma is ok. sweet cherry syrup. belgian yeasty spice. caramel. white bread. light alcohol.

taste is not that good. starts off as cherry syrup, but almost instantly goes super thin and watery. so dry it seems to suck all the moisture from your mouth and you're quickly reaching for a glass of water. bit of white bread. low bitterness level. no alcohol, and very little of anything else.

mouthfeel is odd. very low carbonation. ultra dry and thin.

drinkability is not good. thin, unbalanced, watery... none of us managed to get even half way through our glass. pass on this one.

750ml corked bottle courtesy of viggo, thanks man! Listed on the bottle as a "black saison".

Pours a caramel amber color with a hint of cherry, a light haze, thin head which quickly recedes to wisps.

What this is I do not know but it is no saison and certainly not very good. A bit of mustiness and spice in the nose, some caramel malt and a hint of cherry. Once it enters the mouth the party begins and this one turns south fast. Cherry cough syrup, anise, medicinal astringent bitterness, a light non-descript sweetness. Sharp medicinal drying in the end, much like chomping on a mouthful of Tylenol and the flavor just disappears into thin air - all Tylenol, all the time. Thin and watery mouthfeel.

In the end we all ended up pouring it, it just wasn't pleasant to drink. De Proef does some good stuff but this is not one of them.

Bought some of these a while back at Julio's beerfest. Been cellaring since then.

A - Amber pour with a two finger head that quickly dissolved to almost nothing and held there with light lacing down the sides.

S - Light fruit and funk. Not getting any of the negative smells other reviewers have encountered.

T - Really doesnt taste much like a Saison. Needs to be more funk and fruit. Dont know what else to say...the carbonation is about the only thing this has going for it. I mean, I can definately taste melon on the backend!

M - With all the cabonation I'm expecting a lighter mouthfeel but instead I've got a syrupy wash.

D - Will I drink this again? I guess I have to as I have another bottle. Maybe I'll cellar this for a year and see what happens, but I will not buy another bottle. I'll bump the grade up a bit due to how you dont really get the 8%.