Exiled
Like Minds Brewing Company

Bottled summer 2016; drank 8/8/16 @ the Yarchives.

Semi-opaque orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a huge, fluffy off-white head; frothy tree-rung lace.

Banana, soft wheat, dry tea & faint lemon notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Dry tea & soft wheat flavors up front; lemon rind dryness on the finish. Melon notes emerged as this warmed.

Interesting & challenging; this was a worthy saison. I'd have another...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really excellent bone dry saison. I'll say it again, BONE DRY. The yeast strain is intriguing, bringing with it a minty herbalness. Will greatly enjoy the other 3 bottles of the 4 pack.

 

Poured into Duvel tulip. Has a dark golden color with 1.5 finger white head that leaves behind collar and lacing. Aroma is of wheat crackers with a bit of citrus and banana esters. Flavor is very pleasant and enjoyable with a slight tartness to go along with the wheat and banana. This example stays away from the pepper flavors oft found in Saisons. A medium and creamy feel with a slight dry finish. I thought this was well made and reminded me of Hennepin.

Pours a hazy effervescent golden color with a thick frothy white head. Head dissipates somewhat leaving sticky lacing as it goes.

Smell is a nice blend of spicy yeast, wheat, straw, grass and a cracker malt backbone.

Taste is spicy up front, with a touch of citrus zest. straw, wheat, and cracker malts are noted. Touch of sweetness, but not too much. Flavor is great up to that point - but then the finish comes and its very very bitter. Grassy and heavily spicy. The lingering bitter flavor on the tongue is just a bit much.

Feel is light, crisp and appropriate for the style. Very crisp carbonation.

Overall without that very bitter finish and lingering bitter aftertaste this would be a solid saison.

375ml bottle. Served in a stemmed glass.

Pours a medium orange body, mildly hazy, two finger white head, thick and effervescent, waves of lacing. Smells of rich Belgian yeast esters, crackery pilsner malt, light pepper, touch of grass, spices. The esters are pretty strong on this one; at first, when poured cold, this smelled a lot like a macro pilsner. It's odd, but it clears up a bit. Flavour is a bit better, spices, esters, bread, biscuit, light pepper, floral and grassy notes finish things out. Not superbly complex, but it's solid. Mouthfeel is medium-lighter bodied, a bit sharp and fairly dry as advertised; good carbonation, grassy finish. Overall, this comes across in some ways as a hoppy macro pilsner, but it has more of the Belgian esters and minerals as well. A solid wheat saison; would like less breadiness and a little more light tartness, but that's just me.

A quality saison. It definitely doesn't have the spice and pepper of some in the style, but a great drink nonetheless. Not to mention that the bottle art is fantastic and the price is right. I will drink this again and again when looking for a straightforward saison.

Since Adventure is part of enjoying beer, I enjoy taking a jump at a beer from a brewery I never heard of.
So it is with Like Minds (a clever name.) Not knowing anything about them, I went on their website and see they are promising; in part because their marketing is a bit more elevated than the typical startup brewhouse and restaurant.

As for the beer, I like this one's concept; the dry, peppery saison that goes well with food. Exiled starts well, it looks good and is aromatic; but not unusual for the style. Its initial taste is what I expected. But drunk without food, this saison's hops and spices started to take over. As I started to eat a salad that had a peppery arugula in it, the hops were balanced.

So my advice to Like Minds: keep up the angle of making beer that goes with food, but make this saison a bit less hoppy. Dominant hops are not a good recipe to go with a wide range of non-spicy foods.

Hazy pale gold, lots of foam and lacing in the glass. Lasting head retention.

Aroma is sulfuric at first, becoming herbal with a dry peppery note.
Taste is dry and bitter, white pepper, dried herbs, vague dried citrus peel.
Medium bodied, light carbonation. Pretty textbook saison.
Overall maybe the best of the 3 bottled beers they debuted with, but still doesn't grab much attention.