Rosemary Saison
Idyll Hounds Brewing Company

Look - very slight haze copper color with a nice rimming
Smell and taste - earthy floral slight citrus and grainy
Feel - medium body with a slight carb
Overall - nice saison

 

Hazy golden, white head and very light lacing. Some spicy and sour notes on the nose. Spicy and cool herbal flavors, rosemary and more herbality present in the finish. Alcoholic flavor as well, present on the exhale. Good, interesting finish. Pretty nice.

Appearance: Slightly hazy gold. Frothy white head with moderate retention. Fast rising bubbles.

Aroma: Yeasty, with clove, banana, herb and light fruit notes.

Flavor: Follows aroma closely. Herbal spiciness from rosemary. Restrained bitterness.

Mouth-feel: Light to medium bodied. Low carbonation

Overall: I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Yeasty aromas and flavors are well balanced with spicy herbal notes. Drinks easy. Alcohol is well hidden. Could probably use a little more carbonation. Very nice.

Poured from a 12 oz can into a Saint Arnold Icon snifter.

L - Color is light golden but it is very hazy. Thick, fluffy head piles so high during the pour that I had to stop and start several times to get the whole can into the glass. The head stuck around in an impressive way and covered the inside of the glass in lacing.

S - The aroma is dry and very herbal. Malt presence I expect in a saison is almost hidden, but it is in the background as a cracked grain note. At the forefront is black pepper and a spice/herb note that dominates everything. I would not be able to identify it as rosemary; to me it is more reminiscent of pungent dried flower-type herbs, like chamomile or lavender. The overall impression is less like a saison and more like a gruit or an ancient pre-hop-era ale like Scottish heather-flower ale, but it is interesting and makes you want to take a sip.

T - Flavors are more conventionally saison-like than the aromas. There is some light bread and grain, but the spices and herbs are the most prominent flavors. Again there is black pepper and chamomile, but also some rosemary. I'd appreciate more malt and a little saison yeast character for the style.

F - Medium body is lightened by moderate, fluffy carbonation. Moderate hops bitterness. No noticeable alcohol presence.

O - This is an interesting, highly-spiced beer. It is not my favorite example of a saison, but it is unique and enjoyable.

Hazy, peachy color with quickly dissipating white head (to be honest, I'm pouring into disposable plastic cup provided by hotel).

Saison yeast, tangy, lemongrass - perhaps soapy but that could be rosemary.

Strong saison style, with a rosemary finish - perhaps a little salty lavender there too?

Small carbonation creates pleasant, and surprising, mouthfeel. Beer is fairly thin, but comes off bigger.