Black Oyster Saison
Brouwerij Kees

Tasted on tap at Loda Bier Garten in Mobile, AL. The beer looked like a stout in the glass, except the head was much lighter in color. Aromas and flavors were a mix of those from a stout and a saison, except there was no harsh, roasted grain note. There was a silky, almost oily feel to the body and the carbonation level seemed lower than most saisons, but went well with the flavors. This is a smooth sipping beer that is unusual but very interesting.

Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip. This bottle lists the ABV at 7%.

Appearance: rich, deep, dark brown with plenty of haze and 2+ fingers of frothy dark-tan foam. Crazy-dark for a saison but still a very attractive beer indeed.

Smell: sweet with a rich aroma of dark fruits, plum, raisin, tobacco, and just a soupçon of farmhouse character. It's not super funky, but it is super enticing.

Taste: a bit more funk than the aroma; there's a fair bit of bitterness and a little roast here. The fruity character is pulled back a bit and the alcohol heat comes through; it's a little messy but still quite good.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a big carbonation and a good creaminess.

Overall: this beer is pretty crazy, but I like it nonetheless.

 

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours pitch black, opaque in the glass with a fine, huge three finger khaki head with great retention and lots of lacing. Aroma of dark lightly toasted malt, saison yeast, hints of coffee and caramel, unusual for the style. Flavor is dark toasted and mild caramel malt, saison yeast with a slight funk, licorice, dark stone fruit, finishes with light saison funk, dark malt and mild brine. Medium bodied with light creaminess. A very interesting take on the saison style. The main profile is saison, but dark malts add clear notes and there is a fruity Belgian yeast flavor too. The slight saltiness is appropriate from the oyster shells. A lot going on, but well integrated and flavorful. Really an interesting and successful experiment.

Deep dark caramel color, with some transparency and brown reflections

Smell of liquorice and dried fruit, caramel, toffee

Taste of caramel, fruits, Coca-Cola

Very fizzy, which suits it well

Overall, this resembles a Belgian Abbey Dark Ale, albeit with more carbonation, and more complex flavors and more character. Quite happily surprised with this, really like it.

 

A - pours dark, slight red brown tint, big foamy head that dissipates quickly
S - Caramel malts, slightly salty
T - starts with dark malts, tiny toffee notes, finishes sharp, almost like aged cheese
M - very smooth, bit oily, very little carb
O - very different from what you may expect from the style, but overall pretty nice