Saison
Allagash Brewing Company

Pale yellow in color. Started with a light haze that clarified leaving good clarity. Poured with a tall, soapy, bright white foam with medium low retention. Aromas of pear, funky yeast and malt. Medium light bodied with soft, rich, medium high carbonation that provides a creamy feel. Fruity pear, light banana esters and malty flavors with funky yeast in the background. Low bitterness. Banana esters taper into light peppery notes near the end. Finished dryly with light fruity notes and funky yeast followed light peppery esters. Light and refreshing with subtle Belgian esters that are nicely balanced by saison funk.

 

Very thin straw yellow pour. I think in a blind test most people couldn't pick out this pour next to Coors Light outside of the better, foamy head on the Allagash. Pleasant, strong smell of green apples, barnyard funk, white pepper. Bright, lively taste with lemon pepper, straw, yeast. Mild, gassy aftertaste. Looks like a dog, but tastes much better than that.

Cloudy gold straw hue on the pour, with some head and ample lace. Slight bready aroma. Taste is malty, peppery, slightly fruity and overly dry on the finish. I like this brewery a lot but this is not one of my favorites -- maybe this style is not to my liking. Bottled 07/09/20.

 

 

 

 

This is a great saison. At first I thought the hops were too spicy or piney but now I think it works. I usually like my saisons with more of a nobel hop character but this one has grown on me. Also Allagash tends to use more local hops so it's probably hopped with ME grown varieties. You have to love that. It's an interesting take on a saison with a bit of a twist in the unique hop flavors. I get a lot of cascade grapefruit in this.

12oz bottle. Poured out a slightly cloudy, straw-yellow color with a small, off-white head of bubbly foam. It receded to minimal lacing. It smelled of cracked wheat, grains, caramel and spices. Sweet caramel taste with a spicy bite and fruity finish.

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a mason jar. Almost clear yellow with a 1/4 inch frothy head that dissipated quickly to just the edges of the glass. Smells as it should. I taste a citrus funky farmhouse flavor that is a little spicy. Clean and fresh. Very crushable. A solid saison that is not overpriced, readily available and never disappoints. I highly recommend it to anyone that feels like a saision once in a awhile.

 

 

 

L: pale lemon yellow with a loose white head that dissolves into a lacy film
S: very mild citrus and pine
T: mild lemon and pine with a slight acidic tartness
F: smooth with a slight tingle, dry as the back of the tongue
O: delicious. This is a go-to when I tire of lagers. Very well balanced with a enough hoppiness to make you want to refresh without being bitter or sour and a great alternative to an IPA

 

 

 

 

 

Do not get this beer again. I do like SOME saisons but not this one - it has that awful aftertaste.

A huge fan of the Allagash line, as a Mainer, so i may be biased. However, this is a phenomenal beer. Consumer out of an Allagash goblet glass. Pale yellow, and incredibly hazy. Foam laces the glass. Aroma has a bit of funk, followed by esterous yeast, and a touch of grapefruit from the hops. Remarkably dry taste. Incredibly delicate flavors. Grapefruit, subtle yeasty funk. Mouth feel is almost not full bodied. Definitely refreshing and very drinkable. Great summer beer, but a versatile beer for any season. Great price for an entry saison as well.

Served from a 12 oz (355 ml) bottle into a nonic glass at Biergarten in Terminal C of LaGuardia Airport.
A: Pours a hazy to cloudy, lemon yellow color with a two finger, foamy, white head, nearly a finger of retention, and rings and rings of spidery lacing.
S: Spicy with aromas of lemon, unripenef pear, honey, coriander, and clove.
T: More semisweet than semidry. Flavors follow the nose with the addition of a bit of earthiness. Light bitterness with clean finish. Very refreshing.
M: Light to medium bodied with solid carbonation.
O: Allagash has produced a fairly dry, rather flavorful, and very refreshing Saison. Glad to have tried it; will look to it as a go to.

 

 

 

12oz bottle - dated 02/04/18 - poured into a tulip at 44F.

Pours a hazy straw golden colour, with two fingers of snow white head that slowly recedes to a healthy cap and collar, with some webby lacing left behind. Constant streams of effervescence feed the tenacious cap.

Nose: Malted wheat and grains make up the foundation, with notes of hay, leather, grass, lemon, coriander, a hint of bubblegum, and a streak of minerality. Zero off yeasty aromas one might expect from a year old beer.

Palate: Rustic wheat-forward grain takes the lead, however, the grain is rather subdued and friendly, with the wheat being fairly malty, rather than tacky or grainy. Very little sweetness, although not entirely bone dry. A level of sweetness one might expect from a hefeweizen. There is definitely some bubblegum character, due to the Belgian yeast esters. A twinge of lemon shows up, however, there is little to no tartness. Some mild floral hop character emerges, but judging by the flavour, I would guess these are aged hops, perhaps of European descent. There is a light bitterness approaching the finish, which adds some nice contrast to the malted wheat, and provides depth and closure. In the finish, the entire flavour profile ramps up, intensifying every aspect of the beer, before falling back, leaving the remaining bitterness to quickly fade, and the base of malted wheat to linger as everything dries out nicely. Very clean from start to finish, and absolutely zero sign of its age.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is rather light on its toes - airy, even. None of its 6.1% ABV shows, and aside from the level of flavour, the beer drinks like any 4.5-5% beer would. The body itself is light, crisp, and very fluid. Due to the prominent wheat level, the beer naturally had a slight creaminess to it, which paired with a very fine, lively effervescence, gives this beer some nice texture amidst its lighter body. Overall, it is quite easy to drink, incredibly crisp, and a good option for a summer day refreshment.

Overall: This beer is widely overlooked, and I can,understand why. Saisons are far fromthe trendiest beer style in today's market, and those who do seek out saisons, may be inclined to look right past a simple offering from Allagash, such as this. However, as a big fan of the style, I have to say that all things considered, this is a fantastic saison. It's crisp, dry, refreshing, yet massively flavourful. The grist bill and application of thos is extremely impressive. All too often, I'll encounter a saison where the wheat has just taken over the whole thing. That grainy, tacky, wheaty flavour that feels imbalanced and slightly too sweet. This is not that. It's perfectly malted and integrated with the other choice grains. Pair that with a perfect balance of hop florals, restrained bitterness, lively bubbles, and excellent yeast strain, all with the ability to age gracefully, AND a competitive price point, and I can only ask why this is not inside your beer fridge.

Edit: I tracked down a 01/10/19 today, and I have to say, the thing matures with age. This fresher bottle has more bitter hop bite, more eccentric yeast character, a stronger bubblegum note, the malt is less nuanced, with a fairly aggressive rye presence, and the beer itself feels fuller and heavier. Still a good beer, however I will be adjusting my score down by a notch, as this is a better representation of the beer, but please, don't be afraid to leave this in the fridge for a year. Ages well if kept cold.

 

 

 

Slightly cloudy yellow, thick, dense, rocky head with great retention and lacing
Aromas of citrus, pepper, thyme, and bubblegum
Crisp, citrusy, and herbal, but kinda soapy on the finish
Light bodied and refreshing
The soapy finish kinda killed it for me

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a tulip at 45 degrees,

Look: Pours a light, but hazy pale lemon color with a light fizzy head.
Smell: Aromas of lemon and grass with some other peppery and floral notes. Some bubblegum or bready malt aromas in the finish. Some sourness and funk develop as the beer sits.
Taste: Presents with an aggressive yeasty and peppery start followed by a bitter lemon, orange, and coriander fruit flavors. The bitterness is pronounced. Some sourness and funk develop as the beer sits. There is a strong olive flavor as well. Some slight bread/biscuit malts in the finish but a very crisp, dry finish.
Feel: The mouthfeel is light bodied. The opposite of oily or resiny. Very crisp and carbonated. The alcohol is well-hidden. Pleasant mouthfeel.

Overall: This is a light, crisp, spicy, yeast-forward saison. Almost no body. Highly carbonated. It seems like a one-dimensional saison as other reviewers have pointed out. It is basic. Light, peppery, yeasty with tart fruit flavors. Lacking a body and funk that is often characteristic of the style. Compared with the Off Color Apex Predator, it definitely a much lighter body and less funk. A light, peppery, clean, and delicious saison nonetheless, however I would describe it as basic and one-dimensional compared to others of the style.

 

 

 

 

Clear macro-style body with frothy white head that stays. Aroma of floral, lemon skin, grass, hay. Tastes of hay, lemon skin, floral, grass, mild horse blanket, apple skins. Light bodied with medium carbonation.