Belgian Saison
Russell Brewing Company

Russell Brewing usually doesn’t let me down. A very good Belgian Saison. A clean crisp golden pour, with a full creamy head. A full flavoured spiced, peppery flavouring. A warm bread yeast taste. A classic of this variety, a very good beer. Worthy of a wandering traveller, walking through the Belgian countryside, dreaming of a thirst quenching brew.

Slightly hazy golden straw colour with 2 + fingers of tight uniform white head. Aroma crackery malt - a bit of pepper, banana, mildly floral. Taste is crisp cracker malt, banana with again a touch of peppery spice - finishes with a clean crisp dryness and touch of hop. Decent saison.

 

473ml can - a rather traditionally-produced Saison, from the sounds of it. Yes, à votre santé!

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium golden yellow colour, with three fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat bubbly off-white head, which leaves some decent sheet lightning pattern lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of gritty and grainy cereal malt, damp banana chips, a mild earthy yeastiness, mixed black pepper and clove spice, and some leafy, floral, and grassy green hop bitters. The taste is grainy and crackery pale malt, Wheat Thins, underripe banana flesh, chewed-out pink bubblegum, a muddled earthy spiciness, estery yeast, and more understated leafy, musty, and dead grassy hoppiness.

The carbonation is active in its palate-charging frothiness, the body an adequate middleweight, and generally smooth, with maybe a hint of naughty yeast making a dent in the surface sheen here. It finishes off-dry, the malt and frooty notes carrying on the lingering party.

Overall - the impression that I'm getting with this offering is that they went and did their bloody homework, followed through on it, and it shows. This is a crisp, flavourful, and enjoyable version of the style, so I have to give credit where it's due - good job!