Flandre-Kent Les Frères De La Bière / Thiriez XXtra
Brasserie Thiriez

On draft at Zeno’s in State College, straw gold, head is bright white and 1/2 inch thick, good lacing on glass sides.
Smell is pils malt, notable yeast and ester/phenols, earth, herbal hops.
Taste is malt, yeast, phenols, super flavorful at 4.5%.
Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, lower bitterness.

(330 ml bottle, 242 19 date/code; purchased single off shelf at State Line yesterday... decanted into my Chouffe tulip)

L: crystal-clear, pale brass-colored liquid; tons of foam on the pour, didn't even get half the liquid out of the bottle... head settles, rocky and creamy-dense... looks picture perfect, keeping a thick, messy cap till the end, lacing in big chunks

S: nice spicy yeast top note with actually some (heavy) lingering evergreen, herbal dry hop... brief hint of the crumb of fresh white bread, but the balance shifts back to fruits - banana (skin), honeydew, hint of white grape - along with the green, leafy flourishes

T: leafy, (dry) grassy dominance with a mild-to-moderate spicy bitterness, while the malt base is dry and relatively indistinct aside from a subtle toasty edge... it's kind of mostly a showcase for the yeast spice and hop infusions

F: clean, lighter-bodied, but not too dry and effervescent; hop resins lend a silky texture, rounding out the sides, lengthening its finish... too easy to slug

O: somewhat surprised it's held up this well though, clearly, it's far from having it's most pointed, dynamic expressions on display... I have had this once, maybe 10 years ago, so this is a revisit of sorts... good flavor, but I wouldn't recommend a bottle this aged, unless you're using it to cook seafood? (2075)

 

 

Brings the yellow and brings the haze, producing a 1"+ virgin white head. Looks pretty. Good retention. Hits you with grassy rustic notes.

Taste seems to be a bretty, funky, dry, earthy, rustic experience. Traditional farmhouse, not a wild ale souring it all up. The hops are subtle, they might be big for overseas, but hopheads might be disappointed. It comes out making the grassy hop meet farmhouse vibe, and I like it for what it is. Well carbonated, refreshing with a twist.

 

Skunked. Damn you green bottles!

 

 

 

 

 

750ml, split

This is a great value beer - $11 for a really nice French saison. lovely hazy peach body, full and frothy white crest. Super smooth body - nice earthy hop tones, fits the farmhouse mold. Unfortunately a little green-bottle skunk present, but not too distracting. Like this beer a lot.

Thanks to tenderbranson69 for sharing this with me, enjoyed chilled from a stemmed glass.

The color is straw gold with a thick hazed look with copious head of pillowy white. The smell is unique with lots of herbal hop aroma with a light white grape odor with subtle spice from the yeast.

The taste is incredible. Lots of yeast complexity with a slight honey-like malt with vinous flavors and a mild spice with nice herbal flavors adding to the peppery taste. Overall I would not hesitate to have this again -a top notch saison with the dry hopping giving that little X-tra, a great beer, Thanks Tim for sharing and Terry H for the recommendation!

 

 

750 into a tulip. Pours a hazy straw color w/ a fluffy white head, some nice lacing.

Aroma is a blend of earthy, grassy barnyard funk and floral hops.

Taste follows nose. Bright citrusy hops and biscuity pale malt, earthy saison yeast and just a touch of honey.

Mouthfeel is crisp, drinkable and dry. Light and refreshing.

Overall a rock-solid, well-crafted saison, just plain good across the board.

My bottle says "Extra" but same exact layout, must be an update or alternate imported style. Finally hitting up some French Saison.

A- Poured into a snifter and a goblet from the 750ml bottle. Golden-orange body with just a slight yeast haze and a large foamy white head. The foaminess of the cap isn't fizzy though and it sticks around for quite a while at about a finger high, after reaching out of the glass. Eventually this falls to a thick, creamy ring leaving plentiful piles of lace.

S- A blend of spicy, grassy, herbal hops with Saison yeast and some malts. All three elements are about equal in strength for me. Maltier aroma than I would expect with light caramel, Belgian pale, biscuit and some sweets coming through.

T- As with the aroma, a good balanced blend of yeast, hops and malt. The spicy, herbal, slightly citrus farmhouse yeast leads the way with malty hints of cracked grain dust, lightly toasted biscuit, sweetness and light caramel. Hops in the finish bring spicy, grassy and herbal notes.

MF- Foamy yet creamy light, somewhat dry body. Carbonation is on the high side but does not feel like it with the texture mentioned. Medium bitterness on the palate in the finish for this style.

More malt than I would expect but not in a bad way. A good balance of everything beer, nice herbal spicy finish is probably my favorite part. Certainly willing to try more from Thiriez.