Free Rise - Nelson Dry Hopped
Trillium Brewing Company

This was another beer from Trillium that I traded for a while ago, as the date on the bottom of the can read 2/8/17. For something that was two years old, this held up incredibly well as it was tasty, free of sediment, and quite fresh on the palate. Amazingly light and well-balanced, I enjoyed the taste and feel of this from start to finish, in spite of the slightly dry nature of this liquid...

The pour to this was solid, as the liquid had a muted goldenrod tone to it with plenty of head to top it off. Not a lot of lacing could be see as I worked my way through this, but with so much flavor, that was almost an afterthought as I took my sips. Lots of white cheese, dry melon, and Nelson in the nose as the taste had all of those to a greater extent. White pepper, wheat from the malt, and hints of cheddar kept me interested even though the taste wasn't overpowering. A very subtle dank, earthy pineapple tied everything in together without being overpowering as the feel of this was quite dry but balanced at the same time; with hints of white wine emerging through at times.

Not a lot of booze to this but there was enough that it helped me pace myself as I reviewed this and let it warm up at the same time. Loved this beer and how it felt, even though it didn't hit me over the head with it's underlying potency. Fans of Trillium would be wise to seek this out - the hop profile was excellent and the liquid behind was just as good as the dry-hopping took this to another level. Would easily get another can of this should it be released in the near future!

On tap at the Canton brewery. A tremendous beer all around. Super smooth, wheat/hop combo, just a hint of sour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 oz can.

Pale gold and very hazy with a frothy white head. In true Trillium fashion, the beer is impossible to see through. Massive funky and fruity aroma. It's intense and weird but not in a good way; and I usually like a good amount of funk in my saisons. Lots of white wine and pepper in the flavor, which creates a bit of harshness on the palate. Balance is entirely towards the hops. Medium-full bodied.

Overall, I enjoyed it better than most of Trillium's IPAs but it's not a Saison I would reach for in the future.

 

Ah... the affinities that exotic new hops have with rustic and pungent saison have with one another are simply a marriage made in a brewery. And there's no more adept brewery than to tackle hops and farmhouse ale than the talented folks at Trillium.

Their Free Rise (Nelson) edition blossoms upon the pour. A bold citrus, herb and fruit bouquet rushed to the nose and excites the senses with under ripened citrus, melon, funk, fauna and a swirl of sparkling white wine. Its pale, hazy gold color sheds a creamy and modestly billowing off white froth to cast those bold fragrances and splashes the tongue with sourdough, light candy, and a hint of fruit pastry.

And as the ale unfolds on the middle palate, its tendency to go spice forward is thwarted by the fruity impressions from hops. Sharp citrus flavors of white grapefruit, lemon, under ripened orange and honeydew play out ahead of a spicy finish of white pepper, weathered woods, and a stern vinous spice. Those spices are brought further to the foreground by the hops that carry their own blanc acidity and white grape flavor.

Medium light on the finish, the beer's light acidity and deep earthen character trends sour. But its tangy and juicy hops bring an earthy sherbet and brine to the aftertaste. Lasting bitterness strikes the difference between already hop heavy saison and IPA to delight parties of both.

 

 

First thing I noticed was that it didn't have the classic saison head. Initially it felt like a very mildly funky saison but as it warmed up, the white wine like characters from Nelson came through and turned out to be a decent saison.

 

 

 

 

 

a: slightly hazy pale yellow straw color. some deeper light orange notes in here as well. pours a 23 finger solid frothy white head

s: slight funk, tart green apple skin, pear, caramel malt, strawberry, grains, lemongrass, and a touch of wood. smells juicy for a Saison (no surprise considering Trillium i guess). fresh dough closes out the aroma

t: a touch of funk hits the front of the tongue followed by the pear, green apple skin, and clove. there is a crackery,doughy presence behind that as well that gives way to a sweet malt flavor. after that comes some juicy fruit flavors - pineapple and apricot, this has gotta be the dry hopped hops. there is a touch of earthy bitterness at the end of the flavor

m: solid medium mouth feel, though the carbonation level is bit lower than many Saisons i've had before

o: this is an interesting beer. i'm asking myself if the addition of the hops added anything spectacular to the beer and i'm not sure. it breaks from what you're used to and has a juicy sweet fruit presence. it tastes quite good, i'm just not sure the added hops make a Saison a better Saison.