* Session Saison
The Exchange Brewery

750 mL crown-capped green bottle purchased at Superstore; listed at 5%. Bottled Feb 8 2018 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy golden-yellow colour, topped with 1 cm of frothy white head that settles off to a smooth, creamy cap within the next five minutes or so. It remains in place indefinitely; looks great, with thick bands of lace left clinging to the interior of the glass, one per sip. On the nose, light suggestions of funky yeast accompany fruity hints of apple, white grape, lemon zest and stone fruit; I'm also getting some bubble gum, peppery spice and woodsy, herbal hop notes.

A fine-tasting saison; fairly light, but with some complexity. It tastes of gritty grain and crackery, wheaty pale malts, with accents of indistinct orchard and stone fruit coming through simultaneously. There's also a sort of leathery background flavour that permeates the middle of the profile, with notes of virgin oak and herbal, woodsy hops building towards the finish, which features a touch of peppery, yeasty spiciness. Hints of leather persist into the aftertaste, which has some oak tannin astringency as well as some (very slight) acidity. Fairly light-bodied, with middling carbonation levels that impart a modest prickliness to the brew's texture; it mostly feels smooth and a little frothy. Extremely easy to gulp back.

Final Grade: 4.08, an A-. I preferred their ∞ Rye Peppercorn Saison over this one, but truth be told, * Session Saison is still better than most of the Ontario-made farmhouse ales I've tried recently - the oak ageing is probably the difference maker. This is the third Exchange beer I've tried over the past week (having had none of their beers previously), and I must say they're batting 3 for 3 so far. They're probably too expensive to be every day purchases, but based on these experiences I wouldn't think twice about recommending them to other BAs, or about trying something new from these guys in the future. Well worth sampling.

 

On tap at my visit to this brewhouse on the main street of a resort town catering to wine-drinkers. While this micro-brewer likes to brew in all three traditions and seems to do OK in each, I did not find this saison above average. As usual, the yeast is hard to cultivate and usually harder to keep and control. I really can't make any suggestions as I think this brewer has the talent to make a saison better. To me on this day, it was good enough... but only average.

Poured from a 750cl bottle into a pint glass. A two finger fluffy head on a cloudy light apricot. Some patchy lacing and good head retention. Fruity with some medium brett aromas. Some esters. Some barnyard funk in the finish. Smooth and balanced. Medium body and low carbonation. A fine with more than the usual brett dimension. I have had this before and I think different batches taste slightly different.

750cl bottle from LCBO. Pours hazy straw colour with a moderate creamy white head. Aroma, typical pepper and clove aroma. Flavour: here is where the barrel aging comes through as a distinctive barnyard funk. Slightly acidic on the end of the of the palate.

 

 

 

 

 

Traditional saison, barrel aging is extremely subtle with hints of oak and white wine. Would've been nice to have more barrel presence. Base beer is decent, but nowhere near worth the price tag.

 

 

 

Ok saison. Pepper and light mouthfeel. Conventional yeast. Not too drinkable. Tiny head.