Raspberry Saison
White Elm Brewing Company

White Elm Brewing Co. "Raspberry Saison"
16 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating
$2.99 @ Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits, Omaha, NE

Notes via stream of consciosuness: Probably not surprisingly this reminds me in both aroma and flavor of so many of the raspberry wheat ales that were available on the eastern coast of the United States around 1996-2000. The difference is that they were brewed with clean American ale yeast whereas this is a saison with some added spiciness. I'm sure there's more there including added fruitiness (I do get a bit of strawberry) but for the most part the raspberry overrides pretty much everything. It's hazy and golden-orange beneath a full head of off-white foam that holds well and leaves some excellent thick lacing. The aroma is fruity with authentic raspberry and a touch of yeasty spiciness. The flavor follows. There's some malt there, of course, supporting the raspberry. It's sweetish but also lightly acidic, and a minor amount of bitterness brings it into balance. Some raspberry and light spiciness linger shortly. In the mouth it's medium bodied and zesty with a fine-bubbled and effervescent carbonation. Nicely done!
Review #8,495

No canning date

Pours a deep pinkish raspberry hue capped with around ¾ of a finger of tight, fizzy off-white/rosé head fading away quickly to a capless surface of persistent effervescence, no lacing, and a slight, frothy collar.

Aroma is welcomingly abrupt with jammy, fresh raspberries, pure with a semi-sweetness cut by a subtly vinous, earthy quality; touches of bubble gum are sparse in the middle while a vague clove/banana tone is far off in the backdrop.

Taste brings forth spent raspberries and used bubble gum notes now more in tandem as a slightly drawn-out clove tone shows over time before a dense and flaky wheat finish.

Mouthfeel features a lighter body with low-key, moderate-high spritzy carbonation; moderately dry and crisp through the mid-palate as a quietly wet texture lingers and builds to an effortless and slightly yeasty finish where the dryness just barely wins out.

A naturally, intensely enjoyable aroma is striking upfront to the point where the almost overly balanced and subdued qualities of the flavor profile can feel like a letdown; yet, the result is a nicely harmonized fruited saison that ultimately remains drinkable to the extreme without reservation.

White Elm Raspberry Saison, 6% ABV. Pours deep slightly-hazy red, with a slightly pink two finger head that left no lacing. Nose is malty and incredible strong sweet raspberry. Taste is tart raspberry, with no bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

Shoutout to The-Adjunct-Hippie for just being a wonderful person.

Pours an unfiltered raspberry red colour topped with two fingers of loose white head that fizzles out in seconds, leaving plentiful visible effervescence.

Nose: Some rustic wheat-forward farmhouse grist, and the most natural raspberry note I've ever smelled in a beer. Like a bushel of fresh ripe raspberries. It's a simple, very rustic aroma, but what's there is very pleasant.

Palate: Much like the nose, the beer greets the palate with a lot of wheat, and saison malt, as well as a hint of black pepper, which often comes with wheat-forward beers. The raspberry influence is immediately clear ad day. It isn't a sweet raspberry - the beer is quite dry, with just a touch of expected sweetness from the wheat - but the raspberry note itself is incredibly jammy. 100% natural tasting pureed raspberry, seeds and all, and even a couple of under-ripe tart ones in the mix. The flavour profile almost precisely mimics freshly macerated raspberry, or raspberry preserves, with just the slightest hint of fermentation on the very back end. There are some mild bittering hops - much like those of a traditional helles lager come through towards the finish, with just a hint of floral and earthy notes, and a slight drying of an already dry beer. The finish is ever-so-sligtly acidic, like a fresh berry zing, before the wheat takes over completely, and the raspberry becomes just an essence in the background. The entire beer uniformly fades from here, with no spikes or surprises.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer is quite light-bodied, but far from watery or weak. There's plenty of bright berry flavour, and the wheat lends a gentle natural softness. Effervescence is lively and right where it should be. Everything about it makes it very drinkable.

Overall: This is an interesting little beer. While the strong wheat presence makes it drink more like a witbier than a saison, the raspberry element throws the whole thing for a loop, and it doesn't quite fit in any one place. It actually reminds me very much of an American raspberry Berliner Weissbier with no real tartness. Quite enjoyable, insanely drinkable, and one that, if available to me, would be an absolute must for hiking/camping/outdoor day trips. Very nice stuff.

16 oz can from Hy-Vee in Nebraska.
Odell Teku.

Very beautiful deep lipstick red blush with a creamy pink head of 1 finger, receding to a thin ring.

Aroma of vinegar, slight dry popcorn, raspberry seeds, and gushers.

Flavor, wow, has a lot of depth to it. Really brings some wonderful elements to the table. I'm getting some fruity Belgian yeast, bordering on bubble gum; blended earthy raspberry seeds, club soda, lemon lime seltzer, jammy raspberry, and more slight fruity phenols bordering on bubble gum on the finish.

Feel is crisp and very heavily carbonated, brings some slight dryness, oakiness, and a good palate squish.

Overall, White Elm knows what they're doing, and this Saison is proof. Very good, very nice characteristics, with the addition of Raspberry. It's not as "in-your-face" as their Apricot Saison (one of my favorites) but it does manage to pull off some deeper tones and more sophistication than the Apricot variant. Nicely done, highly recommended.