Captain Badass
Thin Man Brewery

i like this a lot, not really in character from what i know about these guys, and i dont generally prefer clean saisons like this, but its tidy, more belgian than french on the yeast to me, and very well refined, clear for the style, shaving cream thick white head, epic web lacing here too. high effervescence, bone dry, all the necessary elements are here, and there are no frills despite the strange and maybe arrogant sounding name. tastes like more pils than wheat malt to me, and less raw than the rustic examples of the style, but i like the earthy, fresh, simple cereal base. the yeast is properly the star, but is somewhat restrained too, not overly estery or assertive, which makes this nice and sessionable. floral in the nose with clover honey and even jasmine notes from the yeast, less fruity than many although there is a white wine and green apple thing, short of tangy but not way off for a clean beer. it smells like mashing in, that sweet wort character, but its more interesting to taste, some finishing hop bitterness, light spiciness to but not peppery, almost a szechuan thing rather than more familiar white peppercorn, and an suggestion of lemon lime soda on the finish when its still cold, especially with the rocketship carbonation. this is a gorgeous example of the less exciting saison, its like more interesting pilsener in some ways, intelligent and professionally crafted, a very enjoyable beer to finish the day with! quality over uniqueness here, but not samey either. very nice.

 

A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that died down but never completely faded away.
S: Moderate aromas of yeast are present in the nose, which impart spices and bubblegum to the smell.
T: The taste follows the smell but the spicy flavors are stronger than those of the bubblegum, particularly as the beer warms up.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This saison is easy to drink and does a very good job at showcasing the aromas and flavors of the yeast. I liked how it also imparted some bubblegum-like aromas and flavors - similar to what you would expect from a hefeweizen - instead of just spiciness.

Serving type: can