Raspberry Basil Saison
Maxline Brewing

12oz can, adhesive label. No dating information found. ABV% on label is 5.7%.
Cloudy, pale amber colored body. Slight expulsion of foam upon opening. Two fingers of off white head turns into an interrupted cap and higher ring. Leaves behind some stretched lacing rings.
Aroma of raspberry and a background of basil spice.
Taste is sweet and fruity. Flavors are mainly the raspberry with some basil to provide some herbal content. Slight yeast base from the saison aspect, but no funk or esters. Quick fade in the aftertaste.
Medium mouthfeel. Clean and dry finish. No bitterness, with a slight zing with each sip. Good carbonation.
Base beer provides a platform mainly for the raspberry and a little for the basil but that's about it. Tasty with its limitations.

 

 

i liked this, but i wanted to like it more. pinkish from the tap there at the brewery and without much head lasting past the initial pour. the basil and the raspberry are both there in the aroma, with the fruit ahead of the herb, sort of pureed or frozen or something, ripe and tart and sweet but not necessarily whole fruit to me. the basil is italian and culinary and the essence is right on, but its lost a little to the fruit, which is true in the flavor as it is in the nose. my critique here though is not so much with the added flavors but with the base saison itself. its impossibly clean and simple, pale wheat and a generic saison culture, nothing unique about it at all, but worse, nothing interesting or rustic or farmy or funky or anything, there is nothing here, a belgian blonde might be a more appropriate descriptor of the base beer to be honest. i want more interesting yeast and some grain body at the very least. the raspberry and basil go well together, and they make the beer flavorful enough, but behind these its a little bit of a letdown. i would advocate for a more robust base beer here...