Saison Noir
Willimantic Brewing Co.

 

Draught @ Brewpub: This one pours an opaque brown color. There was a very small beige head that left no lacing. The nose is interesting. Chocolate malts, floral and faint spices. The taste is very good. Chocolate notes, wheat, faint spices and a faint breadiness. This was nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growler thanks to Ben Roesch from Wormtown for sharing.

Pours a very dark almost black color with a little head.

Nose very light dry saison yeast, dark roasty malts, bitter spicy hops, hint of chocolate and dark crystal malts, much more of a dark IPA than saison.

Taste dark roast malts, light chocolate, bitter hops, spicy and earthy hops, the saison doesn't come out until like 5 sips in when the tongue becomes accustomed to everything else and a very light Belgian saison like flavor comes out but not really farmhouse, and it's even a bit creamy.

Mouth is med to a bit bigger bodied, decent carb but not enough for the style, and creamy.

Overall not impressed. I know there is a big thing to push the envelope of styles, but this just goes too far. There is pretty much no saison at all in there, it's just a black IPA with hints of weird yeast flavors. A saison should be nice and dry, farmhouse, malty, etc, even noir adds some dark malts but not tons of roast and chocolate, and even creamy with way to many hops. This is not anywhere near what the style should be.

Enjoyed on-tap at the brewpub. Sounded interesting. Third of three saisons on tap.Black body with light brown head. Unfiltered dark, 8 malts, hopped by Sybilla, Crystal. Very shwartzbier-like, roasty,some chocolate, omplex. Unfortunatelythe roast comes on strong, coffee-grindish.

Had a couple of these on tap during my first visit to WBC, and liked it so much I brought home a growler. Like no saison I've ever had; it really seemed to stretch the definition of the term. Color is a near-black, with very little head. Aroma is typical for a saison, yeasty. Taste is a fantastic combination of smoked malt like a porter with the funk/yeast flavor I'd expect from a typical saison. Extremely easy drinking; this is a beer I wish I didn't have to drive an hour to pick up!

Reviewed on 8/21/09. On tap at the brewpub. This is not your typical saison; it is more of a porter. Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of rich roasted malt, toffee, and caramel. Flavor is quite roasted with some sweet malt, alcohol, vanilla, and parmesean cheese. It's just ok for me, nothing about it really grabbed my attention.

Appearance: Pours a dark opaque nearly black in color. Thin tan head hardly a fingers width, dissipates quickly into a ring of tan lacing.

Smell: Spicy Belgian Saison yeast. Citrus floral notes from the hops. Underlying that all is roasted coffee and chocolate from the malt.

Taste: A blend of Belgian spices and floral hops combining with the roasted chocolate and coffee taste of a porter.

Mouthfeel: near perfect, a little hop bitterness but not dry.

Drinkability: The description of this beer as a porter brewed with saison yeast fits it perfectly. This is a tasty, interesting and very session-able beer. Good work WBC

Main St. describes this brew as a porter fermented with saison yeast, and that pretty much nails it on the head.

Poured a very dark opaque brown (almost black) w/ no head. Aroma is dominated by the perfumy spicyness of the saison yeast, while complex malt aromas linger in the background.

When you take a swig, the malt flavors dominate, with coffee, chocolate, caramelly, and almost perceptable vanilla and clove like flavors (probably from the yeast). Very rich and complex indeed.

Mouthfeel is closer to that of a saison than a porter, as it finished dryer and more carbonated than a tpical porter.

Overall, a very enjoyable beer that went well w/ my half rack of ribs.

A - this creative saison is very dark, stout dark, with a typical stout smooth tan head, this head fades swiftly, no visible carbonation or sediment

S - roasted malts dominate the aroma, accompanied by the typical saison wheatiness, some background hops and distinct coffee notes

T - weird, a wheat soul with a deep roasted malt strength, the coffee notes persist to the flavor as well

M&D - quite smooth, a well done style mix, odd to get this flavor and color combination, however it was well done, the flavors and aromas were very complimentary, it was quenching and layered, and complex without being too much at once,well brewed