Mad Brewers Orchard Ale
Malt Shovel Brewery

 

Perhaps an unsual style and for the most part worked well. Can definitely pick up the apple juice, fairly simple and juicy at that, and some sour spice coming through, but this ’saison’ not is fairly mild. There’s a stinky, meaty, yeasty Belgian Ale flavour that provides some interest. No bad I guess but overall not particularly challenging.

A: good head, interesting colour. Head doesn't hang around too long. 3

S: sour citrus and some funky rubber and smoke. Bit of apple juice present *Very* faint bandaids. 3

T: again a little bit of funk. Tastes a bit like a drier than usual apple cider, which I think comes from the sourness imparted by the saison element. Also has a bit of a smoky taste. I like the way this smokiness subdues the sweetness of the apples, increasing its palatability. 3.5

M: Feels quite carbonated in the mouth, despite the lack of visible bubbles. Alright, I wouldn't have minded had they gone for more full-blown apple ciderness though. 3

D: look this isn't bad and there's nothing unpleasant here. I find it hard to finish the whole 640mL bottle but I couldn't say it was bad for the price. 3

Drank from my Duvel Tulip

A - Pours an amber colour witha large bubbled head that dies quick.

S - Sweet apple aromas and syrup.

T - A little ciderey but way too syruppy for me. definitely not a Saison

M - Sticky and medium body too much carbonation.

D - Well what a dissapointment, after all the hype this gets the thumbs down from me.

Pours vibrant pale amber with a creamy lasting head.
Nose shows some tangy apple cider, some bready malt and a bit of wheat. Not bad.
Flavours include soft sweet apple, bready malt, and finishes quite dry, as a good saison should.
Light body, soft carbonation that could be a little higher.
Very light and refreshing, it does actually remind me of Saison Dupont, I assume they used a genuine saison yeast or something?

Appearance - Darkish amber, but very transparent. Small head.

Smell - Spicy, sweet and fruity.

Taste - Sweet is the first adjective that comes to mind, probably too sweet. The apple is very evident, along with some citrus flavours and mild, inoffensive spices.

Mouthfeel - A little thin, low carbonation.

Drinkability - Very good, a great summer beer.

Overall - Quite simple and not a true saison, but nonetheless very enjoyable, especially on a hot day.

640 ML Bottle poured into a tulip

A-- Poured a dark honey color with tints of red in the sides . Very short life for the head it had. Maybe 40 seconds at best. No lacing no signs of carbonation.

S-- Pretty fresh green apple smell with some malt, and a carmel background. Reasonable sour lime smell as well. A bit like roses lime though. Too metallic but it works.

T-- Has the apple taste to this. Like biting a decently juicy apple. Holds a lot of the apple taste pretty well. Very crisp at first and then the acid kicks in.

M-- Carbonation borders on being a bit under carbonated but good. Not as lively or as crisp as a cider would be. More heavy and weighty. Still pretty tasty actually. Like I said holds the apple characteristics well. Not necessarily a fall apple but more a late summer apple. Has the right acid and feel and does not go over the top. Apple taste lingers well and makes you want another sip pretty quickly.

D-- Might need a bit more of a carmel taste for this to really take off. Very drinkable but feels a bit heavy. Not sessionable but something you drink every few days or once a week as a good change up. No Alcohol feel at all to this.
Malt Shovel does some good things. I liked the Raspberry Wheat. Had it right after I moved out to Australia. Loved the Ten 20 Ale and like the Abby Ale. I do give the brewery credit for trying this style and wish they would do more styles or different types as they have a platform in Sydney to do so.
Good Effort on the beer and worth trying and doing as a change up in your normal lineup.

Appearance - 3.5
Pours a finger of off-white head that quickly falls to a thin layer. The body is a clear, pale copper-peach.

Smell - 3.0
Fresh apple juice, a little cider and grain.

Taste - 3.0
Honeyish malt, sweet apples with just a little cidery tartness, toffee and barely perceptible hop bitterness. Pleasant, but overall sweet without the bitter and dry character of a true saison.

Mouthfeel - 3.5
Fine bead, light to medium bodied, a little sticky.

Drinkability - 3.5
Not something I would go back to, but not hard to drink either.

OVERALL - 3.2
A fairly pleasant hybrid beer with a big, fresh apple juice character. More substantial hopping and a dry finish, and it could have been good - as it is, it's a little too simple for my tastes.

Tried on tap at the Local Taphouse, Darlinghurst.

Pours a deep coppery golden colour with a good creamy film of off white bubbles. Lacing is solid. Looks good.

Sharp phenols with something slightly sweet on the nose. Perhaps some green apple crsipness, with a slight medicinal/pine hop note. A little odd, a little unexpected. But not unpleasant.

Taste is quite odd. Initial crisp malt gives way to floury cider apples, with a light phenolic bitterness on the back. With the cider sweetness, the bitterness is unwelcome. I'd prefer a little acidity or just a husky dryness, but it's not bad. Mouthfeel is surprisingly syrupy with a tingle of carbonation.

Overall, its a little too odd for my tastes, but I love anyone who pushes the envelope. It's drinkable enough, but it's not the Genesis of an exciting new style.

Copper body. Dark for a saison, but it's not really a saison is it? Hardly any head or lacing to speak of. Nose is quite good, fresh Belgian yeast supported by the subtle cidery apple notes. The saison side of it is apparent but the tart apple sourness at the back is very cider like and clashes a touch with the bitterness. Unfortunately the two styles don't mesh all that smoothly. However it does grow on you by the end of the bottle. Overall, body weight, finish and carbonation are all in line quite nicely showing good craftsmanship but it feels a little misguided.

I gotta admit i love it when Mad Brewers bring out another interesting beer and im always keen to try them eversince their first brew raspberry wheat,anyways this pours an unusual colour for a saison a light semi see thru amber hue with nice carbonation that leaves a two finger head and average lacing,the aroma is apples,abit of barnyard funk and some citrus,it has a nice easy mouthfeel with tastes of citrus,corriander,apples and some lime and is very easy to drink but in saying that if this was classed as a saison it wouldnt be my favourite example of the style as it definately isnt true to it but thats how the Mad Brewers like to do things and unfortunately there is not alot other Aussie Brewers that dont step out of the box enough so my hat goes off to these guys as it is a nice beer overall and would even entice some boutique beer critics at its price and easy taste.

This is the latest mad Brewers limited release following on from Raspberry Wheat and Ten20 Commemorative Ale. It is a saison fermented with a 20% addition of apple juice. I am keen to see how this turns out as saisons often have refined sugar added to them to dry them out and the apple juice should do the same thing while adding some fruity complexity. The challenge here is to see how well the apple works with the peppery yeast character expected in a saison.

The initial aroma is sweet and spicy with some light phenolics and some pepper. There is a bit of barnyard mustiness and "fruitiness" that I wouldn't describe as apple. I get a hint of alcohol.

The colour is amber with orange highlights. The head is creamy, light tan and relatively short lived.

A subtle apple character plays with a somewhat sweet (maybe even a touch under-attenuated) beer. The yeast character is noticeable, if a bit low, with some pepper and citrus playing a part. One the whole it is quite nice with a well balanced and slightly dry finish. Not as bitter as many saisons, something that probably isn't helped by the overall sweetness of the beer. I actually quite like this even though I would prefer it to be a touch drier.

Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. This could be thinner with higher carbonation for me and particularly if it wants to be called a saison. Nonetheless it works reasonably well with the beer.

A drinkable beer to be sure. There is plenty of flavour and I could see many a non-craft drinker being pleasantly surprised by this beer. To my tastes I prefer a Saison duPont or a Bridge Road Chevalier but this is a nice take on the style, a better beer if I don't think of it as a saison and it comes at a good price too.