Cherry Saison
Meuse Brewing Company

 

Thick layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. I like yeast notes, so I lightly agitated the pour. Beer pours a semi-opaque light red, with a faded pinkish white 2 inch head that collapses after a few mins.

Tart, sour cherry notes on the nose. The grainy, yeasty, malty notes present in their regular Saison take a backseat here.

The taste is pretty unique. It’s sour but not particularly funky, maybe a bit at first but it settles fast. More a tart sourness which is dried out by the saison style, which gives it a unique taste and mouthfeel compared to Brett-forward funky sourness, or Flanders red ales. Cleaner taste than lambics. The cherry taste is mild, very straightforward, and then you get hit by gentle grains and very mild yeasty notes. There is a nice citrus like hop bitterness in the background that fades in the finish. The finish is more sweet than sour and fairly dry.

Crisp mouthfeel with lively carbonation. This beer is definitely an interesting offering from one of my favourite breweries, and is by no means a weak one. Compared to the regular saison, the flavours and aromas are a bit more muted. The cherries add an interesting flavour profile, and this was the breweries second ever beer and first spin on their flagship product, so I have no doubt their subsequent releases will continue to improve in depth and flavour. I think people looking for strong cherry flavour (who don’t mind strong/sickly sweet flavours) or strong sour ones will be disappointed, but those who like Saisons, PAs, or Pilsners who want an interesting spin on those beers will probably like the general direction of this beer.