Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping 2019 (Styrian Wolf)
Brasserie Dupont sprl

 

 

 

11.2oz bottle. Poured out a clear, golden amber color with a good-sized, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled peppery, fruity and of some barnyard aromas. Nice spiciness with some pepper. Fruity and sweet with biscuity malt.

Appearance - murky golden body with white head

Smell - lots of citrus - orange, tangerine, pineapple, lemon

Taste - lemon, pineapple, orange, grapefruit

Mouthfeel - medoum bodied, medium carbonation, citrus upfront, a bit of hop presence on the back end

Overall - i took a chance on this, its over two years old, but it still seems to have held up, leans a little bit towards a pale ale, but the saison flavor is maintained. Decent beer here I'm glad to have tried

Price Point - $4.99/4 pk 11.2 oz bottles

 

Upon opening the bottle, a curl of vapor that looked like white smoke rose out the bottle and caught my attention; soon after, a little foam started emerging and I hastily started my pour, although it appeared to be minimal and I wish I had watched the vapor dissipating instead. It was quite a nice looking first impression. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a hazy golden amber with tiny specks floating around and a massive white head that slowly dissipates to chunky lacing. Aroma of grainy malt, saison yeast, lemon, a little grapefruit, apple; lightly floral and spicy. Flavor is grainy malt, saison yeast, lemon citrus, mild mixed tropical and light stone fruit, drying out a little into a rustic grainy finish with fleeting fruit esters and a touch of grassiness. Medium bodied with sharp carbonation. I was going to grab a bottle of this year's Avec Les Bons Voeux and spotted this instead, glad I grabbed it despite it being a year old. The classic, fine Dupont saison base is obvious here, but there is an interesting fruit and mild grass hop character not in the standard versions. It is very appealing. Dupont makes exactly the style of saison I crave with fine malt grains and rustic yeast, but without tartness. I really can see these being a refreshing pick-me-up at a working farmhouse. This dry hopped version has even more character and the Styrian Wolf offers a light fruitiness without going into fruit juice territory like a lot of contemporary IPA do. I really hope that the annual versions of this with different hops show up around here, I will be eager to try them. Classic and flavorful.

750ml bottles served in a HF tulip. Robust bottle pop leads to a dense, rocky, three inch, bright white head. Beer is a lovely golden-orange with a fairly translucent clarity and copious tiny bubble effervescing in-solution. Nose is so fragrant, even from a foot away - floral, citrus and aromas of tropical fruit. Taste consistent with nose with the addition of some peppery notes in the flavor profile. Finish is delicately herbal. Mouthfeel is light and bright with a touch of acidity. Wow - this is the best farmhouse I've had in awhile. Gotta love the classics!