La Vermontoise
Brasserie de Blaugies

 

Poured a 375ml caged and corked bottle into a tulip. Best before date end 2025. A massive four finger bubbly white head on a very hazy lemon. Excellent head retention. Patchy lacing.
A strong classic Saison smell. Spicy.
Fruity. Lemon in the background. Dry finish.
light body and moderate carbonation.
An excellent Saison. True to the style. Smooth and well balanced.

 

 

 

 

 

Look: It pours golden and is brilliantly clear. It has a white head with medium head retention.

Smell: It has a medium grainy aroma with some low vinous qualities. There are some light citrus qualities with some low spice.

Taste: The flavor is more towards grainy sweetness. There are citrus qualities in the background with some spice.

Feel: It has a medium body with a dry finish.

Overall, a well balance farmhouse ale with a citrus twist.

Poured from 375mL corked & caged green bottle into my BeerAdvocate teku.

Appearance: shimmery silvery-gold hue with three fingers of pillowy white foam. I think it's quite beautiful.

Smell: lightly funky with a smooth malt and a nice hop character. Let this one breathe for a minute or two after pouring, though, as the green bottle gives it plenty of off-aroma upon opening. Why do manufacturers insist on still using green bottles?

Taste: lightly malty with just a hint of funk. There's a dash of sweetness here that works well with the grassy, vernal hops. It works for me.

Mouthfeel: light body with a huge carbonation that results in a big, though ephemeral, creaminess.

Overall: this beer is quite good, and I'm enjoying it a lot. It would rate higher but for the residual off-aromas from being slightly skunked.

375ml green bottle, caged and corked. No dating information found.
Cloudy, straw colored body. Active white head. Only a few spots of lacing left behind.
Aroma is prevalent, with pencil eraser yeast and floral hops.
Taste is yeast funk, and lemon. Orange. Grassy. Full of pepper. Mineral quality at the end. Grass, lemon and funk in the aftertaste.
Effervescent and medium mouth feel. Very dry finish. Very good carbonation.
Rather unique saison with the amount of oily lemon that adds to the yeast funk. Good hops note.

On draft at Glory in Philly. Pours gold with a thin head. Smell of bubble gum and a bit of lemon. Has a nice bready and peppery flavor. A very nice beer.

 

 

375 mL cork and cage bottle from the LCBO; best before Dec 31 2024 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a hazy golden-yellow colour; its body is effervescent, laden with sandy sediment, and crowned with more than two fingers of billowing, foamy white head that gradually dissipates. Nearly ten minutes later, it has been whittled down to a bumpy half-inch cap of soapy suds, with a thick coat of lace deposited as it recedes - looks great so far. The nose is subtle yet varied; I'm getting hints of orange peel, lemon, whole grains and bready pale malt sweetness, with suggestions of candi sugar, grassy hay, herbal hops and peppery yeast spiciness.

Unique flavour profile that moves through several phases: spicy at first, followed by bitter/hoppy flavours, and then an abrupt, bone dry finish. Grainy forefront, with hints of crackers, coriander, pepper and lemon pith not far behind; flavours of grassy, herbal hops and peppery spice dominate towards the finish. Citrus oil, barnyard funk and white pepper are the last sensations, followed by the aforementioned dry conclusion. Medium-light in body, with aggressive carbonation that remains prickly and sharp right down to the last sip; froths up a little in the mouth, lending some creaminess to the feel. Fantastically easy to toss back - 375 mL is not really enough IMO, as I could've gone for a full half-litre.

Final Grade: 4.21, an A-. La Vermontoise is an undoubtedly interesting and memorable saison - definitely on the bitter side, but as a hophead? It's a beer after my own heart. Skimming some of the other reviews, I came across 'wet stone' (thanks, SierraNevallagash) and wow, is that ever an apt description of this beer's tail end that I never would have come up with on my own. It's like licking a wet (clean) stone. Just a neat saison all around; I preferred this over their La Moneuse, and would encourage all BAs to seek this out for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(375 ml green bottle, muselet code: U2-08:21; purchased single off shelf from clearly a newly-opened case... decanted into a fat tulip)

L: there was sediment going up the side of the bottle, but it must have gravitated downward while in transit back to my place; at any rate, there's a big slug of sediment at the bottom... liquid: opaque, yellow-amber in color; foam: loose, big bubbles and gaps; recedes to speckled collar in short order... the collar eventually all but disappears

S: light-struck skunk upon cork removal, also while pouring... nose in glass: lemon shortbread, wet green leaves, perfumy and slightly peppery-phenolic undertone... the skunk clears out quick; subtle grapefruit spice... reminds me of craft saison of yesteryears; good expression and intensity

T: spicy, leafy, bitter bite up front, with a swiftly-developing montage of flashing grain and yeast flavors over the course of the sip; but its core bitterness keeps center... aftertaste is mildly-candied citrus peel, toasty husky grain meal; relatively dry... a few sips in, and the skunk (which I enjoy) may be lending to the almost tonic water herbal bitterness ever present

F: bit of a sediment-ed silty roundness midway, but it's otherwise cut kinda dry, and it's repeatedly relatively effervescent... rustic, refreshing

O: of course took a crack at this, due to my liking of beers from both breweries; seems like it leans more toward the nuances of Blaugies wares... would probably grab one more bottle to share, but this collab did not yield a unique(ly tasty) beer, though solid, despite the skunk (1868)

 

375ml bottle poured into a tulip.

A: Sunny golden color, huge rocky white head on the pour. Retention is superb and gobs of lacing cling everywhere.

S: Hoppy and yeasty up front. Floral, green, and oily with a lot of orange and meyer lemon rind. Fleshy apricot too. Musty and peppery with a slight medicinal backing. Coarse grainy aromas, bit of toast and hay.

T: Follows the nose. Green and oily bitterness, orange and lemon rind flavor. Apricot. Musty, peppery, very mildly medicinal. Grainy malt base is a bit more coarse than the norm, likely due to the spelt. This gives it a nice rustic character. Toast and hay. Quick and dry finish with just a bit or trailing grain and hop oil.

M: Medium-full body. Creamy and fluffy. Lots of scrubbing and lifting carbonation. A little bit of gritty astringency.

O: I do love me a hoppy, slightly Americanized saison (pour one out for Jack D'or). This is a nice one. There's a great, rustic old-world saison at the core here, fermented well with a lot of lively yeast character and coarse graininess. Combine that with a very American hop sensibility that brings a lot of oil, fruit, and citrus and it's a winner. I'd hold this up as one of the better ongoing collaborations out there.

Appearance: Slightly hazy, straw gold. High visible carbonation. Fast bubbles. Big fluffy white head, excellent retention.

Aroma: Light fruity esters. Apricot. Floral hops.

Flavor & aftertaste: Yeasty and spicy. Light fruit notes of apricot & lemon. Pronounced bitterness. Very Dry.

Mouth-feel: Light to medium bodied. Effervescent. Pillowy. Short, dry finish.

Overall: I thought I knew what a great Saison was, but this one is amazing. Looks light & simple but exhibits a great deal of complexity of flavors. Floral, yeast and some light fruit aromas. Flavors are a mix of yeast, light fruits and spices. Has a distinct bitter bite that is not offensive. Mouth-feel is light to medium, pillowy with lively effervescent carbonation. 6% ABV barely noticeable. Very enjoyable Saison. Would be great in the Spring & Summer with a meal. Had to give this one high marks vs other Saisons I've had.

8/21/22 - 2nd tasting, newer 750ml bottle. This is a new bottling (I think). It is noticeable different than my original review. More "rough around the edges" and decidedly more bitter. The Amarillo hops gives it a distinctively American note. After reading more about this collab, I would highly recommend sitting on a bottle at least a year. It's very good, but is arguably better with some age and mellowing.

Looks light golden. Smells sweet, and floral. Taste grassy and sweet. I really love the feel to this beer!

 

Slightly hazy straw color, very bubbly, soapy white head, good retention.
Not a big nose, but I get lemon, hay, and a bit of barnyard funk.
Lemon, crackery dry pilsner/wheat malt, a hint of grapefruit, banana, earthy, hay, and funk. Pepper shows up and lingers on the finish.
Medium-light feel, effervescent carbonation, dry finish.
Excellent saison. Great collab.

 

2,150th review. Cork and cage 375 ml bottle from the LCBO for about $7 CDN. Best before December 31, 2024. Served cold into a Gouden Carolus chalice.

Appearance - Light hazy, bright golden color with two fingers of loose white head. Modest staying power forms a small cap on top and minimal lacing.

Smell - Earthy and funky with a bucnh of lemon zest, horse blanket, touches of candi sugar and some peppery spiciness. Wonderfully robust and complex.

Taste - Initially assertively bitter but lemon pops in and out, candi sugar makes a brief appearance before finishing very peppery. Earthy and herbal throughout.

Mouthfeel - Medium light in body, hiding the 6% very well, crisp carbonation and bone dry finish.

Overall - Unique and exceptionally earthy and herbal, there aren't too many beers like this. Unique and refreshing, so while not something I'd want to enjoy multiple of, La Vermontoise provides a wonderful shock to the system that is something different.

 

Shared 750 ml corked green bottle, Pale golden colour, large to moderate white head. Very spicy, yeasty and lemony aroma. Very spicy / white pepper dry flavour, nearly too much, but acceptable.

 

a: cloudy burnt yellow color with some dark copper notes towards the center. large rocky 4 finger off-white head

s: tons of barnyard funk hits you in the nose as soon as you pop the cork on this one. pears, green apple skin, and sweet red apples. sweet grass, lemongrass, and sweet grains. a bit of that band aid funk and some sweet caramel. sweet lemons and a huge crackery backbone. a nice bit of spice too - pepper, coriander and cardamom

t: sweet grains, lemongrass, and a quite large earthy herbal bitterness. pears and green apple skin behind that. nice pepper spice, coriander and cardamom spice..just like in the nose. a faint bit of that barnyard funk, but it's not as prominent as it was in the nose. huge dry cracker malt backbone. the finish is dry with a bit of pear and more herbal bitterness

m: medium mouthfeel with extremely high carbonation. quite dry. just what you want from the style

o: nice base Saison in here with fantastic aroma. the taste is definitely more on the bitterness side. i would have liked a bit more funk in the taste, but this is very enjoyable and i would have no qualms having this again

Pours from the bottle a slightly hazy golden yellow, robust off white head that quickly dissipates, no lacing. Nose is hop forward and earthy, followed by lots of grass, hay, lemon, and a touch of hairspray. Taste follows with earthy hops up front, but there's some significant malt sweetness that follows. Finish is pretty balanced, maybe a touch bitter, with a nice, full mouthfeel. Glad to have stumbled on a bottle, but not blown away.