The 750 Saison

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by zid, Jun 26, 2016.

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  1. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
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    [​IMG]

    Blackberry Farm Classic Saison

    A nice coincidence - Beer Advocate magazine currently has an article that briefly mentions Blackberry Farm. A picture of their saisons is currently featured on the home page.

    Blackberry Farm is an acclaimed resort in Tennessee. One of the things they have on the property is a brewery.

    Tragically, Sam Beall, the proprietor of the resort, died in a skiing accident earlier this year. You can learn more about the history of the resort in a story about the accident here. His widow has since taken over operations. I have no idea if this will impact their production of beer that hits distribution.

    This beer won the gold medal in the French & Belgian-Style Saison category of the 2016 World Beer Cup. There were many entries in this category.

    It feels very appropriate that this beer won such a distinction because it feels like the kind of saison that perfectly embodies the style guidelines as written for a competition. It has a super pillowy and effervescent head but the beer never becomes prickly. There's a lemon pepper bite but it's achieved without the use of additives - the yeast does all the work. It's 6% ABV. There's just enough of a bitter finish to let you know it has one. There's a pleasant white wine aroma. It's a saison for the finicky drinker rather than the adventurous one (but I don't mean to diminish how nice this beer is by saying that). It's very well done.

    The label really (and most likely deliberately) captures the vibe of something from an estate made in small batches. A winery meets food-stand aesthetic.
     
    #121 zid, Jul 7, 2016
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  2. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'm moving on to what some call the Table Beers.

    [​IMG]

    Upright Four

    The beer is incredibly dry. There's a light lemon quality and a continental hop presence. I'm a big fan of low ABV beers and do not demand an intensity of flavor from beer (this one is 4.5), but in this case the beer really isn't working for me because the flavors feel too dialed back. I expect more from a good 4.5 saison. The fizziness of the carbonation is really not doing this beer any favors. I wonder if the beer would feel less lacking if the carbonation was softer. Could have also been a case of the wrong beer at the wrong time.
     
    #122 zid, Jul 7, 2016
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  3. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]

    Mystic Table Beer

    Now this is more like it. At 4.3%, it manages to suit me much better than the Upright beer. There's a fantastic bitter finish (but not one that overwhelms the delicate nature of this beer). It's quite dry. It has a very light body but it's not without character. The beer disappears in my glass way too fast - a quality I like in a table beer.
     
    #123 zid, Jul 7, 2016
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  4. Jacobier10

    Jacobier10 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,102) Feb 23, 2004 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    In hindsight, given the levels of oxidation in some of the beers, would you have saved less than 8 oz per sample? Or do you feel that the 8 oz was a necessary amount in order to get a fair representation of each beer in the blind tasting?
     
    #124 Jacobier10, Jul 7, 2016
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  5. Squire

    Squire Grand Pooh-Bah (4,385) Jul 16, 2015 Mississippi
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I occasionally save the first 8 ounces also but not for any scientific reasons, rather my save containers happen to hold 8 ounces.
     
    #125 Squire, Jul 7, 2016
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  6. monkeybeerbelly

    monkeybeerbelly Initiate (0) Dec 6, 2012 New York

    god i love science...
     
    #126 monkeybeerbelly, Jul 7, 2016
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  7. SudsDoctor

    SudsDoctor Pooh-Bah (1,739) Nov 23, 2008 New York
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Were you setting aside 8 ounces of the last three beers too? If not, it's a good thing they were "only" 6, 4.5 & 4.3 ABV respectively. Even so, 3 750s in the span of 13 minutes (based on time stamps of your posts) is a quite a bit to take on. Even in the name of exploration and science. Looking forward to more of your explorations though. :wink:
     
    #127 SudsDoctor, Jul 7, 2016
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  8. utopiajane

    utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    You haven't seen the last of me yet! I found this today. i have no idea how old it is. Was covered in some dust but I will be back!

    [​IMG]
     
    #128 utopiajane, Jul 8, 2016
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  9. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Is that why you love @Sixpoint ? :slight_smile:
     
    #129 zid, Jul 9, 2016
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  10. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    So far, I've set aside 8 oz of almost every beer. I don't post when (or immediately after) I'm drinking the beer. There's usually quite a lag. I'm currently behind in my postings. Might try to get a bunch in Saturday night.
     
    #130 zid, Jul 9, 2016
  11. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
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    I bought the box of Ball jars specifically for this, so I had a choice of sizes. I'm filling 'em to the top. The carbonation in these beers is starting to destroy the jar lids! I'm happy I went with 8oz. In some cases, I drank the entire jar - I used all 8oz to get a better impression. In a few cases, I only finished about 1/3 of a jar - with 12 jars, there's just way too much beer to consume all of it. Not sure if I'm reading you right regarding the oxidation. The age of the bottles was the oxidation culprit.
     
    #131 zid, Jul 9, 2016
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  12. surfcaster

    surfcaster Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2013 North Carolina
    Trader

    Best thread in some time--thanks.

    Have you tried the Blackberry Farm Dry Hopped Cuvee Saison? I don't think they make a bad one!!!!
     
    #132 surfcaster, Jul 9, 2016
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  13. utopiajane

    utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah


    I just popped it open and she's a gusher. Sorry no pics because the camera is still charging but I think I have enough time to wait it out and still get photos. The bottle is all the way up the neck with bubbles. it did not spurt it just started flowing . The stuff coming out is dreg like and muddy brown. Smells like wood and white wine . At first I thought I smelled vinegar. I will wait for the crappy camera to charge.

    How exciting! :grimacing:
     
    #133 utopiajane, Jul 9, 2016
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  14. laketang

    laketang Grand Pooh-Bah (3,017) Mar 22, 2015 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah

    same label I had, I bought mine in 2015
     
    #134 laketang, Jul 9, 2016
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  15. utopiajane

    utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    Here we go! It actually does not taste terrible. more in a little while. The web cam takes photos.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    #135 utopiajane, Jul 9, 2016
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  16. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
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    I haven't. This was the first time I had one of their beers. I was very curious when I first started seeing them but the price initially drove me away.
     
    #136 zid, Jul 9, 2016
  17. utopiajane

    utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    Saison De Eldeberry

    My saison had some obvious oxidation but let me tell you about it. Somethign happened to this bottle to change this beer. The nose does not match the taste. First the color the color never really improved. It is not opaque but it is milky and cloudy and what you call muddy. Everything thrown up into the beer. Against a strong light it looked like thick peach nectar. The head really was powerful at first then falls flat. No bubbles to see.

    The nose has evidence of a vibrant and cheeky wine barrel. the cabernet sauvignon. You can smell it and a bit of wood. An exotic fruit ( that's because I have never had it before) what I think were sharp grasses now more like dried leaves. Then a flatness that pinches the nose. The palate is cut short. There is obvious paper taste in the beer and it lingers up over all the flavors after you drink it. The malt survived to show you it was fluid, creamy. The sugar has separated a bit and seems like a thin sheet over the malt where once they had been joined and the hop bitter has been pushed at the finish. The paper bites now and that's oxidation. There is no carbonation and I think it's because of all the stuff in the beer.

    I am not reluctant to try this brewer again. This is the first I have seen from them and lets see some more. Cheers everyone!
     
    #137 utopiajane, Jul 9, 2016
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  18. Urk1127

    Urk1127 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,790) Jul 2, 2014 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Im really enjoying this thread. The first saison i ever had was Brooklyn Sorachi Ace and for a while i absolutely hated it and avoided the style. After easing in with Stone Saison and Heavy Seas Riptide, which id say are hoppier versions, i started seeking them out. In finding Allagsh, i fell in love with all things of the nature and now to an extent 99% of the time do not want a belgian ipa if you will, like i had used hopsto muddle the funk to get into the style. I like my saisons dry and subtle enough and sure as hell, funky. I also cant get enough history on the subject either.

    More Saisons!
     
    #138 Urk1127, Jul 9, 2016
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  19. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,884) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Store them in the fridge! It'll slow down any further oxidation and staling, and even help it hold onto whatever carbonation is in there.
     
    #139 TongoRad, Jul 9, 2016
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  20. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,884) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Have you revisited Sorachi Ace?
     
    #140 TongoRad, Jul 9, 2016
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