The 750 Saison

Found this neat video from 1963 showing malting and brewing in a home on the Swedish island of Gotland. Didn't know where to post it but figured the farmhouse theme of this thread might suit the video, and the video in turn might be interesting to participants of the thread.

 

Ooooh...I had this beer in October last year and really liked it. A bit of sourness in the background on mine. The head/carbonation was a bit ridiculous.

 

I had a new Saison from Crooked Stave this afternoon that I really enjoyed. Given the July 2015 bottling date, this was a questionable purchase. But I figured it wouldn't hurt to let the brett run wild in the bottle for a year, especially at 7.2% ABV. Luckily, my gamble paid off.



The aroma jumps out of the bottle upon opening, foreshadowing it's pungency. The beer pours a deep, bright gold with a large, dense, creamy white head. Solid retention, helped out by the constant stream of bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is loaded with citrus. Strong lemon and lime, maybe even some grapefruit although that could be tartness from the brett. Lemongrass and sage are in there for sure, creating a pleasant but strong herbal/citrus combo.

Sharp, biting acidity in the flavor. Extremely tart from the brett. There's some funk to it that you don't pick up from the aroma. No malt, no alcohol.

Dry finish, yet somehow quenching and juicy at the same time and keeps you coming back for more. The aftertaste is long and reminds me of eating a lemon Italian ice. Medium-light bodied with a ton of character and personality.

My second beer from Crooked Stave (my first being the Blueberry Petite Sour) and again I am impressed. Even with a full year on it, this beer was a pleasure to drink. Similar beers that come to mind are Brooklyn Sorachi Ace and Stone/Dogfish Head/Victory Saison du BUFF. No, @JackHorzempa, I didn't get any dill in this one.

 

Juste Le Bout by Liquid Hero (York, Pennsylvania)

Artwork: Pretty plain can design. Most of the can is taken up by the brewery's name/logo, while only a thin vertical strip is devoted to the brew's name, which translates from French to "Just the Tip". Not sure what this is supposed to mean but quite frankly I don't want to know.

Appearance: Dark burnt orange in color and fairly cloudy. Not much of a head.

Nose: Smells sweet and spicy. Some Belgian yeast.

Taste: Fairly sweet. The spices and yeast are pretty prominent. Some very mild citrus.

Mouthfeel: Feels rich and viscous. Not much carbonation on the tongue.

Overall: Not a bad Saison (or "French Saison" as the brewery specifically calls it). I would have liked some tart or bitter notes in there to balance the sweetness, though.

 

As a FYI Brett does not produce sour/tart tastes. There is obviously some acid producing bacteria that is part of the fermentation mix. The funk you are perceiving is likely from the Brett.

Sounds like you had the chance to drink a couple of tasty beers.

Cheers to you!!!!

 

Finally got around to this thread, and am really enjoying it, as I love Saisons, but I just had a disturbing thought - I don't know if I've ever had one that was brewed in Belgium!

 

That's right, good call. I'm far from an expert on yeast and bacteria and I always forget that brett = funk, not sour. It seems that there are some other bacterial forces at play here, as you said.

 

After my last bottle of Blackberry Farms, which foamed a bit, I was careful on opening this one, but it worked out just fine:


But I do think I am coming around to @zid's notes on their beers about the carbonation being a bit too much - especially right after a pour. This one smells a tad funky - but I actually think it's the hops combination with the other notes that turn it that way. The grassy notes are more fresh than dry.

Taste has a fruity note to it - peach or apricot, with a little tart pop going into the end taste. It's actually not bad until the hop bitterness takes over. It is possible that note comes from the hops (in combination with the yeast) - as this beer uses "New World" hops of Wakatu, Equinox, and Comet. The ending doesn't come clean, though, allowing the classic bitter grassiness of the hops to linger.

I think this beer helped confirmed a general truth for me that a saison that has extra hops added to it doesn't work for me. I like a cleaner finish to this style of beer. Then again, I also don't like sweeter saisons. Perhaps that's why I have often considered it a style I do not quite "get." There's a somewhat thin range of this wide style that I find quite enjoyable. I'll keep exploring, though.

 

Chris, I have not conducted a Saison tasting like you have with this thread but no matter what Saisons I drink I consistently 'come back' to Saison Dupont being my personal favorite commercial Saison beer. I think you articulate this best using the word of "balance" to describe this beer. It indeed has an awesome balance of flavors that suits my palate.

Cheers!

 

Giving this thread a bump because it's not over yet! I have this chilling.

 

You won't believe it, this week I was going to attempt an original recipe. chicken with grapefruit and sage. I found this beer which uses sage and I am hoping for some inspiration.

This is Cellar Door from Stillwater Artisanal

They are using German wheat and pale malts, sterling and citra hops and white sage.

pours gracefully with a full head that falls attractively. hazy, bubbly. Fruity with lemon and the wheat is golden . The sage is earthy and overall it smells like a bouquet. You all know how much I like sage. S soft sweetness over the top a bit of grass. The beer is soft and complex but swift and vibrant. It has an earthy green herb as it's backdrop but the beer is yellow and fruity and pleasantly hoppy. Bubbly breaddy and dry. The sage is crisp and the hops finish it sticky and bitter to show lemon and a bit of tartness in the finish. There was so much earth, but it ends simply and very crisp with a light citrus zest and spicy earth. This is so dynamic and like all good saisons also gentle. Outstanding and I like the flavor very much. I think in some saisons that have tried to use herbs they have used too many and it became overpowering. This one only uses one and I think it is well done.



Cheers!

Get Out of My Life Woman

 

Maria, I am not a big fan of Cellar Door. I suppose this demonstrates that I am not a lover of sage.

I do really like Stateside Saison though.

Cheers!

 

lol Cheers Jack! I had stateside too I think and I liked it very much. I found this in the grocery where I am told that there is a new distributor. This was one of the four packs that are new to the newly alphabetized shelves.