Salute to Saisons (2025)

Discussion in 'The Bar' started by ATL6245, Jan 1, 2025.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 1 of 4
  1. ATL6245

    ATL6245 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,984) Aug 16, 2018 Georgia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Welcome to the 2025 Saison appreciation thread. This is a thread for Beer Advocates to share and discuss their love for this rustic ale originating from French speaking areas of Belgium.

    The BJCP describes Saison as "a family of refreshing, highly attenuated, hoppy, and fairly bitter Belgian ales with a very dry finish and high carbonation. Characterized by a fruity, spicy, sometimes phenolic fermentation profile, and the use of cereal grains and sometimes spices for complexity. Several variations in strength and color exist."

    To get us launched, this is one of my favorite imported Saisons, IV from Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille in Belgium 6.5% ABV.

    Appearance: Cloudy gold, fluffy white head with good retention.

    Aroma: Herbal, light fruity esters

    Flavor: Spicy, pepper, lemongrass, light fruit, low sweetness, low to moderate bitterness.

    Mouthfeel: Light bodied, effervescent, drying.

    Overall: Light and refreshing Saison. Very effervescent. Fruity esters and spiciness accent flavor and aromas. Brewery states they use 4 different hops, would love to know which ones. It has some unique, hard to pin down aromas and flavors.

    4.28/5
    look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

    BA Rating: 87 - Very Good

    Share what you're drinking and a review if you can. Cheers to Saisons!

    [​IMG]
     
    #1 ATL6245, Jan 1, 2025
    sjjn, jzeilinger, Beersnake and 13 others like this.
  2. mactrail

    mactrail Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,999) Mar 24, 2009 Washington
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I"m always trying the domestic versions, so here's one from yet another obscure Southern Calif brewery, Pfeiffer Brewing and Something French Summer Saison.

    Aromatic with grain and something fruity and grapey. Starts with a sensation of sweetness and caramel, warm and winey. Taste is bold and estery with a bitter yeasty finish. Flavors of peaches, corn, bitter chard, and that persistent Belgian yeast. This seems like a more "in your face" kind of Saison, but it's drinkable enough.

    [​IMG]
     
    #2 mactrail, Jan 3, 2025
    Beersnake, ChicagoJ, tacosandbeer and 10 others like this.
  3. ATL6245

    ATL6245 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,984) Aug 16, 2018 Georgia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Nice. It sounds like it is appropriately subtitled "Summer Saison". That would be a good one for the summer months.
     
    #3 ATL6245, Jan 3, 2025
    ChicagoJ, mactrail, Luscious_Malfoy and 2 others like this.
  4. ATL6245

    ATL6245 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,984) Aug 16, 2018 Georgia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    P.S. I'd love to see more table or Petite Saisons this year (< 5% ABV). These 6%-7% ones are wonderful, but I'd like to see who's pulling off some good lower ABV ones. Cheers!
     
    #4 ATL6245, Jan 3, 2025
    ChicagoJ, mactrail, Luscious_Malfoy and 3 others like this.
  5. augustgarage

    augustgarage Pooh-Bah (2,703) May 20, 2007 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]

    First saison of 2025 for me, and the last Fantôme in my fridge, will have to remedy that soon - full review in NBW#233 (3.95/5) - cheers!
     
    #5 augustgarage, Jan 5, 2025
    keilerdunkel, jzeilinger, Beersnake and 9 others like this.
  6. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Human Robot - Nothing is Revealed

    As you can tell from the can label color scheme, their inspiration was Saison Dupont
    [​IMG]
     
    #6 jmdrpi, Jan 6, 2025
    keilerdunkel, sjjn, jzeilinger and 10 others like this.
  7. ATL6245

    ATL6245 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,984) Aug 16, 2018 Georgia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    If anyone, especially our TN Advocates, comes across Blackberry Farms Classic Saison, please post! I have a hard time finding it in Georgia now. Still one of the best. Cheers!
     
    #7 ATL6245, Jan 11, 2025
    keilerdunkel, Beersnake, ChicagoJ and 2 others like this.
  8. ScaryEd

    ScaryEd Grand Pooh-Bah (3,793) Feb 19, 2012 New Hampshire
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Shout out to Suarez Brewery in Hudson, NY, for making some of the best saisons I've ever had. Crisp, hoppy, lightly tart. Just amazing.
     
    #8 ScaryEd, Jan 11, 2025
    keilerdunkel, sjjn, Beersnake and 8 others like this.
  9. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

    I could not agree more!!! I always have wondered who influenced whom most when Dan Suarez and Shaun Hill worked together? Suarez saisons are substantial, refreshing, clean, interesting, and so, so delicious, everything a saison should be.
     
    #9 cavedave, Jan 11, 2025
    keilerdunkel, ChicagoJ, CarolinaCardinals and 3 others like this.
  10. CarolinaCardinals

    CarolinaCardinals Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,231) Jun 11, 2003 North Carolina
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I actually found it available at the Greenville, SC Total Wine, and have placed it in my virtual cart. If you are up for a 2-hour road trip and decide to go i highly recommend the Greenville Beer Exchange downtown as well, they have a great bottle shop and a very nice tap list in the bar area. I need an excuse to go to GBX so would not be adverse for a BA meetup!
    Cheers!
    Tom
     
    #10 CarolinaCardinals, Jan 11, 2025
    keilerdunkel, ChicagoJ, Luscious_Malfoy and 1 other person like this.
  11. ATL6245

    ATL6245 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,984) Aug 16, 2018 Georgia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    It's hard to imagine I'd have to drive to Greenville when it uses to be readily available around here. May have to take you up on that.
     
    #11 ATL6245, Jan 11, 2025
    keilerdunkel, CarolinaCardinals, ChicagoJ and 1 other person like this.
  12. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]
    Here we have a pretty uniques take on the saison. Saison Bruges from Upright Brewing. Preliminary review below. Cheers!

    4/5 rDev +0.3%
    look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
    16oz can (no packaging date visible) into a tulip. Pours a brownish amber with a minimal head—looks more like a Diet Coke than a saison. Interesting.

    Aroma is mostly sweet with some vague Belgian saison funk. Ripe banana, clove, spices.

    Taste has an intriguing sweet and sour thing going on. Bready malt, vague spices. Not picking up much by way of cacao nibs, maybe a slight spicy heat.

    Mouthfeel is medium bodied, balanced.

    Overall an interesting take on the saison—not very typical for the style but enjoyable nonetheless.
     
    #12 Orca, Jan 11, 2025
    keilerdunkel, Beersnake, CarolinaCardinals and 6 others like this.
  13. augustgarage

    augustgarage Pooh-Bah (2,703) May 20, 2007 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]

    Did someone say Suarez? Enjoying this one quite a bit; full review here and in NBW#234 (4.27/5).
     
    #13 augustgarage, Jan 12, 2025
    keilerdunkel, Beersnake, jmdrpi and 6 others like this.
  14. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Saison Voisin from Brasserie Des Légendes

    earthy and bitter. dry, grainy finish. thin bodied, but coats the tongue
    [​IMG]
     
    #14 jmdrpi, Feb 1, 2025
    ATL6245, CarolinaCardinals, keilerdunkel and 6 others like this.
  15. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Forest Ghost from Brasserie Fantôme in Soy, Belgium. I should note that this bottle is close to 10 years old, and this is the first time trying it (was gifted to me). So, this review may not reflect what the beer tasted like when it was fresh. Saison, ABV is 6%.

    Poured at fridge temp. Pours an amber color (opaque) with a solid couple of inches of off-white head. Looks really nice. The nose is intense and funky. I love it. Sour cherries, rhubarb, lemon sour candy, baby diaper, vanilla cake, and a touch of funk. Really smooth on the nose.

    The taste is as smooth as the nose. Mellow, which was a surprise. Vanilla ice cream, lemon, slight oak bitterness, slight barnyard funk, hay, wet grass, and some leather. Almost a moldy note - like a blue cheese. Not getting any sourness which is odd for this style. OK, but I prefer the nose.

    Mouthfeel is light and the aftertaste is fairly dull. Short finish.

    [​IMG]
     
    #15 Beersnake, Feb 1, 2025
    ATL6245, CarolinaCardinals, keilerdunkel and 6 others like this.
  16. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Below is a link to a store in Atlanta that will sell you a single can for 11 bucks. As much as I have enjoyed this beer that is too steep for me.

    Maybe call them to see if you could obtain a 'discount' for a six-pack purchase?

    Cheers!

    https://www.localvinestore.com/product/s-10394/p-2883292/buy-blackberry-farm-classic-saison
     
    #16 JackHorzempa, Feb 2, 2025
    CarolinaCardinals, keilerdunkel, Luscious_Malfoy and 2 others like this.
  17. jzeilinger

    jzeilinger Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,847) Dec 4, 2004 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Great brewery. How does it compare to that benchmark Saison?
     
    #17 jzeilinger, Feb 2, 2025
    CarolinaCardinals, keilerdunkel, Luscious_Malfoy and 2 others like this.
  18. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Without doing a side by side obviously hard to say for sure, but seemed like a worthy tribute.
     
    #18 jmdrpi, Feb 3, 2025
    CarolinaCardinals, keilerdunkel, jzeilinger and 2 others like this.
  19. ATL6245

    ATL6245 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,984) Aug 16, 2018 Georgia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    #19 ATL6245, Feb 3, 2025
    CarolinaCardinals, Luscious_Malfoy, ChicagoJ and 1 other person like this.
  20. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Yeah, a crazy price IMO.

    But at least you know that brand is still available in your area.

    Cheers!
     
    #20 JackHorzempa, Feb 3, 2025
    CarolinaCardinals, Luscious_Malfoy, ChicagoJ and 1 other person like this.
Page 1 of 4
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.