Salute to Saisons (2024)

@ATL6245 thanks for getting to going this year.

Subtle Shade - Resident Culture

It fits the style guide nicely. The initial pour left yeast in the can, and that is a mistake. Once the yeast was added, the aroma and flavors lost the sharp edges, allowing funky apple and a host of white spice and herbs to flower. Initial tartness is quickly overwhelmed by bitterness. The hops play a pronounced role, without relegating the other characteristics to secondary status. Quite dry, coriander, thyme, and watercress work well with orange and lemon pith. Good when clear, definitely more appealing and to style with yeast haze.

And the inaugural use of an AO IIPA glass from Burlington, VT.
https://www.aoglass.com/

 

Pulled this month's beer roughly (and I do mean rough) 26 hours ago when the rain got real hard, and the wind and flood warnings were up (since our ground had fifteen inches of snow melt just days ago in another flooding rain), and it became obvious the power would go. Which it did about an hour after I finished slowly sipping this masterpiece in amazement. Was off for ten hours, came back, then off again for some hours more during which I napped. A mess out there, worse down in the valley.

Suarez is tops for saisons. The cherries in this were still vibrant, and the beer itself stood up brilliantly. 2016 Merkel. Yummm!

 

From last weeks excursion to the Aleyards craft brewing district. in Toronto.

Davenport Saison from Shacklands brewing. They specialize in Belgian styles so I will be back.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31674/305406/

Poured a 355ml can into a tulip. A one finger fine white head on a very slightly hazy amber lemon. Good head retention. Some patchy lacing.
Spicy fruit in the nose. Earthy. Very mild funk.
Fruity. Earthy. Sweet. Some pepper. A dry finish.
Medium body and carbonation.
An excellent Saison.

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

Enjoying this classic example now
Cheers

 

Had Vista Brewing's Le Saison yesterday afternoon. A brewery I had not herd of before I stopped off at my local bottle shop and they had some available. From Driftwood Texas.

Review over at the NBW thread. The fruity esters and toasted English biscuit like malts make for a very nice balance. It could be a bit drier for my tastes, but still really enjoyable while hanging out in my courtyard before it actually...really did get cold around here ha.

 

This house favorite never disappoints
Cheers

 

It's a good one. One of my highest rated of one of my favorite styles.

 

I'll be back come spring.

 

My first saison for 2024 - Break of Dawn by El Segundo, which they say is a "new" recipe albeit with the same ingredients and ABV of their previous take on the style, "Aileron." As I noted in NBW #183, I chose this today over making a trek to Chinatown for Homage Brewing's annual cellar release of rare/barrel/fruit aged saisons/wild ales ($3.50 pint vs. $40+ bottles). My full review is in that thread as well as here (3.57/5).

Cheers!

 

Enjoying this treat from our dear friends
Cheers all

 

That's La Moneuse in that glass? So strange how different that looks to the glasses of it I've had...

 

No date on this bottle, It is from Lime imports, so post Shelton Brothers
that means less than 2 years
Cheers

 

Oxbow Brewing Instrumental: Mixed ferm blonde farmhouse ale conditioned w/ our house mixed-culture. I grabbed this bottle from Goods From The Woods purely based on the fact it didn’t have any adjuncts, fruit, etc. It delivers in every way that I hoped. This style of beer is why I fell in love with them in 2013. Dry, effervecent, incredibly aromatic, light tartness and funk, clean finish. Pez candy, overripe pineapple and peach candy are all there. Endlessly drinkable at 5% abv. It’s reminds me a bit of BA FPA. Top tier BA saison, top tier brewery.

 

Does smuttynose still make their Farmhouse ale? I feel like I haven’t seen it since I was about 23 and that was a house and 3 kids ago

 

I enjoyed this one today: Kerel Saison. Very mellow with a nice hop aroma and taste.

 

It's Listed as "Retired" on their website (along with most everything from the "Big Beer" series): https://smuttynose.com/retired/

Not sure if they stopped brewing it in 2014 (after the move), 2018 (after the auction), or more recently (advocates have reviewed it as recently as last year)?

 

Full review here and in NBW #184 (3.84/5) - cheers!

 

Saison d'Epeautre from Brasserie de Blaugies. Not my favorite saison, certainly, as I got some peanut butter notes I certainly don't associate with the style. Not terrible, though!