The 750 Saison

A Zidism describes beer flavors with various aural intensities...."The quiet quince underpins the ascending dissonance of the crotchety cranberry".

 

I, for one, will miss this thread. It has been fun and very educational. Also, it's made me jealous, haha, all those Fantomes and Jester Kings! In this world of hazy IPAs I will continue to search out new and tasty Saisons. Thanks for all your "hard" work @zid!!

 

I've really come to like Blackberry Farm.

 

This is where I guess I'll talk about the Fantome Noel I am drinking, despite the topic being over (?).

I am unsure of the age, but I have had this guy for a few years. Best buy date: end of 2016. Thought it was time to open it. Completely different from the one I had a year or two ago. My previous experience was met with a summer sausage, licorice, bretty, bready beer. A lot was going on, leading to a fun adventure.

This beer, at this point, has changed from an exuberant, angry beer, to a dried, leathery piece of pumpernickel bread. This may sound weird, but it is a different side of the same coin; just as equal. Think mid-20's versus mid-40's, in human years. Primal versus experienced.

Flowery language aside, I have truly enjoyed a perfected saison, at what might be its most masterful moment. Flowery language aside........................ again

A lot of the previously consumed Noel's characteristics are waaaay in the back, at this age. There is, however, still band-aid, a certain medical astringency. There is grass, leather, crust, dirt/earth, rye, oat, cracker, raisin, grape, apricot, and dried medium to dark fruit, with a vinous quality. On the tongue tip, there are some light melon flavors? Stroooong, but sweet leather as the beer lingers. At this stage, the alcohol is remarkably hidden.

Brettanomyces has diminished substantially. Summer sausage has gone away, except with burping. What a beer. This is absolutely a pinnacle farmhouse beer moment for me.

I know a lot of people seem to have terrible luck with Fantome. I have been incredibly lucky to have either only purchased excellent bottles, or merely liked the oddities of the flavors. The latter is most likely true, as my luck with sharing previous Fantomes has been met with the opposite (but absolutely valid!) opinion.

 

[QUOTE="JackHorzempa, post: 5176147, member: 55094".

Yup, for my palate Matilda is a "sweeter" beer and frankly a bit too sweet for my personal palate. I might enjoy an aged Matilda but I am not motivated to try this out.

I will confine my experimentation with Sofie. I enjoy that beer fresh and hopefully I will enjoy that beer with age as well.

Cheers![/QUOTE]

Now I need to revisit Orval!

Its been a while since I've had Matilda on draft, so I can't really comment on whether I find fresh Matilda to be sweet. However, I just had one (750ml) that was dated 2013. I bought it on sale and forgot about it in my basement. It was definitely on the drier side and very enjoyable. I did lose about a third of the bottle as it gushed. :-(

I'm planning on doing a side to side comparison with a 2013 and a 2016 Sofie. I do like it fresh and am curious how it ages. Hopefully I have better luck on the opening of the 2013

Cheers!

 

I would be interested in reading about your findings.

Cheers!

 

A personal favorite of the style is Edith by Hill Farmstead, usually out in the fall. tart
lite on the palate with roasted malt notes. Worth seeking out.
Cheers Maria

 

Jack, I agree completely, most of the Saisons I have brewed hit thier stride after that magic 6 month mark.
Be it Fantome, 3711, or Dupont strain all better with some rest.
Cheers

 

Smuttynose Biere de Shire



This has 9% abv and was bottled in June of this year. Pours hazy and yellow with a white head that falls well and not completely.



Nose is cracker and some subtle citrusy fruit. There is a sweet herbal woven throughout. An ester or two form the yeast. There is a little funky earth in this . Pear. Smells sweet and a bit rich. Spice and clove come forward as it warms.

Earthy palate with lots of crackery malt to take hold first while the light citrusy tartness fill up the middle. This was lovely with perfect bubbles that gave this a gentle burst in your mouth that showed off plenty of citrus and a smooth tartness that hides the abv quite well. Hops give plenty of pepper in the finish. This has a t bit of sweetness in the finish though that keeps it from being dry. The funky earth is not barnyard but sweeter and imo it does stand out over the hop herbal on the nose an don the palate. It tastes lovely though and that extra sweetness seems to bring out some fresh tasting orange which is a lovey feature of this beer. A little bitterness lingers and shows off the crackery malt once more.

I liked this and felt that the hops had plenty of complexity to offer. I thought I tasted a light tropical note that was elusive and some soft stone fruits. The carbonation was good but a little soft and maybe a few more bubbles would have helped this to dry out in the finish. That sweetness is what keeps it from being as good as it could be. I thought the flavors were excellent, the malt substantial. I wonder if keeping the abv down a bit would have eliminated the sweet finish because the one thing you do not want is a fizzy saison. The carbonation has to be right in this style. Champagne like carbonation. small bubbles that bite or tickle. Lager bubbles are too big and soft for this style and and fizz takes away flavors and bites too hard.

Cheers @zid and Cheers to the 750 Saison. I have enjoyed this thread immensely.

 

Cheers you all and good morning! I noticed that @zid had posted in a barleywine for every day and I thought I would dig this thread up because I have a new saison for today and for New Beer Sunday!



Pours yellow and just hazy with a fat creamy head of good foam that lasts and clings. Nose is first a little dankness form hops and a sweet herbal, Floral sweetness on top of a breaddy pale malt. You know how sometimes you can smell the sugar on the nose? Not on this one. All you smell is a light sweetness that does not stand out so prominently that you would notice and say "that is sugar. " Spice and grapefruit .

Drinks extremely well with a satisfying breaddy malt, just sweet and creamy; tempered by lively hops. A light tropical flavor lingers as this finishes crisply with good bubbles that just bite. I call that tickling when they do that. Earth and grapefruit are subtle enough on the palate to let you taste the generous herbal form this hop. Stiff weeds, a touch of catty dankness, prickly spice and graceful sweet herbs. A little bitterness to make it go down.

This was exemplary and 4.8%. Morning and Happy New Beer Sunday!

 

Cheers everyone! Good Morning. New Beer Sunday is coming.

I had to bump this thread because I am just not done yet. This is Left Hand's Saison au Miel. It's not as dry as Saison Dupont. But I think this is the perfect combination of crackery malt and phenols! The spice is perfection.



3.66/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours with only a slight haze on a perfect golden yellow body. Bone white head that fell quickly and left nothing behind. Nose is a firm crackery malt with vibrant hops. A bit of that honey to tempt and plenty of spice. I think the spice on this beer is particularly well done. Citrusy fruity and a bit of apple. The honey does not overtake the tart note I should be smelling on the nose. Taste follows the nose all the way. Just enough complexity to delight. earthy clove, peppery spice, a plenty of hop herbal that is not too brash. the honey adds temptation all the way to the finish . The bubbles are softer than champagne bubbles and that expands the creamy malt character in the finish and keeps it from finishing exactly dry. The succulence from the hop floral is fruity all over and the beer finishes malty with just enough bitterness to cleanse the palate. Aftertaste is subtle with generous cracker and the remnant of that honey. Apple is the dominant fruit.

 

This is one of my all time favorite beers, I can still remember the first time I had it. I'm currently aging a few bottles, curious to see how they will evolve

 

I know isn't that wonderful and these are in CANS! I love it. I hope I find all four.

 

Wow. I have to try all of these!

 

Try and find some good New England IPA's in Belgium! The grass is always greener on the other side

More then happy to source a fresh bottle, will be in the states around the 4th of july