Posts tagged Saison

Stillwater Artisinal Ales

Baltimore, MD

Bronze Age Traditional Belgian Farmhouse Ale

6% ABV

Now that temperatures are pushing the century mark on a regular basis here in South Carolina, my taste for stouts has diminished (at least until the sun goes down) and my love for lighter, spicier beers - namely saisons - has reached its peak. And when it comes to American-based brewers of Belgian-style beers, there are few better than Stillwater.

The Maryland-based “brewery” - more like gypsy brewer Brian Strumke - specializes in Belgian-style beers, primarily saisons/farmhouse style ales. Bronze Age is a traditional farmhouse style ale brewed at Belgium’s Browwerij Hof Ten Dormaal that uses estate grown barley and raw spelt. If you want a great example of a classic saison, this is it.

The beer has an opaque yellowish orange pour with a big two-finger head on top. It lingers for a good long while. That gives way to gorgeous lacing but not much alcohol legs.

The smell is classic saison: Spicy Belgian yeast and barnyard funk, grapes and white wine, pears, apples and cloves. Excellent smelling beer.

There’s a slight sweetness on front but also a big punch of spice and tartness from the white wine and green grape notes. There’s great carbonation throughout that really cleanses palate. Throughout the mouth are huge notes of green apple, lemon and lime with a bit of a funk and sweetness in the middle and on the back.

As I said, this is a great classic saison. And it’s from Stillwater, so it’s got to be good. It doesn’t really elevate or push the style, but it doesn’t have to. Its simplicity speaks for itself, and for how good staples of the style can be.

Stone Brewing Co. - San Diego, CA

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, DE

Saison Du BUFF

7.7% ABV and 6.8% ABV, respectively

My recent beer-related journeys have helped me procure the Stone and Dogfish Head batches of Saison Du BUFF, thus completing the collection. I was really impressed with the batch brewed at Victory and expected nothing less from the other two variations. They were all equally as good, but as I mentioned in my previous review, each had their own small twist which helped them stand out.

Both variations have the same crystal clear pour, with a deep orange color and yellowish tints around the edge. There was only about a finger of head on the top with tight white bubble on the DHF batch, but Stone’s had a much larger head. Both dissipated fairly quickly. The lacing falls off fast but alcohol legs are surprisingly strong.

Dogfish’s had an incredibly sweet yeasty nose. There was a rich, bready sweetness with that fistful of herbs also very present. that saison funk is there, too, but it’s coated in this really rich, sweeter note.

Stone’s, on the other hand, was very funk-forward with a much more present herbal note. The spices are a bit more subdued as well. Not as sweet as Dogfish’s and not as spicy as Victory’s.

The taste on the Dogfish batch was sweeter compared with Victory’s offering. The yeast was very noticeable but the herbal notes were still very strong on the front of the tongue and back of the throat. But between those is this really smooth, full-bodied beady sweetness. Big notes of juicy melon and a slight funkiness were also present. Not as spicy as Victory’s either.

On Stone’s - as I would expect - the hops were very present on the front, but not in an unbalancing way. The funk is also very forward as it was on nose. You still get that bouquet of herbs on the back, and it all still settles nicely.

While it might just be my mind playing tricks on me, I really did get some variation on each batch depending on the brewery it came from. Stone’s was hoppy, Dogfish’s was sweeter and Victory’s leaned heavily on the herbs. I wish I had the chance to try them all side-by-side-by-side, but giving the palate time to settle between batches is a good way to see the intricacies of each.

Victory Brewing Co. - Downingtown, PA

Stone Brewing Co. - San Diego, CA

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Milton, DE

Saison Du BUFF

6.8% ABV

What do you get when you cross three of my favorite breweries with one of my favorite styles of beer?

Pure liquid awesomeness.

The idea of Victory, Stone and Dogfish Head collaborating on a beer dates back to 2003. As the story goes, the three owners got together to form Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor (BUFF) it an attempt to highlight the importance or working together and showcase what could arise out of collaboration.

In 2010, the put out Saison Du BUFF, a 6.8% saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme that they brewed again for release this year. Each brewery had its own batch brewed in house, so there was a little bit of variety in each batch. This particular bottle is from Victory’s batch. (I picked up Stone’s attempt the other day, so I’ll have a review of that down the line.)

The pour is a gorgeous super clear sunset yellow color that you can see straight through. It’s topped with about two fingers of a foamy head that dissipates quickly. Some nice lacing and light alcohol legs. A beautiful saison.

The herbs are huge on the nose. You definitely get the whole bouquet of what went into the brewing process. There’s a huge spiciness and pepper to it, but there’s a great sweetness to it, too, like a melon or a candied fruit note. An absolutely fantastic smelling beer.

All those herbs explode on your tastebuds, too. There’s a huge crisp wash of rosemary, thyme, a bit of pine and black pepper. It’s like inhaling a spice rack, but mixing it with the sweeter notes makes it insanely enjoyable. The herbs fade away on the back of the throat and are replaced with this sweet lingering orange and melon flavor. Great body, great carbonation to clean your palate.

And now, I try to resist the urge to open the other bottles I have in my fridge …

Brewery Ommegang

Cooperstown, NY

Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

7.7% ABV

Continuing the trend of reviewing some of Ommegang’s year-round offerings - hey, I got a variety pack at a recent wedding shower - up next is Hennepin, the brewery’s saison/farmhouse-style ale. I love saisons, especially with this summer-like weather South Carolina has had lately, and Hennepin really hits the spot. It’s brewed with grains of paradise, coriander, ginger and orange peel, giving the usually crisp, light style a fuller flavor.

Hennepin pours a very hazy straw-yellow color. It’s topped with two fingers of a really foamy head that look like bubbles from a bubble bath. The lacing slips away pretty quickly and there really aren’t any alcohol legs.

The nose is a very light, crisp, grassy smell. There’s a very slight barnyard funk, but just barely, and not in an offensive way. There are notes of lemon peel, citrus and floral hop aromas, and a slight hint of that expected Belgian yeast along with the accompanying spices.

There’s a big bite of carbonation on the front of the tongue, followed by a huge wash of carbonation that scrubs the inside of your cheeks. Once that dies down, there’s a big taste of lemon and oranges that come through. That’s coupled with a big herbal and grassy quality. The Belgian yeast is quite strong on the back of the tongue after it settles. Only a very slight tartness, but it lingers for a while. The body is lighter, but there’s a full mouthfeel and taste.

It’s not as crisp or light as I prefer saisons to be, but Hennepin is still a nice American twist on the classic spring seasonal.