Tag Archives: saison

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Council Brewing Co., Farmhouse Saison, USA

Council Béatitude Guava Tart Saison

Leave a comment

Brewery: Council Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Ale brewed with guava. Brewery closed in December 2018

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Béatitude is the French word for bliss which is what we float away on whenever we enjoy this specially brewed beer. This Tart Saison is brewed in the Belgian tradition of tart farmhouse ales. The magic happens when our house culture of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and Saison yeast throw an out-of-this world party in our fermenters. Aged on guava, this yields a beer with a lacto forward nose, an intensely tart guava fruit flavor, a doughy complexity, and takes the word “refreshing” to a whole new level.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy straw champagne gold colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to nothing, while leaving only some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, guava, citric, lemon juice, dough and a nice funk throughout.
Taste: Sour, tart, guava, lemon juice, passion fruit, and a light funk.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy to drink with good guava flavours. A little bit acidic for my palate, but still enjoyable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Australia, Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, La Sirène Brewing

La Sirène Farmhouse Red

Leave a comment

Brewery: La Sirène Brewing
Country: Australia
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Store upright & decant to a wide brimmed glass

Brewer Description: (from bottle) La Sirène Farmhouse Red (Est 2012) is a refreshing Red Ale that has been co-fermented with organic rose flowers to give this acid-forward beer a fresh floral vibe, coupled with nectarine-like yeast characters. Pouring a wonderful red colour & built upon a solid malt backbone, this artisanal ale exhibits vibrant natural acidity courtesy of the indigenous wild bacteria living within our brewery’s walls.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.61
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 375ml bottle, with an enjoy before date of August 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed Zenne glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy reddish brown colour with a big three finger off white head that had good retention and left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, candied cherry, yoghurt with hints of toffee and balsamic vinegar.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, mild fruit, cherry, plum, mixed berries, almost like watery red fruit juice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice aroma but taste didn’t quite match. Sour and tartness was good, but the fruit (red fruit, dark fruit, mixed berries), while there, were rather weak. Carbonation was also softer than I’d hope for.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hong Kong, Yardley Brothers Brewing

Yardley Brothers Single Batch Red and Oak

Leave a comment

Brewery: Yardley Brothers Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 10%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 15 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from facebook post) Six-month Cabernet Sauvignon French oak barrel-aged Saision.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.66
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A nice looking 640ml black bottle that was capped and waxed. Bottle was one out of a total of 250. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy amber copper orange colour with a big three finger off white head that disappeared almost immediately to nothing other than a fast replenishing ring around the glass while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, grape, plum, fig, apple and wood.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, plum skin, prunes, apple juice, wine, whisky, oak and some light spice and booze on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate fizzy carbonation.
Overall: Self described Saison… well definitely not of the classic type, but perhaps closer to a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. The aroma was nice and made me think of wonderful fruity sours, but taste, while not as fruity, has an interesting light whisky finish.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Farmhouse Saison, Switzerland

BFM √441 Saison Rhubarbe

Leave a comment

Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Édition spéciale II

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Saison à la rhubarb.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml flip-top bottle, lot 1, with a notched best before date of May 2020 on the front label. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden dark orange colour with a just over one finger white head that had decent retention while leaving behind some nice lacing.
Aroma: Nice funk, rhubarb, apricot, grape, lemon and wood.
Taste: Light funk, light sour, apricot, white grape, rhubarb, lemon, oak and spice on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with strong carbonation.
Overall: Great tasting rhubarb Saison with a good balance between sour, funk and fruitiness. Feels like I could just keep drinking this.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Gweilo Brewery, Hong Kong

Gweilo Blooming Cherry Saison

Leave a comment

Brewery: Gweilo Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 15 IBUs. Seasonal Range

Brewer Description: (from can) Blooming Cherry Saison is a light, thirst quenching saison. The fruit and spice notes from the saison yeast work in harmony with the sweet and sour notes from the cherry. Combined with a slightly higher level of carbonation, this saison is an extremely well-balanced yet lively and refreshing beer.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 3

Intro: A 330ml can, with a best before date of 21st September 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy apricot orange pinkish colour with a big two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Wheat, Belgian yeast, clove, banana, sugar, with only hint of cherry and spices.
Taste: Lightly sweet and lightly sour, wheat, Belgian yeast, clove, banana, cherry pitt, a touch of lemon and only hints of spice and cherry flesh.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Seems more like a Belgian Pale Ale or Witbier than a Saison. Where is the cherry? Despite cherry in its name, there is a distinct lack of any cherry aroma or flavours which were just extremely weak and possibly overpowered by the Belgian yeasty clove and banana notes. There is also a lack of Saison peppery spice. So, while the aroma and taste wasn’t bad or anything, as good as it sounds, the result was not what I expected given its name.