Tag Archives: saison

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Japan, Tamamura-Honten

Tamamura-Honten Harvest Summer Saison

Monday, 21 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Tamamura-Honten
Country: Japan
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: See picture below since the description is in Japanese.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.66
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled in September 2016, poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange amber colour with a slightly less than two finger off white head that dissipated over a minute but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Biscuit malt, tropical peach and apricot, bubblegum, lemon tea and some mild funk.
Taste: Sweet peach/lemon tea, tangy, bubblegum, pine, grass, mint with a touch of spiciness and light bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: It’s not what I was expecting, but it’s ok. Perhaps a bit too sweet for me, in that I definitely can’t have more than one bottle at a time (and in fact probably even prefer to share a bottle). Having said that, it would definitely be a refreshing beer during a hot summer.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Dupont x The Lost Abbey, Farmhouse Saison

Dupont x Lost Abbey Deux Amis

Monday, 7 November 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Dupont x The Lost Abbey
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Hops – Amarillo and Simcoe

Brewer Description: (from bottle) French for “two friends,” Deux Amis commemorates the ground-breaking collaboration between Belgium’s Brasserie Dupont and America’s Lost Abbey Brewery. It brings together two brewers who have long shared a mutual reverence – Olivier Dedeycker, the fourth-generation Master Brewer at Dupont and Tomme Arthur, the acclaimed Brew Master of Lost Abbey. Deux Amis has been brewed at Brasserie Dupont in Belgium and crafted using traditional methods the brewery has perfected over the past century. It receives its decidedly stateside flavor from the addition of American Amarillo and Simcoe hops. The result of this kinship is a dry, refreshing Old World Saison full of New World flavors.

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

Intro: A corked and caged 750ml bottle, 2016 cork with a best before date of May 2018. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden orange colour with a huge three finger white head that had decent retention and left foamy sticky lacing.
Aroma: Strong Belgian yeast, clove, banana plus melon with a touch of lemon zest, orange and white pepper spice.
Taste: Lightly doughy, approaching overripe banana sweetness, clove, lemon zest, orange rind, honey, grass and pepper spice.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium to light bodied with lively moderate to high carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: A good refreshing Saison that is easy to drink. Good stuff from two brewery/brewers that I like.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Epic Brewing Company, Farmhouse Saison, USA

Epic Utah Sage Saison

Thursday, 20 October 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7.6%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Malts – Pilsner Malt, Maris Otter, 2-Row Brewers Malt, Rye Malt, Wheat Malt and Barley Flakes. Hops – Centennial, Citra and Calypso. Others – Fresh Sage, Thyme and Rosemary

Brewer Description: (from website) Three out of the four ingredients in Simon and Garfunkel’s third album make this Belgian-style farmhouse ale a perfect golden beverage with festive herbal notes.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.57
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bottle, Release #26, brewed on 11th March 2015 and packaged on 6th April 2015. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a bright but hazy golden orange colour with a just under two finger white head that dissipates slowly and leaves lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet orange citrus with touches of tropical apricot, lemon, orange marmalade and a herbal character (although I’m not sure if its sage, maybe thyme).
Taste: Orange honey sweetness, sage, pepper spice, almond biscuit and a bouquet of herbs.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: It’s quite different to any other beer let alone Saison that I’ve tried. It’s perhaps a touch to sweet for me, but the biscuity, almondy, herbally finish is interesting.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Prairie Artisan Ales, USA

Prairie Ape Snake

Wednesday, 12 October 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 7.9%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dry hopped dark farmhouse ale.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.77
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 16.9 fl oz (500ml) bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 00416, meaning it was bottled on 4th January 2016. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark dark brown, close to black colour with a big three finger tanned head with good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, musty, wet hay with citrusy rind and a hint of tropical fruit and flowers.
Taste: Earthy, roasty coffee and chocolate, wet hay, rosemary, caramel, light funkiness and citrus rind.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation, dry finish.
Overall: I don’t have much access to many varieties of dark Saisons to compare with, but this was interesting. A little muddled in my opinion with the wide range in taste, yet in the end, it does still kind of manage to mix well enough.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Prairie Artisan Ales, USA

Prairie Eliza5beth

Tuesday, 4 October 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: 25 IBUs. Midwest farmhouse ale. Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from website) Eliza5beth is a golden farmhouse ale that we aged on apricots to allow sourness and light fruit flavors to add complexity to the beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 16.9 fl oz (500ml) bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 08515, meaning it was bottled on 26th March 2015. Perhaps opened a few months later than I would have preferred. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden orange colour with a big foamy three finger white head that dissipates fairly quickly to an extremely thin cap while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funky, wet hay, lemon juice and apricot.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, straw, lemon, orange and apricot with some peppery spiciness towards the end.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium bodied with high prickly carbonation.
Overall: Although I didn’t intend to hold on to this for so long, 18 months in the bottle and it still holds up pretty nicely. Good tart and fruity flavors along with great carbonation.

words of another dreamy traveller