The Saison Thread

[stakem1]

i like this thread






that is all

 

[Thorpe]

i like this thread






that is all

I have wanted a thread like this for a year. I don't know why it took me so long to take the 5 minutes to create it.

 

[nophunk]

I drank OEC Tempus Blend 3 the other night (a "blended sour saison"). It was very good. It was not a saison.

That **** was like tart Jolly Ranchers. Previous blends were more saison driven.

I like this thread. BA saisons are the best. Best one I've had this year? Art, hands down. That was a glorious beer.

 

[nophunk]

McKenzie's BA Vautour for my sleeper of the year so far. That beer was ridiculously fruity sans fruit.

 

[stakem1]

McKenzie's BA Vautour for my sleeper of the year so far. That beer was ridiculously fruity sans fruit.

Was this made again or are you rustling my jimmies for old times sake?

 

[nophunk]

Was this made again or are you rustling my jimmies for old times sake?

I think it was released earlier this year? I'm pretty sure there are two batches of it. I could be off on this.

 

[stakem1]

I have wanted a thread like this for a year. I don't know why it took me so long to take the 5 minutes to create it.

Twins

and

it easily took you longer than 5 minutes to come up with this gem:
"* I'm going to use "saison" as shorthand. I really didn't want to call this thread "The Thread for Lovers of Belgian/French and Belgian/French-Tradition-Inspired Beers that Are Yeast Forward, Dry, Sometimes Tart, Sometimes Funky, Sometimes Hoppy, Sometimes Spiced, Sometimes Fruited, BUT NEVER SWEET."

 

[stakem1]

I think it was released earlier this year? I'm pretty sure there are two batches of it. I could be off on this.

I think i just confused the beer you mentioned with vautour du bois

 

[Thorpe]

Twins

Twins do take up a lot of time, though they don't interfere too much with what I do when I'm bored at work

"Belgian/French-Tradition-Inspired Beers that Are Yeast Forward, Dry, Sometimes Tart, Sometimes Funky, Sometimes Hoppy, Sometimes Spiced, Sometimes Fruited, BUT NEVER SWEET."

Is that too long for a brewery slogan?

 

[jivex5k1]

Well, I'm just diving in here. Just going off the descriptions on the placards. Looks like Jandrain was mentioned here for being funky sometimes so that's cool.

Here's hoping at least one of these is similar to that SARA cellarman.

 

[nophunk]

Here's hoping at least one of these is similar to that SARA cellarman.

Can't tell if serious... but I seriously doubt any will be. I know Foret is not. Cellarman has such a nice lemon acidity tying everything together, amazing saison.

 

[Thorpe]

Well, I'm just diving in here. Just going off the descriptions on the placards. Looks like Jandrain was mentioned here for being funky sometimes so that's cool.

Here's hoping at least one of these is similar to that SARA cellarman.

IV is absolutely fantastic, one of my top 5 clean saisons. Nice hop bite with a slight bit of grain character. Pretty similar to something like De La Senne Taras Boulba. Foret is a bit more earthy than Saison Dupont without as many of the fruity esters. I've never heard of the one on the right.

 

[jivex5k1]

Can't tell if serious... but I seriously doubt any will be. I know Foret is not. Cellarman has such a nice lemon acidity tying everything together, amazing saison.

Haha no not serious.































was kind of serious

 

[jivex5k1]

IV is absolutely fantastic, one of my top 5 clean saisons. Nice hop bite with a slight bit of grain character. Pretty similar to something like De La Senne Taras Boulba. Foret is a bit more earthy than Saison Dupont without as many of the fruity esters. I've never heard of the one on the right.

Ah yea, barrel of monks just opened in Boca. Former head brewer of the Funky Buddha lounge back in the glory days.
I've been hearing good things about em, have only had their dubbel, looking forward to trying the bottle.

 

[Thorpe]

Ah yea, barrel of monks just opened in Boca. Former head brewer of the Funky Buddha lounge back in the glory days.
I've been hearing good things about em, have only had their dubbel, looking forward to trying the bottle.

Very nice. Would love to hear your thoughts on it after you open the bottle.

 

[Odesseiron]

Can't tell if serious... but I seriously doubt any will be. I know Foret is not. Cellarman has such a nice lemon acidity tying everything together, amazing saison.

Yeah, don't expect similar quality to the best US BA saisons from European breweries. It's a very different aesthetic and I think Hill Farmstead/SARA/Tired Hands' best are much more nuanced than any saisons I've had from Europe (yet).

 

[nophunk]

Yeah, don't expect similar quality to the best US BA saisons from European breweries. It's a very different aesthetic and I think Hill Farmstead/SARA/Tired Hands' best are much more nuanced than any saisons I've had from Europe (yet).

I find a lot of the European ones to be more traditional, which shouldn't really come as a surprise. More earth, spice, possibly some barnyard - but not many of them venture in the bright acidity you find in the beers from the breweries Odesseiron mentioned. Fantome is the most tart stuff I've had from over the pond in the saison world. jivex5k

 

[jivex5k1]

I find a lot of the European ones to be more traditional, which shouldn't really come as a surprise. More earth, spice, possibly some barnyard - but not many of them venture in the bright acidity you find in the beers from the breweries Odesseiron mentioned. Fantome is the most tart stuff I've had from over the pond in the saison world. jivex5k

Couldn't find any Fantome, I did pass up a Saison Brett from Boulevard which I know is solid but I was looking to try new ones this trip. I have seen Fantome once or twice in the past though, never picked one up.

 

[Farnsworth]

I think it was released earlier this year? I'm pretty sure there are two batches of it. I could be off on this.

From my understanding, BA Vautour, Drizella, Saison Vautour du Bois, and earlier bottlings of Siason Vautour are all barrel aged versions of their Vautour saison. Each one turned out differently, so they gave them unique names.

Then there was Cezanne, which was a multi-barrel aged Vautour and Hallowed Ground which was a dry-hopped BA Vautour.

 

[Thorpe]

From my understanding, BA Vautour, Drizella, Saison Vautour du Bois, and earlier bottlings of Siason Vautour are all barrel aged versions of their Vautour saison. Each one turned out differently, so they gave them unique names.

Then there was Cezanne, which was a multi-barrel aged Vautour and Hallowed Ground which was a dry-hopped BA Vautour.

I think Drizella might have been different. At least in the past, I know people who talked with the brewers and confirmed that bottled Vautour, BA Vautour, and Vautour du Bois were essentially the same thing, with different bottles from the same batch sometimes being labeled different. Simultaneous tastings of those seem to back that up. That was also an awesome time period because no one cared about bottled Vautour and it was much easier to come by.

However, my understanding is that Nate is doing things differently and the latest batch of BA Vautour is actually different. After having it, that seems right as well. It was even more insanely-delicious than past batches, and seemed a bit fruitier and not quite as spicy and earthy. It also seemed to have a bit more body while still finishing very dry. I want all of that beer.

I think past threads on here and/or other forums have gone through this with people who have direct knowledge. I'll see what I can find.

 

[Farnsworth]

I think Drizella might have been different. At least in the past, I know people who talked with the brewers and confirmed that bottled Vautour, BA Vautour, and Vautour du Bois were essentially the same thing, with different bottles from the same batch sometimes being labeled different. Simultaneous tastings of those seem to back that up. That was also an awesome time period because no one cared about bottled Vautour and it was much easier to come by.

However, my understanding is that Nate is doing things differently and the latest batch of BA Vautour is actually different. After having it, that seems right as well. It was even more insanely-delicious than past batches, and seemed a bit fruitier and not quite as spicy and earthy. It also seemed to have a bit more body while still finishing very dry. I want all of that beer.

I think past threads on here and/or other forums have gone through this with people who have direct knowledge. I'll see what I can find.

baybum can probably clear some of this up, but I think he told me Drizella was supposed to be the second batch of Vautour du Bois, but things got a little too funky in the barrel and it ended up really cloudy/ugly.

But yea, Nate is doing some awesome, under the radar, things.
I need to track down some Hallowed Ground now...

 

[jivex5k1]

Very nice. Would love to hear your thoughts on it after you open the bottle.

As I sit here slowly smoking my bowl I'll attempt to review this beer.
Lots of head, smells nice, and nice to look at. But enough about my girlfriend, the beer is pretty good too.
Smells fruity, very slight tartness along with some sweet. Dry-ish finish? IDK it's weird, it's like dry and then this last wave a sweet hits.
Some pepper-y-ness to it. I like it, it's a nice change from Jai Alai and an easy drinker.

 

[agrippin]

Crooked Stave is easier to get, but this is so worth seeking out. It's great to see how far Troy has come in about a year.

 

[drgarage1]

I forget how broadly available Anchorage and Jolly Pumpkin are these days, but both versions of Calabaza Boreal are phenomenal -- uses actual grapefruit, which is a difference from Cellarman, but they should be relatively easy to track down and are world-class.

 

[Thorpe]

I forget how broadly available Anchorage and Jolly Pumpkin are these days, but both versions of Calabaza Boreal are phenomenal -- uses actual grapefruit, which is a difference from Cellarman, but they should be relatively easy to track down and are world-class.

Totally agree on this. I preferred the Jolly Pumpkin version. Both were quite heavy on the grapefruit, though the Jolly Pumpkin had a nice underlying "Jolly Pumpkin character" while the Anchorage was a bit too phenolic in the finish for me.

 

[Thorpe]

Logsdon Seizoen. Leafy with a bit of backing fruit, mostly pear. Fairly bitter. Not nearly as fruit-forward as Bretta, and surprisingly malt-heavy compared to that as well. Not at sweet, but there's a decent amount of bread crust, though that's not terribly surprising given the color. Pretty spicy as it warms. Very dry. Heavy carbonation with a crisp finish.

Thrilled that this stuff is on the shelf in Chicago now, especially since the Illinois government sucks and has decided to send cease-and-desist letters to most of the places that ship here even though there hasn't been a change in the law. Now we just need to see some Crooked Stave distribution.

 

[nophunk]

baybum
I need to track down some Hallowed Ground now...

We traded for one after having that mind-blowing bottle of BA Vautour. Solid, but not in the same realm of awesome. I'm glad I traded for/purchased a bunch of Surette Reserva Dry Hopped. That is one of the best in this category.

 

[Farnsworth]

Surette Reserva Dry Hopped. That is one of the best in this category.

Good to know.
Yet another beer to track down!

 

[Evahflow]

I've been practically living off Dark bottle Dupont that my local grocery store has been getting. Extremely fruity. Hard to believe a beer that throws a head like that with such great color is all pils. Sadly Pittsburgh is Saison Purgatory, I'd probably have a heart attack if we got distro of Apex Predator or any other good saisons for that matter.

 

[black_cascade]

I forget how broadly available Anchorage and Jolly Pumpkin are these days, but both versions of Calabaza Boreal are phenomenal -- uses actual grapefruit, which is a difference from Cellarman, but they should be relatively easy to track down and are world-class.

Calabaza Boreal is my favorite beer right now. Can't get enough of that good ****.