The Saison Thread

[FTowne1]

how old is your Anna out of curiosity?

 

[agrippin]

I just received 8 bottles of Anna from last years release a friend forgot to ship me...how old is your Anna out of curiosity?

It was a 10/14. Was absolutely delicious, wish I traded for more than a bottle of each.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Give this man all the likes. Kids, this is how you do it. ****, man.

 

[Farnsworth]

Kids, this is how you do it. ****, man.

 

[Gus13]

I personally like the green bottles. It's a personal preference. I did a side by side of green/brown dupont and honestly liked the green bottle better with a hint of light struck character. I'll drink Saison either way of course. I have some of JK's green Petite Prince bottles on the way to me now. I'm going to drink one and hold one for a while to see how it changes. JK is only doing a limited amount of their beers in the green bottles for now. All that I know of that's been released to the public is Petite Prince. My guy is on standby to grab any others that come out. I'd love to have Das Wunderkind! in a green bottle.

I believe the people that are the largest advocates of the green bottles are pushing or supporting because of tradition. I am in that camp. After my next bottling run, my homebrew farmhouse/saison beer will be in green bottles as much as possible.

I'll add. I like a HINT of light struck. Not a beer that tastes like it was mixed with Heineken or Corona.

 

[lazerviking]

Was at Tired Hands this weekend( pretty much every day from Friday-Sunday.) The now Foudre aged Saisonhands is a revelation. Not sure if anyone has had it before and then had it lately but it's a completely different beer. Big oak character, tart, really nice melon/tropical brettyness. Should be bottled in 750 green bottles soon. Can't wait to try a bottle conditioned version.

Shhh

 

[BadJustin]

It was a 10/14. Was absolutely delicious, wish I traded for more than a bottle of each.

agreed that batch is tit-tays right now.

 

[Gus13]

Was at Tired Hands this weekend( pretty much every day from Friday-Sunday.) The now Foudre aged Saisonhands is a revelation. Not sure if anyone has had it before and then had it lately but it's a completely different beer. Big oak character, tart, really nice melon/tropical brettyness. Should be bottled in 750 green bottles soon. Can't wait to try a bottle conditioned version.

YESSS I'll be making a trip up there when they release it. I'll have to make sure I can schedule it accordingly.

 

[SAISON FUCK]

Can confirm La Biere de Fantaisie is tasting awesome right now. Will confirm, even.

 

[stakem1]

little bit of farmhouse banging this weekend

way over-carbed. took the cage off and the cork ejected. took a while to get more liquid than foam in the glass. basically this is like a saison version of rootbeer. lots of cola/root/anise with mild yeastiness and roasty grain

calling this a saison is a stretch...
full on wild ale that almost immediately induces heartburn. the layers of complexity to this are staggering. it almost feels oxidized at times, then earthen cobweb brett all mingled with a strong mandarin citrus character

 

[Der Fuchs]

Newest batch of JK das wunderkind is quite nice. I like it more than quite a few of the previous batches.

 

[Gus13]

Newest batch of JK das wunderkind is quite nice. I like it more than quite a few of the previous batches.

I haven't had this beer in a while but this was one of the beers that started my homebrew in the direction it has been going for the last few years. Fantastic brew.

 

[Snarf1]

Newest batch of JK das wunderkind is quite nice. I like it more than quite a few of the previous batches.

You must have got some green bottles. I know the green glass made the 2 year old Dupont I had yesterday extra good.

 

[nophunk]

You must have got some green bottles. I know the green glass made the 2 year old Dupont I had yesterday extra good.

 

[Der Fuchs]

You must have got some green bottles. I know the green glass made the 2 year old Dupont I had yesterday extra good.

I think only petit prince is in the green bottle. Though, If you are lucky I will pour one into a green bottle and bring it up to you in Nov along with a brown bottle so we can open them side by side for comparison. Then, without tasting them I will smash them on the ground and we can drink whiskey.

 

[masterovkhaos]

Anyone know about BFM SQRT 225 batches? I havev a batch 2 bottle that I bought recently. I drank another batch 2 bottle and it disappointingly tasted oxidized, so I'm curious how old it is.

 

[Thorpe]

A few recent saisons:

Jolly Pumpkin Saison X. Love this beer. Ginger, citrus peel, and peppercorn character all there, but are all fairly subtle. Light acidity. Incredibly crisp. Really citrus forward when it's cold, bringing a bit more of the spice and light earth as it warms.

Prairie Brett C. Amazing nose full of citrus, pineapple, and faint lemon. Cascade and backing Citra. The combo reminds me a bit of a more-citrusy Amarillo. The flavor isn't quite as pugent, but is still very nice. Moderate bitterness. A bit creamy, though maintaining a dry finish. Impressive body for a 100% Brett beer, as these often lack body and feel a little lifeless. Hope this makes it into their regular rotation.

Glazen Toren Saison d'Erpe Mere. Such a classic. Insane head and retention. Spicy hops and yeast, but not overpowering. Light grain. A bit creamy. Moderate bitterness, finishing super dry.

Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping 2015. Typical Dupont yeast character underneath some chalky, leafy hops. Dry, lightly-herbal character. Interesting and a bit of a twist, but I prefer the original.

Une Année Cent. Delicate flavor. Light plum flesh, touch of bread dough. A bit of spice and pear. Hard to pinpoint specific flavors. Silky feel, dry finish. Faint hints of bubblegum as it warms. Not getting much Brett character. Will be interesting to see how this develops.

 

[Gus13]

So this was awesome. Had it while bottling my 4 grain saison last night. Just a twinge of light struck was really great with this beer. I've got another bottle I'm keeping in the fridge for a while.

 

[abawol01]

Just a twinge of light struck was really great with this beer.

I hope your making a callback to the Random Beer Thoughts thread. Otherwise, ugh.

 

[Gus13]

I hope your making a callback to the Random Beer Thoughts thread. Otherwise, ugh.

I don't know the thread?

 

[abawol01]

I don't know the thread?

Well, since you are not being funny with the lightstruck comment, this applies.

 

[Gus13]

Well, since you are not being funny with the lightstruck comment, this applies.

I drinks what I drinks and I likes what I likes!

FTR I don't like them to be Heineken or Rolling Rock skunk bombs.

 

[Thorpe]

Well, since you are not being funny with the lightstruck comment, this applies.

Doesn't apply at all, especially with saison. Dupont, Blaugies, Thiriez, and others use green bottles and develop a bit of lightstruck character. It's certainly at least somewhat traditional (though originally these would have been served from barrels or stone pitchers) and can have its place in small doses, especially for some people. I prefer Dupont in brown bottles, but many prefer the green bottles and I think those certainly have their place, especially if they were well cared for and didn't sit on a shelf for years in direct light.

 

[The Red Viper]

Doesn't apply at all, especially with saison. Dupont, Blaugies, Thiriez, and others use green bottles and develop a bit of lightstruck character. It's certainly at least somewhat traditional (though originally these would have been served from barrels or stone pitchers) and can have its place in small doses, especially for some people. I prefer Dupont in brown bottles, but many prefer the green bottles and I think those certainly have their place, especially if they were well cared for and didn't sit on a shelf for years in direct light.

I greatly enjoyed the lightstruck character of the recent La Dalmatienne batch.

 

[Gus13]

Doesn't apply at all, especially with saison. Dupont, Blaugies, Thiriez, and others use green bottles and develop a bit of lightstruck character. It's certainly at least somewhat traditional (though originally these would have been served from barrels or stone pitchers) and can have its place in small doses, especially for some people. I prefer Dupont in brown bottles, but many prefer the green bottles and I think those certainly have their place, especially if they were well cared for and didn't sit on a shelf for years in direct light.

I couldn't agree more. It's the same as a funky or sour/tart flavor in Saisons. Some say that's not needed but it would have totally been traditional. Most olden times Saison were even fermented with mixed and wild cultures. I believe even in Farmhouse Ales they speak of using Lambic wort to innoculate some Saison. The key is the dose. I like it in a very small dose. But I do like it. It brings me back to the first time having Dupont and loving it. I've had some dupont that I wanted to drain pour like a Corona but others that it was just so subtle it added to the complexities.

Side note: I'd like to get a stone pitcher to serve some of my homebrews in.

 

[Thorpe]

I couldn't agree more. It's the same as a funky or sour/tart flavor in Saisons. Some say that's not needed but it would have totally been traditional. Most olden times Saison were even fermented with mixed and wild cultures. I believe even in Farmhouse Ales they speak of using Lambic wort to innoculate some Saison. The key is the dose. I like it in a very small dose. But I do like it. It brings me back to the first time having Dupont and loving it. I've had some dupont that I wanted to drain pour like a Corona but others that it was just so subtle it added to the complexities.

Side note: I'd like to get a stone pitcher to serve some of my homebrews in.

Completely agree. I love saisons with just a little bit of background acidity, but not creating a lactic-heavy beer and calling it a saison. I don't think acidity should ever be the dominant flavor in a saison.

Stone pitcher would be awesome. I'm hoping to be able to have some ceramic or clay pitchers made for the bar once we start up our brewery

 

[Gus13]

Completely agree. I love saisons with just a little bit of background acidity, but not creating a lactic-heavy beer and calling it a saison. I don't think acidity should ever be the dominant flavor in a saison.

Stone pitcher would be awesome. I'm hoping to be able to have some ceramic or clay pitchers made for the bar once we start up our brewery

I'll be up there to partake for sure! haha

 

[Snarf1]

I don't think one can say they prefer green or brown glass without tasting them blind together.

I'll have to see if I can find reference, but I think beer is either skunked or not. I think it only takes 60 seconds of direct sunlight to skunk a beer.

 

[Thorpe]

I don't think one can say they prefer green or brown glass without tasting them blind together.

I'll have to see if I can find reference, but I think beer is either skunked or not. I think it only takes 60 seconds of direct sunlight to skunk a beer.

I don't think a side-by-side tasting is required. Maybe for minute differences, but if it's "eh, this is okay" versus "I absolutely love this beer" not too far apart, that's enough for a preference. Well-developed palates don't change that much over short periods of time, especially when tasting things on a fresh palate without food or previously having had any beer. Also, if someone hates even a bit of lightstruck character, it's easy to tell preference without a side-by-side.

Also wouldn't say that a beer either "is" or "isn't" skunked. It depends on a multitude of factors, including light exposure and initial level of hops. I've had beers outside that start to taste slightly skunky, and then left out for an extended period and it's overpowering. With beer in green bottles, Dupont is a particular example as Gus mentioned. I've had some green-bottle Dupont that had just a bit of skunk, and then some bottles that were overpowering and similar to Corona or Heineken.

 

[Evahflow]

I need to get my hands on some Une Année bottles. Every beer looks so good from them. Chicago area seems to be producing some good saisons as of late, including Off color Apex which has to be my current favorite. Has anyone on the here tried Lavery Liopard Oir? Won the gold a few years back at GABF. Really nice saison that is bottled with brett. If anyone is interested for a saison for saison type trade I can usually get bottles of that. Thats about all we get in Pittsburgh other than regular Dupont.