The Saison Thread

[Thorpe]

Cross-post from the Official Afterthought Brewing Company Thread

Afterthought Bière de Pieces #2

This is the second in our blended saison series, consisting or three different variants of blonde saison:

(1) Tradition -- Old World base saison with Saaz and Hallertau, fermented with a blend of Saccharomyces strains plus a bit of our house culture;

(2) Rafters -- Blonde saison brewed with aged whole leaf hops and fermented in oak with our house culture; and

(3) Saison Meer: Gin Barrel -- Blonde Saison using solely Midwestern ingredients fermented in local gin barrels with our house culture.

I'm quite excited that after 7 months of brewing, we finally have a diverse enough set of beers to really do a lot of blending, which is undoubtedly my favorite aspect of brewing.

Cheers!

 

[ccbstl]

Saison Meer: Gin Barrel -- Blonde Saison using solely Midwestern ingredients fermented in local gin barrels with our house culture.

 

[PurityControl88]

Now in 375s! Cork basically shoots out. Dry with perfect bottle conditioning.

 

[JCastle1]

Afraid to say my last Tome was not great. It's good and drinkable though. Very fruity and spice forward. Not bad but wouldn't buy again.

 

[regularjohn]

Afraid to say my last Tome was not great. It's good and drinkable though. Very fruity and spice forward. Not bad but wouldn't buy again.

Old batch or?? I've never seen ete on a shelf ever.

 

[FTowne1]

Old batch or?? I've never seen ete on a shelf ever.

There was some around here a year or two ago.

 

[JCastle1]

Old batch or?? I've never seen ete on a shelf ever.

Got it from Etre around 2015 maybe? The beer was ok but it smelled odd, kinda like paint thinner. Only time I've tried it so not sure if it's supposed to be really heavy on the spices but it was overwhelming after a few sips. Finished most of it though.

 

[Hopping Tiger]

Got it from Etre around 2015 maybe? The beer was ok but it smelled odd, kinda like paint thinner. Only time I've tried it so not sure if it's supposed to be really heavy on the spices but it was overwhelming after a few sips. Finished most of it though.

Sounds like a Ete to me. Many Knowers seem to love Ete but it is the one Tome I struggle with. Give me the lighter funkier stuff over the Ete spice bomb.

 

[BlackElixir]

Was there a best before date on that Ete? Just wondering if I might have a couple of the same bottles. Been curious as to how it was drinking.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Left Hand Brewing Company Saison aux Baies Ameres Chokecherry. A chokecherry saison with rye, wheat and rolled oats.

Phenolic and fruit forward, but finishes dry with a little less carbonation than is desired. Not something I would have grabbed on my own, but a friend left it here after a party a few weeks back. Good for the first half of the can, but the chokecherry character becomes one noted by the second half.

Cheers!

 

[PurityControl88]

Got it from Etre around 2015 maybe? The beer was ok but it smelled odd, kinda like paint thinner. Only time I've tried it so not sure if it's supposed to be really heavy on the spices but it was overwhelming after a few sips. Finished most of it though.

A case showed up here a few years ago but they were all way undercarbed. Tasted fine, just still. Still holding onto a bottle in hopes it carbs up! CornAndBeer have you tried one recently?

 

[PHBoiler]

Don't ever read untappd reviews for table beers unless you're looking for a reason to slam your head in a car door.

 

[Thorpe]

Don't ever read untappd reviews for table beers unless you're looking for a reason to slam your head in a car door.

It's awful. Just from some of my favorites:

Taras Boulba: 3.40
Bam Biere: 3.70
Classique: 3.45
Upright Four: 3.63
Thiriez Extra: 3.64
Petit Prince: 3.51

Reading actual commentary is the worst. Untappd is generally full of bad takes, but some for beers are pretty infuriating. Nothing is worse than the "I hate raspberries. This raspberry beer is disgusting. 0.75"

 

[Snarf1]

Don't ever untappd.

FTFY

 

[Thorpe]

FTFY

Boooo. It is a great app for keeping track of all the things that I can't otherwise keep track of. I just wish it had something like "hide from feed" so I could add in my older BA/RB stuff and have it all in one place.

That may just be me though since I enjoy all the stats (especially when downloading spreadsheet) and being able to see how offerings at various breweries have had over time. For me it's pretty cool to go back and check what beers the first time I was at Revolution, Half Acre, etc. Which beers stuck around? Haven't been made again? Occasional offerings that are now regulars?

 

[MooseLang]

I never rate beers on Untappd anymore, unless they have a criminally low rating. Then I give them 5 stars.

Like Classique. It's at like a 3.5. And it's one of my desert island beers.

 

[Thorpe]

I never rate beers on Untappd anymore, unless they have a criminally low rating. Then I give them 5 stars.

Like Classique. It's at like a 3.5. And it's one of my desert island beers.

I'm similar to that. Since I'm (at least part time) involved in the industry, it seems wrong to adversely affect others' beers, so I only rate something if it's 4.0 or above AND higher than the beer's average. Then I just make notes to myself and add my score in my comments for future reference.

 

[Scalzo]

When I'm drinking using untappd is the last thing I want to do, but ive been using it next day to log things from memory. Not a bad way to keep track of beers/thoughts you otherwise couldnt remember, and still not feel like the drinking experience is being ruined/spent staring at your ******* phone like a god damn millennial

 

[JCastle1]

Petit Prince: 3.51

This is ridiculous. I love that beer so much more than the fruited stuff.

 

[libbey]

Clean bone dry Saison. Nice grassy hop notes marries nicely with prickly carbonation.

This ones going down fast.

Also team table beer here. #tablebeerscorezmatter

 

[Thorpe]

This is ridiculous. I love that beer so much more than the fruited stuff.

Amen

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Hill Farmstead Farmers Wave

Thanks to themats for bringing this one back from VT to IL.

Citrusy spin on the classic Hill Farmstead funky / phenolic saison yeast character, toasty / grainy / bready malt with just enough herbal / floral hopping and a great mouthfeel / carb level.

Happy Thanksgiving Folks!

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Penrose Brewing Company Wild XXII (Oak Fermented Brett Saison with Peaches) bottled in August 2017.

Peaches. Tart. Lively. Dry.

This is without a doubt the best Penrose beer I've ever had. Huge peach aroma and flavor, restrained lactic acidity, dry finish and a lively amount of carbonation create a wonderful blur of new world saison and American mixed fermentation beer. Unlike a lot of it's counterparts, the acidity is restrained and allows the fruit character to come through with feeling like you are drinking vinegar or sucking on a warhead candy.

As it warms the funky / fruity brett character jumps out, and while it leans toward the estery side, there is a bit of black pepper / clove phenolic in the back. Just a really impressive beer that I had very little expectations of when my cousin left it at the house on Thanksgiving.

Cheers!

 

[tehzachatak]

One more thing, too (and I am a ******* broken record so I apologize to anyone who has seen this exact post from me in the past):

Almost every Tome I've had has been released way too early. When they are fresh, they are underattenuated, thick, and phenolic. I try to sit on them for 6 months at least. They don't shine until they dry out and get some signature Tome funk shining through.

A good recent example is a batch of La Dalmatienne I sat on. I hated it at first. 6+ months later, it was one of the very best beer experiences I've had this year.

I have some La Dalmatienne from like, April. Sounds like I know what I’m drinking tonight.

 

[tehzachatak]

6+ months later, it was one of the very best beer experiences I've had this year.

****, you weren't kidding. This is outstanding.

 

[MooseLang]

****, you weren't kidding. This is outstanding.

Glad your bottle was good, too. It's batches like that which make being obsessed with 'Tomes so worthwhile.

 

[JCastle1]

I wish I could find outstanding 'tomes

 

[Thorpe]

Forest & Main / Jester King Beyond Duality.

Dry, earthy, slightly leafy and floral. Touch of citrus on the backend. Lightly tart through the finish. Fantastic.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Ithaca White Gold (Rustic Pale Wheat Ale with German pilsner and French wheat malt, European and New Zealand hops, and fermented with Belgian and Brett yeast strains)

This is a beer that I haven't had in a very long time, and thankful to try it again. Reminds me of American mixed fermentation beers from a ways back in that there is just a hint of tartness, but a huge over the top amount of funky / earthy / Brett B character that can be summed up in that most descriptive of phrases "barnyard". Super crisp and well carbonated, and just a hint of oxidized hop that tells me this must be an older batch.

Very nice and I wish I knew how old it was.

** BadJustin is telling me it's likely a year to a year and a half old, but it tastes like it's 3-4 years aged to me, very good**

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Hill Farmstead Florence (Vermont Wheat Ale Bottled 12/14/16)

This is a nice contrast to the Ithaca as it has a more contemporary profile of more lactic acidity, brighter yeast esters, and a cleaner finish. Light bitterness, lots of wheat hay / straw like malt character, lemon acidity with a Brett C pineapple / fruity yeast profile with just a hint of black pepper.

Surprised how tart this got in a little over a year as when it's fresh I haven't noticed any souring bacteria at all, but it's a very pleasant surprise after the Brett B / funk bomb that was that Ithaca White Gold.