5 Seasons North Crouching Tiger Hidden Poulet Saison

Bottle sampled at the brewpub 5/22/08: Pours a slightly hazy orange amber with a thin ring of off-white bubbles. Aroma of sweet caramel malt, vinous oak, red grapes, light spices and a bready Belgian yeastiness. Body starts fairly full and malty sweet with a nice oaky complexity and some light fruity notes and orange peel spice before a drier, crisp and authentic finish. Has the perfect balance of red wine barrel character. A great saison!

750mL cork and caged bottle, thanks to Crawford, poured into a pint glass. Pours a clear amber with a small off-white head that recedes quickly to a small collar and leaves no lacing. The aroma is very intriguing with light sweet fruits, pears and apples especially, along with an earthy spiciness and a definite barrel presence with some oak. The taste is just as complex and has all kinds of things going on. The underlying saison qualities are there with a sweet and spicy combo from the yeast along with lots of tartness and sugar from the light fruits. All of this is balanced with the dry vinous presence of the barrel, especially in the finish. The mouthfeel is pretty full bodied for a saison with good carbonation, with a sweetness that builds on the palate a bit between sips, in a good way. Another very creative offering from 5 Seasons and one of the better saisons I’ve had. The red wine barrels really add a complexity that you don’t often see in this style. Great stuff.

Thanks, Hopscotch! Pours yellow with a little haze. Aroma of grains, dust, grapes and pears. Flavor is light and refreshing with a little tartness.

Courtesy hopscotch. Hazy dark straw color, almost no head. Nice aroma – grains, flowers, oak, grapeskins, lychee. Taste has a mild fruity sourness at the start, some apple and oak on the finish. A great aroma.

Courtesy hopscotch. Pours a hazy dark orange with a small off white head. The aroma consisted of some sweet fruits, a decent spice character, and caramel malts as well. Unique blend. The flavor had a very vinuous feel to it, which I thought was kind of interesting for this style. the spice character wasnt overbearing but noticeable. Some red wine charactes in there with some citrus and spice. i thought this was a very interesting brew to drink. tasty.

Bottle, courtesy hopscotch. Pours a very cloudy dark orange color with a small and foamy white head. Some minimal lacing is left behind. The aroma is very interesting and shows lots of citrus fruits, sweet caramel malts, and some musty yeast. The oak starts to show adding a vanilla character and some red grape aromas. The flavor shows more of the red wine like characters with the red grapes, soem oaky tannins, and more vanilla that adds a nice creaminess. As my friend mgumby said it is very vinous. The sweet toffee malts blend well with the flavors from the barrel to go along with the citrus and spices. Medium bodied, well carbonated, and very smooth with a nice dry finish. This is a really interesting take on the style and was very well done. Good brew.

Bottle courtesy Hopscotch, thanks for this awesome saison!! Pours a cloudy orange amber with a small white head. Strong citrus, caramel malt, oak barrel aroma. Malty, citrus, oak vanilla and caramel malt taste. Great blends of the malts, hops and barrel make this dangerously drinkable. Fantastic beer.

Bottle, courtesy hopscotch. Pours a cloudy, glowing orange-amber color with a small, foamy, off-white head. Minimal lines and spots of lacing mark the glass. The aroma is unique, showing notes of pale and candy malts, with hints of toffee and bready yeast. Fruity elements include Chardonnay grapes, oaky vanilla and hints of citrus oils. A bit of lactic creaminess comes through as well. Flavors show a good deal of wine-like tendencies from the barrel, with red grape tannins and more hints of soft Chardonnay. The malt background is well fit for the barrel, estery orchard fruits and pale candy sugars serving as excellent complements. Medium bodied and smooth, with a mildly sharp, semi-dry finish. Very nice stuff. Inventive and well executed.