5 Seasons North Crouching Tiger Hidden Poulet Saison

Brewed by 5 Seasons North
Style: Saison
Alpharetta, Georgia USA

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!

The color of this one is quite nice. It’s a perfectly clear slightly darkened copper. The large head settles down after a couple of minutes to a creamy layer about a quarter finger thick. Very floral aroma, a bit of dark spicing. On closer inspection, there’s vanilla and wood under the bigger floral aroma. The wine-like flavors and aromas are there, but subtle enough that the may not get noticed under all of the other flavors and aromas unless you knew to look for it. In the flavor toward the end, there’s a bit of caramel like the crust of creme brulee. There is a harshness, almost like the creosote flavors I pick up in some beers early on, but it seems to fade the more I drink it while the more interesting and pleasant aspects come out more strongly. A strangely slick mouthfeel.

Bottle… This beer rocks!... Hazy golden ale with a mid-sized, frothy, white head. Fantastic retention. Awesome aroma – pale grains, red wine, oak and a touch of vanilla. Medium to full-bodied with mellow carbonation. No real balance. Moderate to medium pale malt sweetness, modest red wine acidity and gentle, oaken earthiness. Finishes sweet and mildly acidic. World class saison!

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.

Sampled at Noogfest 08, I believe brought by KP. Pours amber orange with a beige head. Strong perfumy, flower petal- like aroma. The oak and malt profile give this a very chardonnay/ white zin like flavor, but with some slight herbal and Belgian phenols hiding in the background. Unique.

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.

Noogfest Four-O

Bottle, courtesy KP. Semi-clear copper pour, some brown highlights, and a fizzy white head and plenty of lacing. Big floral aroma, fruity esters, jasmine, hibiscus and some hops. Bright floral range in the flavors, with some creamy vanilla and flavors with spices and Belgian yeast. Bright touch on the tongue, immensely enjoyable and quite balanced. Very unique and I liked it.

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.