Bison Farmhouse Ale

Brewed by Bison Brewing Company
Style: Saison
Berkeley, California USA

Pours a cloudy amber/copper with a thin creamy white head. Smells of heavy citrus, sugar, grass, coriander, vanilla, some cloves. Tastes of oranges, lemons, light peppery bittering hops, underlying sourness, coriander, cinnamon, hay. Extremely well balanced. As the beer warms, lots of wild qualities begin to emerge. As the beer finishes, there’s a lasting tanginess balanced out by light bitterness. Mouthfeel is a fireworks display of spices. Well done. One of the better experimental saisons I’ve sampled.

After a bit of a hiatus with quality beer in Panama, my dad visited and brought me the best Xmas present of the season...craft beer. This beer was truly exceptional, and I believe may have made me change my favorite beer style to saison. Pours golden with lots of effervensence and a creamy head, very fresh aromas of lemon bread, honey and Belgian yeasts. In the mouth we get an amazing medley of fresh florors: sweet banana, citrus, just a hint of pine, ice tea, coriander. It was light in the mouthfeel, but that may be a bonus in the summer-like weather that we experience here. Quillaraymi is pregnant, so I had the whole bottle to myself. It didn’t last long. Exceptional. Thanks Dad, for this awesome beer.

Pours a deep orange with an enormous lasting white head. Aroma is wonderful. Just wonderful. Earthy, Pepper, lemon rind, melon, bountiful noble hops. The pallate is dry, but not bone dry, could be more so. The CO2 is perfect. The flavors are rustic, somewhat barnyard with a clean funkiness. White pepper, tumeric, lemon rind, and spicy hops abound. The finish is drying, but could use a touch more bitterness Gee, I wonder if this is a Dupont yeast...? A wonderful example of the style, and it’s a hard style to brew, trust me. For those of you that rated this rather low, I have no idea what more you wanted...

This saison is particularly bubbly. It has a large foamy head and the bubbles just keep rising from the bottom of the glass. Very full aroma - spicy (coiander, ginger) and yet it is also earthy/grassy/herbal. The flavor is great. Superbly balanced honey sweetness with a perfect maltiness. Despite the high carbonation, it is very soft and the mouthfeel is perfect. Very, very delicious saison.

Thanks to beerlando for this much sought-after brew - 2007 silk-screened bomber (that says it’s organic), poured into a hennepin glass - lightly hazy, golden beer, with lively carbonation, and a soft, frothy head - light tartness and acidity in the aroma, with light honey sweetness, orange peel, wildflower, and light mustiness underneath - high, but soft carbonation in the mouth - somewhat creamy mouthfeel - grainy, wheaty, earthy flavor - soft floral notes, with spicy hops in the mix - some melon rind, apple, peach notes - light tartness in the finish - very nice - the first truly great organic beer I’ve had, and it’s a saison - nice!

Thanks to Matta for this one, which is one of my big nice surprises for 2006. Appearance: Hazy dark straw, 2 finger off-white head that stays for a long time. Aroma: Spicy and floral, some hopcitrus, horseblanket, taint, and orange zest. Taste: Spicy and floral, black peppery, with some funky hopcitrus and peaty yeasty notes. Palate: Silky, complex, almost tastes nitrogenated, with a perfect heft and balance!

Champagne cork popping effect. Citrusy (lemon?) aroma, mixed spice, and yeast. No malt smell. Orange tinged golden color with a white head that nearly overwhelms the glass, subsiding with a wee bit of lacing. Starts with a spicey clove, perhaps some coriander. Followed by hop. Citrus and yeast wander around. Dry, arguably a hint of acidity. Substantial mouthfeel. Refreshing. Likely the best of Bison.

(Bottle) Organic beer blind tasting at Brouwers’s in Seattle, March 3, 2007. Lasting white foamy head settles to the side of the glass. Nose of funky yeast, white pepper and herbal tones. Flavour is full: lime, hemp, hoppy with a lasting bitter finish.