Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
Style: Saison
Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium

Bottle: Poured a hay blonde looking beer with a huge white foamy head with great retention. Aroma is dominated by the floral yeast with some good strong malt also present. Yeast is very noticeable as you start sipping this beer and malt mix with spices also become more apparent as you drink. Funky aspect is quite present thought not as much as the Veille Saison Dupont. Still very enjoyable and alcohol is not detectable.

2005 Vintage, this one poured a nice golden to slight orange color with a humungous (but somewhat manageable) head that just pillowed and stayed there forever. The lacing was outstanding, rings all the way around and down the glass. The aroma was deceiving, somewhat sweet, yeasty, and spiced. The flavor started out somewhat funky, horse blankets, barnyard, and yeast with a mildly bitter (very pleasant) finish. As it warmed, the wheatiness came out. However, the finish was peppery and dry, really quite nice, keeping this from going too sweet like the Hennepin, which is supposedly from this style. The alcohol hid amazingly well initially and without food, however, the turkey and nuts really drew out the alcohol astringency.... very nice, all said and done. Re-rate, 12/09, on draft at SL: So smooth and excellent, a big Belgian appeal with the elements of light fruits, some pepper, very light off funk, great stuff, spices. Hennepin to the extreme and excellence. Missed a few vintage bottle re-rates, sometimes on the hotter alcohol side of things, but a great annual brew.

Tasted at Holiday Wine Cellar. Hazy amber with fluffy white head. Aroma strong barn yard funk and sweet malt. Tangy, bright palate. Taste if pear, orange, cloves, and spices. Very Good.

Draft at Redlight Redlight. Pours a very cloudy, glowing orange-amber color. A small, fading white head leaves a sudsy wash on the glass, most of which returns to the body. The aroma reminds me of a woman’s perfume, very floral and estery overall, with distinguishing notes of candied orange peel, lemon zest, clove, cracked pepper, and a heap of dry, bready, bretty yeast. Flavors are bright and zesty up front, citrus again featured prominently. Pale malts and candy sugar add ample sweetness, while spicy, peppery, floral hop notes and dry, farmhouse yeast add complimentary depth. Medium-full in body, with a fine, active carbonation, the palate finishes dry to the point of being parching, with lingering floral bitterness. Overall, this is a very fine saison, but it goes a bit over the top for me. Though I like this brew very much, I prefer the normal Saison Dupont for both everyday palatability and subtle complexity.

2002: Poured deep golden orange with big fluffy white head...smell is very spicy...yeast, pepper and the like...taste is quite hoppier than I expected...sweet malts at first, and only for a second...then spices: pepper, coriander, a hint of cinnamon?...finish is dry and peppery...greatness

750ml 06 bottle. nose is spicy and funky, scent of stale hops and coriander. a nice full head, cloudy blonde color, looks delicious. getting some nice citrus, banana, and coriander. has an extremely smooth mouth feel, tart at first then very dry like a saison should be. alcohol is a little too present and i feel the spices need to mellow a bit. will age some. a good saison but i’ve had better.8/4/7/3/16.3.8

3/23/07 picked up another bottle on my way to thai byob, and found the spices have mellowed real nicely and this became dangerously easy to drink. 4.

11/30/07, sampled a 1 year aged bottle. I wouldn’t say this got any better. the spices toned down a bit and the alcohol was more noticed. it actually lost of a bit of its character. like it better fresh. 3.7.

1/10/08, sampled a winter 2006 bottles, about 16 months of age on it. the spices have mellowed but the saaz hops offer a spice and leathery nose along with hay. citrus flavor with a grainy alcohol finish. extremely easy to drink for an almost 10% beer. i’ll try and stop dipping into the cellar for these so i can re-rate at 2 years old.3.8.

sampled at the pizza port belgian fest 2005. hazy yellow, thick head. sweet, spicey, an excellent saison

2001. Golden coloured. Fruity, yeasty aroma. Quite dusty flavour. Some yeasty bitterness in the end. Strange, but interesting.