Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

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

The beer disembarks the 750ml cork and caged green bottle a shining gold with a prodigious creamy bright white head that lingers for quite sometime, and the lace forms a thick and clinging blanket upon the glass. Nose has a tangy spiciness, over ripe fruit, seemed to be a mix of bananas and pineapples, crisp and clean, hints of clove also noticed, maybe even a bit of fusel alcohol, a complex one at any rate, start is sweet and the grain profile noticeable, the top is light to moderate in feel. Finish is caustic, hops are pleasantly spicy, vinous, devastatingly dry and the aftertaste welds itself to your palate, and the 9.5 percent ABV warmed my tummy noticeably, a great beer for a Sunday afternoon.

cloudy bright orange colour with a big creamy head, estery and cider-like aroma with touches of vinegar, grapefruit and cork, sweet and full-bodied, acidic, dry alcohol and fruity finish (mostly apple) - powerfull and balanced

750ml bottle, 2005 vintage, per the cork. Aroma of caramel apple, honey, yeast spice and malt toast. Cloudy golden-orange color, head is fine and lasting. Fruity apple, honey and toast in the flavor, with touches of herbal hops, candy, brown sugar, white grape, lemon and grainy bread. Smoothly effervescent on the palate, body is nicely full. This has aged very nicely. Quality Saison.

Cloudy golden color, nice thick creamy head. Spicy aroma, bit sour, cheesy. Taste is spicy, triple-like. Bit dry palate.

2006 bottle. Head is initially large, frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (toasted bread/grain), lightly to moderately yeasty (cobwebs), lightly to moderately hoppy (flowers, herbs), with notes of pepper, alcohol, lemon zest, and gum. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Fairly strong with alcohol smell/burn, and not quite as aromatically vibrant as I’ve had it before. The 2006 Moinette was also relatively dull compared to the 2006 Saison Dupont and Foret. i.e., seems like the stronger beers this year are light on hop and fermentation characters compared to normal. Time usually helps this one; aged versions are usually better than fresh one, which is backwards from most of the Dupont line. Although the 2004 edition when consumed in Mar 2005 was awesome (4.5), so sometimes it’s terrific fairly fresh as well.

Bottle from Marcus (thanks!) at wine frig temperature. Very yeasty aroma, accompanied by citrus and light brownish sugar. Hazy orangey gold color with a white head that persisted. Mild lacing. Medium bodied with creamy carbonation. Flavor is yeasty, lightly fruity (apricot, peach, that sort of fruit) with a nice level of bitter - which could be floral. There is some spicey tingle; peppery? The finish is dry, clean, a little bit puckery. Drinks very nicely. Could be a tad funky, as there’s a woody note. The flavors move around as drinking progresses and the glass warms. Great.

Poured a beautiful orange color with a fluffy white head. Nose of oranges and spice. Flavor is exceptional with the alcohol expertly hidden.

Bottle conditioned. 750ml bottle. Faintly hazy gold, good thick fluffy white head and good condition. Perfumed honey, alcoholic, yeasty and slightly spicy in the nose. Sweetly yeasty and grainy in the mouth with a floral perfume note and traces of apple . Quite dry and apple citric in the finish.