Great Divide Saison Farmhouse Ale

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Saison
Denver, Colorado USA

Bomber pours a hazed light golden body with a medium white head. Aroma of herbal and floral hops, hay, and caramel. Taste is sour and tart, with some yeast, wheat, lemon, and hay. Caramel sweetness and hints of pepper and coriander. Could use some funk. Enjoyable, and highly drinkable, but lacks the funky pastoral complexity of a topnotch Belgian saison.

Bottle. Poured a light hazy yellow color with a small white head. Nose is malt, light herbal/floral hops, bread, and spice. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Flavor is slightly sweet and slightly acidic some spice and fruit flavors are present. Somewhat sweet tangy finish.

A frothy white head dances on top of this pale yellow brew. Slight haze, typical of the style. Hints of lemon, Belgian yeast, spicy hops and fresh grains in the nose. The flavor is awash in balanced complexity, with not nearly as much Belgian funkiness as one would expect; rather, this saison showcases hefty doses of bready grains and spicy hop kisses. The yeast providing just enough phenolics and fruitiness to highlight a lemon character on the finish with just a hint of sweetness. Everything in terrific balance here. Dry, slightly astringent finish, but that is welcome in my ideal saisons. So it’s not as funky as some of the best Belgian versions, but it’s better than a lot of those. This could probably be considered more of a Strong Belgian Pale Ale, but then we’d just be splitting hairs...underrated.

Bottle from Liquor Max in Loveland, CO. Pale hazy gold color with a frothy white head. Aromas of wheat and lemon. Mild funk. Medium body with mild carbonation. Flavors of soft fruit, wheat, lemon and mild funk. Goes a bit astringent. Works well for me.

22oz bottle. Bottled on 4/15/09. Bottle conditioned. Served in a Duvel Tulip. Poured a pretty pale straw with two fingers of puffy white head. Wheaty spice in the aroma with some lemon, also a bit of sugar as it warmed. Slight hop flavor, also some yeasty funk. Fairly complex flavors. Light bodied, dry and refreshing. I enjoyed this.

22oz - Aroma of bready yeast with a touch of citrus and spice. Pours transparent yellow with a medium head and good lacing. Flavor matches aroma. Palate is smooth and creamy. Was drinking outside on a hot day and it was very refreshing. A nice summer brew. Not as funky as it’s Belgian brothers, but that’s ok.

Way too pricey bomber from Capone’s. I was compeled though, since I like Great Divide, and like Saison’s, I thought i’d try it, well here we go... Pours clear yellow with a bubbly bright white head. Aroma is yeasty, soapy and slightly citrussy. Taste is sweet, with some tart lemony citrus. This is better than I’d guess but it is not a Saison of quality.

Bomber from Capones. Pours a hazy deep golden with a soapy fluffy white head- slightly diminishing. Aroma is yeast, phenolic, doughy,. slight orange and soap with warm bread toastiness and sharp sweetness with herbal minty hints. Flavor is lemon grass, orange zest, toasted malts, bread, doughy yeast, shaprsweetness like a smarites or sweet tart candies with a tangy almost tart but more minty and herbal finish- which is farily dry. Middle of the road saison.