Heavyweight Saison de la Soeur Black

Formerly brewed at Heavyweight Brewing Company
Style: Saison
Ocean Township, New Jersey USA

I’m glad this one is capped and not corked as it starts out initially as a slight eruption that would have likely blown off a cork on loosening of the cage. Initially pours out extremely lively with a huge off-white/tanish head that consumes the entire glass at first. Once that subsides, the beer is a brownish red in color and opaque. No noticeable floaties or cloudiness present. Smells of straw, sugar, yogurt, cookie dough, cognac, bananas, and slightly flowery. Taste is very nutty with cherries and some great grapey elements and a hoppy and tangy finish. Has a bit of a lambic quality with some nice tarte and farmyard notes. This is a very complex beer, especially for one that only clocks in at 6.2% ABV!

Very cloudy and dark brown; rocky head. Yeasty nose was zippy and funky, in a good way. Smooth texture; lively, fluffy carbonation was nice. Healthy sourness, with snappy nips of cherries and lemon juice. Malt notes of chocolate and rising bread dough. Mild bitterness blended well with a dusty yeastiness. Pretty interesting stuff.

(1-14-06, 750ml bottle) A gusher on opening -- reveals a black body with tan head. Aroma is medium sweet, cherry, yeast, light roast -- almost cherry PopTart, very little sourness. Taste is moderately sweet, cherry, some yeast, light chocolate. Light body with some effervescence. (7/3/7/3/14)

(7-4-05, draft) Creamy tan head with a clear red-black body. Aroma is moderately sweet, fruity (cherry), herb, yeast, sour. Taste is Medium sweet, cherry, sour, herb in the finish. Creamy, light-medium body. Weird flavors/aromas, and I am not totally sold on it. (5/3/5/3/10)

750 mL bottle. Pours a surprising dark, but light penetrable, black color with a small off white, short lived head. Also effervescent looking pour with pleasent lacing. Aroma is malty/bready with a musty sourness looming. Fruity esters of banana, citrus and pears present in the aroma along with some moderate roasted chocolate notes. Flavor was Bretty sour with some upfront sweetness. Roasted barley and chocolate to complement and mild spicy and earthy hops. Esters playing a larger role than in the aroma with big banana notes along with some more citrus, apple, pear and raison. With everything going in this beer, everything is in balance and complements one another. Finishes bone dry and slightly astringent with the high carbonation level of most saisons. Interesting and complex beer.

The sweet aroma of raisin, chocolate, grape, must, mildew, pumpkin seed, and fresh baked bread lifts from the dark shadowy body which wore a hat of beautiful tannish and lacey froth. Nice medium-full body of dark malts bring raisin, bread, and chocolate flavors flowing...chewy and oily at the same time and I’m certainly digging the mouthfeel on this one, especially for only 6.2% alcohol...and I can definitely see the influence of both Fantome’s Black Ghost (at least recent vintages) and SPF8 though those both have a bigger alcohol influence. The combination of the slightly banana-ish belgiany yeast and the dark raisiny malts make a nice beverage...It may be a bit more chocolatey than both the beers previously mentioned, and less full as a result of the lower alcohol content, but its nice regardless, and a bit toasty to boot.

Huge frothy head. Almost opaque color. Bitter, dry aroma with hints of some chocolate. Taste is chocolate and bitter, slightly candied. Great frothy, soft mouthfeel. Dark fruit in the finish. Slighly sour. Very enjoyable beer.

This is a crazy-ass beer. Thanks Glenn, for this one. Pours almost black it’s so dark brown/ruby. Thin, light beige head. Aroma is malty and estery with some clove and dried fruits in it, and follows up with a saison sourness. If you really stick your nose down in the glass, you can get some roast, too. Flavor follows suit. Nice thin, refressing body and a standard good saison flavor -- malt, yeast esters, horseblanket and sourness -- but afterwards there is a bit of roast to it. It compliments it well, maintaining the refreshing lightness of the saison while giving the flavor another facet. Kudos, Heavyweight.

Head is initially huge, frothy, light brown, fully lasting. Body is Armoderately malty (toasted/roasted grain, chocolate, nuts), moderately yeasty (cobwebs, barnyard), lightly hoppy (herbs, flowers), with light notes of licorice and lemon peel. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation. Wow, this is damned good. Heavyweight’s doing a fabulous job with their saisons, and gawd knows we need more well-made farmy beers like this. Well done!