ross (1562), charlotte, North Carolina, USA Apr 17, 2008 Bottle from South Bay. When the bottle popped there wasnt much of a sound, and I thought: oh shit. I figured my bottle was flat. Poured it out, and it wasnt at all. Oh well; golden colored with a thick white head on it. Smell was grassy and full of fruity flavors some spices, and citrus. Taste was smooth and fully carbonated with a nice little hop bitterness. Very earthy and grassy tasting. Downright a pleasure to drink. This could easily pass as a Saison from Belgium. Awesome beer.
Headbanger (1001), Aurora, Illinois, USA Oct 8, 2008 750 ml bottle(Patrons & Saints)- Pours an orangish amber body with a thich white fluffy head. Aroma of yeast, hops, banana, and citrus. Taste of the same with the hops being more prominent along with the banana. This light to medium bodied brew is a different take on a Saison but still very tasty. Good Job. FeloniousCaper (465), Illinois, USA Oct 1, 2008 750ml
received this in a trade with errantnight, thanks again Derek! I’ve been on a saison kick since the weather’s been warmer. Carnevale filled my glass with a slightly hazy straw golden concoction that is very well carbonated. Streams of carbonation rush to the surface from every point of the glass. A moderate pour produced a billowy white head of two fingers that slowly fell to a thick cap and left thick chunky drink lines here and there.
There’s a good refreshing grassiness in the aroma. This is a well spiced brew and although Lost Abbey keeps it hush hush I’m guessing Grains of Paradise play a large role in that spicing. Pale and barely noticeable slightly sweet malt lays down the base for Grains of Paradise, white pepper, and coriander. There’s even a mild pear like fruitiness before the grassiness of the hops kick in. The more I smell of Carnevale the more I like.
The taste, while still very good, doesn’t quite live up to the aroma. All the spiciness comes together very well. Orange peel upfront combines with the pale malts creating a sweetened beginning. The middle gets a little muddied with the spices but clears up on the swallow with the grassy hoppiness followed by the spicing; Grains of Paradise, coriander, and white pepper finish things off in that order of intensity.
The body is on the lighter side of medium and as it works through has a bit of stick on the backend. The carbonation doesn’t quite hit that airiness that you find in the best but it goes down smooth none the less.
This is an incredibly easy drinker. Today is one of the first hot sticky days of the year and Carnevale is about as refreshing as they come. Good, fresh flavors in a lively brew make this a pleasure to drink. My only complaint is it will be gone far too fast.
This is another well made farmhouse-style brew from Lost Abbey. Red Barn was a good saison but Carnevale nudges it out, in my opinion. Both are very good and I wouldn’t hesitate to drink this again. Thanks for sending a good brew my way Derek.
5/27/08 alexanderj (1342), San Diego, California, USA Sep 25, 2008 Bottle; thanks to whomever got this for me; either my sister or Jon. pours a ruddy gold, with a compact, nice looking, white head. Aroma of must, spice, yeast, and banana. Amazingly easy drinking; a combination of the low carbonation and alcohol, and pretty mellow flavor profile. Musty wheat, slightly sweet malt, bread, banana, with a pretty dry finish. Not as much hopping as I expected. Really starting to like Saisons. I probably need to rerate some of my previous examples and some point. m4rest88 (74), Beverly Hills, California, USA Sep 14, 2008 Bought a bottle at Whole Foods in Westwood, CA.
Pours with a medium sized white head that is mostly diminishing after the pour. The head sits on top of a yellow, murky gold hue. Aroma is of fruits, hops, and yeast. Maybe a little bit of a rose aroma in there as well.
Initial taste is a tad spicy in my opinion, and finishes off in a light sour, light bitter fashion. There is some alcohol in the taste and the beer definitely leaves a malty taste in your mouth that lingers for quite a while.
Medium mouth feel, with light cabonation.
A nice hoppy beer! Great way to finish off a great Saturday! Thomas_E (5065), Copenhagen, Denmark Sep 5, 2008 Hazy yellow, golden colour with a white head. Malty, fruity and yeasty aroma with floral notes. Malty, fruity flavor with herbal and light alcohol sweet notes.
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