McKenzie Avec Les Bons Voeux

Formerly brewed at McKenzie Brew House
Style: Saison
Glen Mills, Pennsylvania USA

Opened at the ’Tosa gathering and received from DocLock: Hazy sunset yellow with a small fizzy head and some lace. Lots of suspended yeast the further you poured the bottle, I rated appearance based upon the earlier pourings. The aroma has a funky and sweaty yeast character, wildflowers, a touch of belgian sugar candi, hint of clove and pepper. A deep complex nose. The taste is twangy and moderately spicy with major floral overtones. Grainy and yeasty throughout with a no noticeable alcohol. The feel is sticky at first and dry upon the finish. A very nice brew and Mikey Likey worthy...still I was a bit underwhelmed.

3/6/05. Poured out of 750 mL bottle, sampled courtesy of TAR and cb from RateBeer in Scottsdale, AZ 3/6/05. Hazy golden orange--almost muddy. Cotton candy and soft yeast nose, must and light sourness. Peppery and greenly hoppy-- very herbaceous. Beautiful uniform and sticky lacing. A few lumps but it’s not enough to detract from the shimmering crystalline form. Fluffy, dense eggshell cream head that lingers great and billows nicely. Awesome crisp minty and yeasty flavor, herbs and light bitterness. Even faint white smoke. The softest, most beautiful funk and herbs I’ve ever found in a beer. Almost meringue-like in the mouthfeel with the loveliest transition to its finish-- swirling around in its minty herbal bliss. Out of this world. I now believe in the healing power of beer.

Brewed October 2004, Sampled March 2005
Pours a hazy copper color. It is well carbonated and is topped by a frothy 4 finger thick tan head. The aroma is fruity with notes of apple, pears, banana, a soft spiciness, and what smells a bit like diacetyl (though I am not entirely sure at first). The beer is light and slightly sweet up front, it quickly moves to a fruity middle that is again reminiscent of fresh cut apples. This beer finishes with a tart bite of hop bitterness, yeast complexity and carbonation bite. Interestingly enough the diacetyl note that seemed to dominate the nose is not evident in the taste (thank goodness).

I think that I was hoping for too much from this beer as it is a bit of a let down. Don’t get me wrong, as my scoring shows, I think that this is a wonderful beer, it just does not quite compare to the Dupont version. The spice character is a bit more muted, in fact it plays more of a supporting role/ background note than it does in the Dupont version. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that this was not fermented at the elevated temperatures that is usual/ suggested for the yeast strain. As this beer warms up a bit the buttery diacetyl note becomes a bit more evident. It is not yet so strong that I don’t want to finish the beer though, and I am particularly susceptible to it. After about a 1/2 hour the diacetyl component seems to really lessen from the nose and taste. Did I just get used to it (doubtful given my sensitivity to it) or was it something else.

Thanks to myself for buying this last weekend. Pours cloudy gold with brobdingnagian head and lace all oer the place. Aroma of candi sugar, hopcit, fruit, yeast, Brett, perfumy florals, barnyard essence, female perineum. Great aroma! Tastes fruity, with candi sugar, banana, tons of citrus, hops, perfumy florals, female taint, and a semi-dry finish. As it warms more fruit emerges, and less dryness. Very well balanced and complex, yet subtle. The alcohol is nowhere to be found. This one tastes and smells like a true Belgian beer, to a T. This one is extraordinary, and I just hope they have more left.

Bottle pours a cloudy dark straw, huge white frothy head, with fairly attractive lacing.   Musty nose, slightly spicy, with floral notes.   Yeasty, semi-sweet, and somewhat bready on the tongue.   Very soft spices, with a subtle hop bite.   Quite smooth, and fortunately not very fizzy.   Wonderful body, with a medium to full mouthfeel.   Finishes musty, bready, slightly citrusy minus the sweetness, with a herbal or earthy note that emerges.   While not sharp or crisp like others, I still found it quite enjoyable.   Thanks goes out to egajdzis for the trade!

Dusty brownish gold, thin white head. Absolutely love the nose on this one, loads of banana, clove, and yeast, some vanilla as well, just redolent with yumminess. Regrettably, the flavor doesn’t match up to the promise of the aroma. It’s a bit funky and spicy, some clove, hints of wheat and bread, bit lemony. Tastes largely like a so-so weizenbock.

Bottle at jeffc666’s Birthday Gathering. Courtesy of jeffin7. Hazed gold body with a small white head. Strong banana bread notes which I think Kathy nailed on the head by saying banana-nut bread. Light wheat notes. Taste is strong bananas and fruit (some citrus) and wheat notes. Body is light and creamy with a moderate carbonation feel. Refreshing beer. Finish is sweet with more fruit notes, some candy sugar, light bitterness, yeast and more wheat. Nice saison!

Pours a hazy orange/amber. Aroma of barnyard, vanilla, clove, and spice. Flavor is very creamy with barnyard, a pronounced banana, vanilla, and clove. As compared to Duponts Avec (my memory of it) this has more of a pronounce banana/vanilla tone and is perhaps a bit sweeter. I think I prefer Duponts by a slight margin, however this is an excellent saison.