Millstream Saison

Brewed by Millstream Brewing Company
Style: Saison
Amana, Iowa USA

On tap at the brewery: Light yellow but opaque with a white creamy head and a creamy texture. Citric bite with a wheaty aroma and a malty finish. Pretty good.

I have had this several times. First at the Belgian festival in Iowa City, and a couple times at the brewery. It has definitely changed over time. The body is a cloudy light gold with a creamy white head. The aroma is all summer with hay, lemons and apples. As it warms you also get banana esters. The taste is dry hay and some lightly sour cherries. This finishes with a hint of soapy grapefruit. There is also a little bit of black pepper spice. The soft mouthfeel makes this complemment the hot weather. The homebrew of Kevin’s seemed to have a little more funky wild character. Nicely executed.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours the color of morning’s first evacuation. Hazy with an oil slick atop each glass. Frothy head with a strong yeasty and sour aroma. A citrus sweetness without the hop content. An orange bitter treat. Long mellow bitter finish. We drank a pitcher of this while sitting outside in front of the brewery on an absolutely perfect August friday afternoon. The people at this brewpub are about as nice and gracious as humanly possible.

Pale gold. Nose flowery, mildly funky, some minerals. Sweet taffy fruit up front, then a bit of funkiness, a fair amount of spice. Lots of hops at the end. Rather grassy and outdoorsy, good stuff.

Draft, at Millstream. Of course, I have to think back to the Avery Twelve Saison I had just a few weeks ago. While the Avery went for an extreme version of the stye, this one is more subdued, like its farmhouse ale origins. Pours a light straw color with a white head. After an initial impression of hay, I find a nice balance of malts shaded toward the Vienna side, lending it a bit of a caramel tinge. A perhaps northern German hop character. Then a sweet spiciness that seems to come more from saison yeast and a warm ferment than any additional spices. Perhaps a touch of white pepper on the side, then just a little sourness. Again, not extreme, just a happy little beer that raises the standard for lawnmower beers.

Tap at Belgian Fest. I was there when this was brewed, but I think I can still be objective about it! Light in color, but hazy with a nice head...aromas of citris hops and some slight spiciness from the yeast...hops add some spice to the beer as it drinks fairly lean but malty, like the Millstream beers I’ve had tend to be. Not exactly how I expected this to turn out, but a very drinker friendly beer that I think remains true to its stylistic origins...this does seem like something I’d want to drink after working outside on a warm day. Kevin’s homebrewed version is much more intricate and certainly different than this one.

Straw lightly hazy white head that vanishes. Spicy, light alcohol, fruity, citrus, goodness. Quite hoppy. Even spiciness throughout. The malts are a bit fimer than I had anticipated. Quite quaffable and very enjoyable.

2007 Great Taste: Quite grassy, with orange and lemon, coriander and cloves. Smooth in the beginning, sharp in the end. A little fuzzy feeling on the tongue. That is to say, not quite smooth but in no way harsh.