 FlacoAlto (2473), Tucson, Arizona, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
Sep 12, 2009
This appears to not be bottle conditioned at all as there is not sediment noticeable. A stiff pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet Tulip produces a three-finger thick, pale, just barely tanned, off-white colored head. The beer is a light amber, almost honey color that shows a lightly hazed, yellow gold color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of a sweet herbal honey, lemon zest, a sort of musty fermented grain note, a spicy grain note, some definite grassy notes, a touch of crushed pale grain towards the finish and some dry cracker like malt character. This has a nice rustic grain character to it, though I could wish for a bit more yeast character, but it is still quite interesting and I am definitely enjoying the aroma on this beer.
The beer is quite dry tasting all around; I am glad the honey note in the nose was purely aromatic. The beer finishes with a touch of astringent, cracker like grain and a softly biting hop bitterness. There is a persistent, medium carbonation that provides some structure and effervescence; even though I think it could use a touch more, it is quite sufficient. Grassy hop and grain notes combine with a light herbal hop character a touch of musty fermentation character and a solid spiciness in the finish. The spicy notes seem to be purely fermentation derived with some biting phenolics that are a bit like clove, but not like one typically finds (more subtle than in some beers I think), there is also a nice peppery spiciness, perhaps a touch of young ginger and even some notes that remind me quite a bit of muted frankincense (I made the mistake of chewing some of this once, but at the softer levels found in this beer it works quite well). After a bit of time some fruitiness is noticed and brought out by a very slight sweetness that seems a touch like an herbal honey; this beer is still pretty dry overall though. This is quite quaffable, while I wouldn’t characterize this as a bone dry example of the style, it is still nice and light and perfect for a hot Summer day.
Honestly I wasn’t really expecting much of this beer, luckily it has turned out to be quite enjoyable. I would love to see a bottle conditioned version that was excessively carbonated, but this is a more than serviceable Saison that I would happily consume a couple bottles of.
LooseCannon (936), Norfolk, Virginia, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 13, 2009 12oz bottle. Pours clear golden in color with foamy white head. Aroma sweet, spicy and malty. Taste wheat, citrus (lemon) and spicy with dry finish.
radiomgb (2021), Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| 3.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 13/20 |
Dec 12, 2009 Clear golden in colour with a thin white head, light lacing.
Aroma is of light spices, yeast, some alcohol and lemon citrus.
Flavour is spicy, herbal, peppery, some citrus and bananas, light alcohol.
Warming mouthfeel, medium body, moderate carbonation.
Finishes warm and spicy.
Seems a bit harsh to me and not nearly as drinkable as other saisons.
Bottle at Mondial 2009 in Montreal, Quebec.
Sampled on June 5, 2009.
hogan873 (333), Joliet, Illinois, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 13/20 |
Dec 5, 2009 Cloudy golden body with a thin white head. Fruity, sweet aroma. Like a can of fruit cocktail with a touch of spice. I would say that a decent peach aroma stands out. Full, slick mouthfeel with some good carbonation. Starts fruity and sweet and finishes with a nice punch of peppery spice. This is a pretty good beer that surprised me.
DrBayern (1137), Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 2/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 4, 2009 Hazy gold, small and quickly settling white head, little lace. Light fruit -apricot and peach, apice. Light to medium body, tingly, palate cleansing effervescence. Lots of honey sweetness on the front end, a big kick of peppery spice enters quickly, soft bitterness that yields to a lingering stickiness. Interesting, lots of character, a little sweet for my tastes, but refreshing nonetheless.
brewski519 (419), Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 13/20 |
Nov 25, 2009 12 oz bottle pours a hazy honey color with a thick white head. Aroma of banana, clove, honey and wheat. Taste is a fruity banana with spice and a grassy/wheaty finish. Nice drinking beer that I would visit again. Solid offering by New Holland.
wmubronco1992 (185), Coldwater, Michigan, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 |
Nov 7, 2009 Bottle - Huge white head. Spicy aroma. Good lacing. Pours a dark cloudy honey color. Very much like a wheat beer. Slight taste of bananas. Very drinkable. Maybe the best I’ve tasted from this brewery. Definitely will try again.
RCL (1480), Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Nov 7, 2009 Nice yeasty straw aroma. Flavor is medium sweet and tastes like yeasty multi-grain bread. Pretty nice.
EithCubes (2151), Indiana, USA
| 3.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Nov 6, 2009 Bottle. Grainy wit yeast in the nose with a hint of lemon spritz. Light-colored, pale golden body with a sudsy beige head. Darkly grainy taste, overdriven wheat resolving to a bone-dry crackery finish and mildly metallic aftertaste. Sharp with a light tang, medium-fullish body, well-hidden alcohol with light and lasting bitterness. Pleasantly effervescent, with breezy, mild pepper and spice, lemony hops, and fresh hay that hangs in the still air.
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