Rocky River Artisian Saison

Multiple samples, GABF 2006. Head is mostly lasting. Body is dark yellow. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted bread/grain, cookie), with notes of clove and grains of paradise. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation. Spiced rendition for sure, but not overly done (like the Powerhouse version, e.g.). Decent mouthfeel and appearance help the total experience.

Tiny white head mounts the clear golden body. Spice oriented nose that works really well for this rendition. Complete floral and herbal hops gain from their coriander and ginger encounter, especially that the candied malts dont feel too heavy, more like a toasted pils malt foundation. Light-medium bodied, rather light carbonation. The nasal aromatics seem diluted in mouth, where a sweet white wine like feature takes the reins, boosting the spice dominance beyond reason.

GABF 2005: Golden hued with a small head and some lace. The aroma had notes of banana, clove, cardamom, pepper, bready malt and dusty esters, nice. The taste starts with a fruity twang and a mild flowery background. Some spicy and yeast character as well. The feel was just average, fit within the style. A nice beer but lacks that something special.

Dirty dark copper w/ creamy off-white foam. Aroma is candy-ish & yeasty w/ notes of coriander, cinnamon, & ginger. Light, gently carbonated feel (perhaps a little thin). Flavour is sweet & yeasty w/ a mild tartness. Finish is spicy & dry.

Dense, dirty orange color with a bright foamy white head. Almost looked unfiltered. Sweet and spicy nose (Liberty? Hallertau?) with a light yeasty presence. Gentile, soft carbonation. Full mouthfeel that has a candi sugar meets classic Belgian orange peel/ corriander flavor. Slightly tart. Big orangey finish with bready, banana flavored yeast. I really like the yeast flavors on this. Took Silver at GABF in ’03, along with many other awards. Really nice interpretation of the style.

Hazy orange from the tap at the pub with a thin white head. Clear, crisp finish with nice spicey flavors. Not as subtle as other saisons I like, but a very easy drinking beer.

Bright orange and murky. Wonderful nose full of ginger, rye, and curry, oddly enough. Spicy. A little thin, but refreshing and bold with the rye bread and ginger flavors. Very punchy.

Murky orange-gold body with a white head. Some lacing.
Fruity, yeasty aroma. Slightly dirty.
Spice, yeast and hop dominate. Alcohol becomes apparent. Some lemon/banana.
Full-bodied. Slight carbonation.