 ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Mar 16, 2004 Updated: Sep 20, 2006
2003 750mL bottle. Drank this in my Ipswich Ale Shaker. haha, surprisingly enough, I think it worked ok. Bottle conditioned. Huge, thick, lasting eggshell colored head. Lots of fine bubbles, and a nice warm honey amber-yellow, transluscent. Smells of vanilla, herbs and spicy pilsener hops (tettnangs, hallertauer perhaps). Flavor is spicy, bitter (unripened green pears, white grapeskins) and very hoppy. Wow, this is like the Boont IPA of saisons. Intensely bitter, tart and dry, but has some honey flavors to balance it. Good, complex and just screaming of quality. I wish I knew more about saisons, but this stuff is great regardless of its comparison to style. Quite acidic on the finish, medium to medium light body. Reminds me of champagne yeast. 8/5/8/5/17
2005 bottles, one each on 9/14, 9/15 and 9/16.
Bought myself three bottles for my birthday and damn did it not disappoint. How this is rated a 3.8 is beyond me. One of the finest, most rich and flavorful, yet still crisp, lively and drinkable beers being produced. Nothing is compromised here, appearance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel. It’s hard to even justify not giving it a 5.0. Perhaps there is just a tad too much residual sweetness and the yeast character is massive (although still clean and elegant, IMHO) and does build up on the palate. It seems important to drink it well chilled but also with about 15-20 minutes of breathing. Difficult to find fault though. Those perfumey, crisp, highly aromatic hops, rich hay and honey malts and snappy, spice-meets dough yeast are as classy as it gets. And all this for 6.5abv??!! Upping the score from my previous experience.
yesyouam (352), Fairport, New York, USA
Sep 4, 2008 Saison Dupont Vieille Provision is a cloudy, very sparkling golden ale with a lot of particles in it. It has a huge, white, foamy head that has great retention and lacing. As soon as the cork was popped, the room was filled with a funky, farty aroma. A closer sniff reveals leather, earth, hay, spices of some sort, fruit salad. There’s a lot going on in that aroma. It is incredibly smooth and medium bodied. It japans the roof of the mouth and leaves the tongue dry. It dries up in a poof and leaves me thirsty for more. The flavor is pretty mellow, but still complex. It never gets sweet. It’s almost umami. There is leather, apples, grass, cirus peel corander... a bit of phenol. It’s hard to pick it apart, as it’s so well blended. There is a nice grassy bitterness at the finish. The whole flavor is tight and unique. It’s very satisfying.
gotohelunc (359), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Sep 4, 2008 Bottle. Cloudy dark straw color. Medium sized floats are visible, particularly as I got to the bottom of the bottle. Huge white head. Spicy, sour nose mixes yeast with hops. Flavors of sourdough, lemons, bananas, and grasses. Very well balanced and easy to drink. Lots of carbonation gives ia very clean palate. Great stuff.
jetzler (580), oklahoma city, Oklahoma, USA
Sep 4, 2008 Bottle, nice fruit aroma slight skunk from the green bottle, Nice cloudy color with a thick white head, that dissipates slowly. Nice malts and hops a great balance and yeast is enjoyable but not overbearing against the alcohol or the texture. Very nice and easily drinkable.
DrDavid (198), , Vermont, USA
Sep 3, 2008 (Bottle). Fruity aroma, inviting and pleasant. Orange golden color with a huge head that quickly dissipates. Flavor is fruity and somewhat sweet, mild but complex. Very enjoyable and refreshing.
Chrism86 (78), Melbourne, Australia
Sep 2, 2008 Pours hazy golden orange with fluffy white head. Aromas are dominated by earthy hops and spice with some citrus notes evident. Palate displays an abundance of earthy hop notes and yeaty dry spices. Carbonation is rather lively, adding to the dry profile. Finishes dry with a feint touch of sourness. A classic!
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