Silenrieux Sara Brune (Biologique)

Brewed by Silenrieux
Style: Specialty Grain
Silenrieux, Belgium

Ouch...An amber, bronze, fecal matter nightmare with just a faint cling of head and a ton of green/grey sediment. I usually don’t mind a bit of sediment, but this one was just aweful.
At least it doesn’t smell as bad as it looks! Like buckwheat pancakes with a splash of port, some peatyness and it smelled dusty like in an old library.
Smooth and creamy, like most Beers brewed with buckwheat, it had a yeasty, spicy finish, cloves perhaps.

Bottle. Light orange pour, fine textured and robust head. Strongly yeasty and malty, taste of bread/barley, herbs, mild spice; light citric notes consisting mostly of orange/grapefruit, some hints of grape. Caramel; lightly complex; pretty nice.

Undated bottle. Consumed on 9/17/2005. 750mL corked. I think this one could be quite old. There is oxidation in the flavor, quite apparent and the cork is completely dried out and can not be twisted off. Furthermore, there is a ton of sediment on the bottom.
Anyhow, it pours a very lovely rusty copper-beige with some brassy tones, heavily hazy, unfiltered. Ultra fine bubbles, perhaps the smallest I have seen, create a thick, creamy off-white head that is moderately well-retained and creates sheets of lacing. Aroma gives off notes of caramel, sherry, sweet candied oranges, a bit of lavendar and thick, but not unpleasant yeastiness. A bit of sourish, cider-vinegar like notes, red apples perhaps and no hops that I can find. Flavor is rich and caramelly, plenty of sherry oxidation, though the beer has not gone thin or flat. It’s a good kind of oxidized. Spicy white pepper, lemon rinds, more oranges, apple cider, cinnamon, cardamon and thick, rich, freshly baked sourdough bread. All this, and I don’t even think they use spices in it (or maybe they do, but it’s a very melded spiciness, not distinct herbs popping out here and there). Yeasty, musty, a bit corky and lightly tart/acidic on the end. Mouthfeel shows signs of aging, going from lightly tingly at the start, to very low carbonation in the middle and then just whispy bubbles at the end. But the mouthfeel is so tight and the bubbles so delicious giving an almost creamy texture at times. Medium body, probably a bit too forward with the thick yeast without enough hops bitterness to cut this and the big sherry/caramel flavor. Again, the oxidation is not bad, just not really my thing in saisons (or whatever the hell this is) (except for Pipaix and En Folie, I think I would enjoy those bottles even after 20 years). No alcohol apparency.

(750ml bottle) Pours a cloudy orange body with a large rocky off-white head. Aroma of florals, cheese, mustiness, herbs, and citrus. Flavor of spicy yeast, caramel, and citrus (lemon, orange).

750 ml corked bottle from Whole Foods. The cork popped with gigantic force. The color is turbid dark straw with a huge, creamy white head. Even my forehead oil couldn’t bring this head down to size. Aroma of cloves, hopcit, coriander. Nice aroma. The taste is spicy, with the coriander and clove at front palate, giving way to hops and citrus at mid palate and a final blast of sweet honey, spice, and citrus at the finish. Solid complexity and balance. This one is rock solid.

(Bottle 75 cl) Dark brown - almost like a Dubbel, almost. Unclear with a gigantic, rocky head. Very delicate, almost perfumy aromas. Lots of fruity esters - citrus - and perhaps some caramel. Surprising light body - almost watery - but still manages to appear perfectly balanced. A very quaffable easy-to-drink beer. 100498

Clouded amber appearance, floaties, good rocky head formation. Sweet black cherry aroma, slight acidity, funk. Sharp fizzy palate, apples fair astringency, puckers mildly in the finish with a lingering sweet fruity aftertaste.

Dark gold, big firm white head. Nicely sour, tart lambic-y aroma. It has a dusty flavor, in a good way. also musty, rustic flavors, too. Hints of white wine, as well. Tart, like Spree candy . Very subtle notes of honey as it warms.