Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Saison
Southampton, New York USA

Poured a hazy dark golden color with a foamy white head and light lacing on the glass. Herbal, fruity citrus aroma. Sweet and alcoholic, malty and lightly bitter. Hard mouthfeel.

Bottle at RBNAG 07. Golden colour with an off-white head. Aroma is flower, yeast, herbs. Flavour is sweet, flower, yeast, herbs, ginger. Strange , but nice beer.

2004 bottle provided generously by MartinT at the 4/17/2005 Montreal tasting. Deep sparkling gold body, lightly hazy, obviously unfiltered with a prominent white head, well-retained. Sounds like a five to me. Aroma of lavender, floral tree notes, scurvy grass (cochlearia officinalis, actually I just made that up, I have no idea what that flower smells like), rose hips, and some lilac-smelling hops. All in all, it’s pretty phenomenal and brings a new level of meaning to the phrase "flowery saison". Hints of very faint malt break in, with some lightly tart yeast and maybe some faint, yet tart tangerines. Flavor begins lightly sweet, with a spicy/peppery sort of flavor, not terribly drying or astringent, but sort of like rose water, mint, thyme and lilacs all mixed together. All the while, the Belgian yeast works its magic and there is a delicious honey sort of pils malt, light aromatic malts and maybe some special B malt?? I don’t know. I do know that I thorougly enjoyed it and will be attempting to trade for a bottle of it. Mouthfeel is rather wet and slippery, probably all of the flower oils, with a quickly receding carbonation and a medium body overall. No alcohol apparency, finishes floral and perfumey. The balance is certainly perfect, just needs a tad more body, and less wateriness on the end. 9/5/8/4/18

2005 bottle drunk on 8/12/06. Holy crap, this is some worty stuff. Just ridiculous amounts of sugars, uncomplex sweetness and very little yeast complexity. Some breadiness, tons of sticky honey, sweet, moist biscuits and only minimal, trailing bitterness, which is completely lost. No grace, no elegance, the flower notes just seem lost amidst a sea of sugars. Wow, hopefully next batch returns it to its former glory. Couldnt even finish my glass. 7/5/6/3/12 Rating is an average of the two years.

Hazy light orange color with a massive white head. Excellent lacing. Aroma is amazing- lots of floral notes with tons of spice and some fruitiness in the background. Flavor is citrusy and has some coriander/alligator pepper flavors to it, and balanced with strong malt backbone. Mildly bitter. Quite strong but easy to drink.

(22oz bottle) Poured a cloudy orange body with minute sedimentation. Nose was orange-peel, vinegar and floral. Fizzy flavours of white pepper, yeast, peach and lemon. Truly a remarkable recipe and delightful beer.

Bottle. Pours clear gold with a moderate, white fizzy head, good retention with fair lacing. Aroma is medium malt (grain, cookie) with heavy floral and hop notes. Damn near smells like a bouquet of flowers with hop cones thrown in the mix. A little to floral for my liking though. Light notes of earthy yeast is present. Flavor is bitter hops and perfume flowers with a light malt backbone. Carbonation is medium, finish is dry. Overall, a well-made beer but a little too much floral character for my liking.

Thanks to hopdog. Pours a translucent golden with a smaller bubbly white head. Aroma was very floral, ginger, citrus and malty sweetness. Flavor of honey, malty sweetness, lots of spices, dry finish. Aged nicely.

I have to say I’ve had this beer in both bottles and draft a lot lately and the bottled version is way better. Cloudy gold color with a beautiful off-white head. Aromas of leather, earth and cloves. Taste is alcohol up front with banana, barnyard, flowers, cloves, sweet malts and herbs and mellow orange peel. This baby’s gonna be great in ? years from now.