Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs

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

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.

Had this at the DC/MD/VA/WV/PA gathering. Bottled courtesy of eyedrinkale. Golden body with a small white head. Millions of minute particles suspended in this. Nose is flowery, perfumy, and mildly barnyardy. Some light fruit, perhaps, creeps in. Taste is flowery and perfumy with light fruit notes, mild tartness and some straw/hay notes. Body is strongly carbonated and a bit tart. Finishes with more flowers and perfume notes, mild tartness and fruit. Damn nice saison!

A hazy orange beer with a huge white head. The aroma is sweet and contains lots of notes of flowers and spices as well as hints of caramel. The flavor is sweet with lots of flower notes. Thanks a lot to Mike (Eyedrinkale) for trading me this one.

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.

Dry, bitter, herbal, floral, reminds me slightly of Saison Dupont but with slightly less carbonation. Malt is subtle but hints of honey and biscuit are there along with a simple-syrup-like initial sweetness that fades to the dry middle and end. Mild esters. Good.

Édition 2005. Couleur orange pale, mousse blanche concassée et persistante. Arômes très parfumés, doucement épicés, suggérant vivement les pétales de fleurs. Saveurs de carambole, de poivre blanc, de zeste d’oranges, clémentines, et de pétales de fleurs (oui, j’en ai déjà mangé!). Un peu sucrée en bouche, la finale elle, introduit l’amertume semblant provenir des fleurs plus que des houblons par sa légère astringence. Carbonatation peu vive et très discrète. Assez unique mais pour l’instant, manque définitivement la complexité des malts de la version 2004. Quelques échantillons en fût, chez Southampton et chez dba, N.Y., Septembre 2005.

Bottle... Hazy, dark golden brew with an off-white head. The nose is floral with lesser notes of citrus fruit. The flavor is a whisper on the sweet and herbal side with notes of peach, bread, caramel, lemon and black pepper. Medium to full-bodied with a fizzy mouthfeel. Lengthy, herbal, semi-dry finish.

Large white head, good retention and plenty of sticky lace to boot. Hazy gold colored pour with plenty of bubbles just cruisin up to keep that head a rollin. Nose is very floral, perfumey and spicey, genteel. Light bodied with an almost spritsy carbonation thats held in check by a light oilyness. Flowery spicey flavors work for me along with some light malt backing, citrus and a hint of pepper. Lightly sweet, fruity perfumy finish. Would be a nice warm weather, by the pool drink. Maybe toss in a few ice cubes and one of those cute little umbrellas and lay back in yer lounger, ya think? Thanks to my favorite tasting bud eaglefan for sharing this one, Thanks Brian! Sorry dude, i enjoyed this one!