Southern Tier Cherry Saison

Courtesy growler. Pours a clear golden color with a very small white head that dissapears quickly. The aroma is strange one for a saison with some bready yeast, a touch of light fruits, and some floral hops. There was no traces of cherries or spices at all. The flavor is slightly sweet with some vanilla, floral and yeasty characters. Soem more light fruits are present, but just no cherries to be found. Medium bodied with a thin sugary mouthfeel. It goes down and smooth and is easy drinking, which helps a bit. I was hoping for more cherries and was definitely disappointed with this one, especially coming from these guys.

650 ml bottle - pours a cloudy apricot with a healthy white head. Slightly strange, musty aromas, but good - yeast, a hint of fruitiness, cherries, I guess, but they could just as well have called this one canteloupe saison and I would have been just as convinced. Flavour a bit more approachable - slightly boozy, with a blending of fruits and candy sugar. A slightly bitter/sweet finish. Good one.

In short: A sweet woody and slightly fruity (no cherries) beer. Quite drinkable as long as you don’t expect a “Cherry Saison”
How: Bottle 22oz, consumed fresh about two months after the beer initial release
The look: Partly cloudy blonde body topped by a medium white head
In long: Nose is a tiny bit funky with woody notes reminiscent of a 2x4 lumber more than traditional wood barrel. Taste has fruity flavours but not much (if any) traditional cherry flavours. I would have never guessed this was even remotely a cherry beer. I did get Gooseberries (also known as ground cherries) but that’s far from a red cherry flavour. I also got some bananas and pineapples. Taste is lacking Saison character and the tiny wilderness from the nose is nowhere to be found in the taste. The beer is also rather sweet. Woody notes and light tartness saves it from being just a bland fruity beer. Quite drinkable but if you’re hoping for a Cherry Saison you’re in for a disappointment, there’s as few cherries in this beer as on Sunset Strip at 3AM.

(Bottle at Oliver Twist, Stockholm)
On August 23, 2008
Cloudy pale golden color, whit ehead. Sweet and almond paste scent, fresh. Sweet, alcohol, bitter taste. Dry and alcohol aftertaste. Medium mouthfeel, though dry still. Medium bitterness.

Bottled at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Hazy golden, no head. Artificial vague cherry jam aroma. Sweet and fruity with bold, hard mouthfeel - like chewing on plastic. Some marzipan and orangey hops. Medium bodied with severely sharp metallic edges and some late bitterness. Sticky, bold and clumsy with flavours that don’t go together at all and a malt structure from hell. A travesty of the saison style.