Troll Saison Dau

Brewed by Birrificio Troll
Style: Saison
Vernante, Italy

The beer looked quite clear before I popped the cap, but when I did the beer was well carbonated enough to actually start to foam out of the bottle. A careful pour yields an initial four-fingers of head which quickly grew to an additional three-fingers in height above the rim of my glass (quite a structural masterpiece as it has not actually run down the sides of my glass. The beer, now very hazy from all the stirred up yeast, is a bright, yellow, straw-gold color while the head is just off white in color. I wasn’t expecting it, but am definitely happy to report that the aroma smells quite funky; initially I thought for sure it was Brettanomyces, but upon further inspection I am not sure it just isn’t the choice of interesting spices. Woody, sharp, funky, lots of woody pepper, slight lemon zest, hints of sweet ginger, the aroma is actually quite piquant in character.

Quite light feeling, but with an ample, zesty carbonation, the beer is light and airy as it crosses the tongue, but at this point does not feel overly carbonated for a Saison (that 5 minute rest seems to have made the carbonation manageable). The spice notes, while present, are not as omnipresent as I had thought they would be. The spices are one of the biggest parts of the flavor profile, but somehow the individual spice notes are not overly noticeable. Woody black pepper, lemon zest, and a bit of biting ginger and piquant pepper in the finish are all fairly noticeable. The beer has a nice malt character to it that provides a touch of sweet grain, and a chewy, somewhat grassy, cracker like grain character towards the finish. This is eminently quaffable, as one would expect from a beer of this strength, but it still has lots of character & flavor that keeps it interesting.

The second pour even has more sediment to it; it is much more murky, picks up some yeasty flavors that provides a hint of texture and a bit of a yeast bite, but the overall effect is fairly minimal. The ginger and pepper seem to provide the most influence here, but it is hard to divorce the two to see which is contributing to the interesting piquant flavors here. The woodiness from the pepper is a nice, noticeable addition though.

I really like the levels & combination of spices used here; they are evident, but not overwhelming and all together they seem to boost the naturally funkiness of the beer (even at first making me thing that there was Brett here). I really like the use of coriander here, they seemed to have used it subtly and of a quality that did not contribute that green, stalky, earthy note that is found in lots of beers that use coriander. A fantastic, low alcohol (which is staunchly traditional) Saison, the likes of which you can no longer get commercially until now. This is so drinkable that a 750ml is really not even enough. I will say that the time it has spent in the bottle has probable muted the spice effect quite a bit, which is perfectly ok by me.

Pours a cloudy, yeasty, orange color with a big, well-retained, foamy off white head. Smells very spicy. Alot of coriander, maybe a touch peppery, with some orange peel, and a touch of clove as well. Really liked the nose. The flavor was not quite as good. Carbonation seems a bit too much first of all. I know saisons are supposed to have a little more, but this seemed over the top. Also, the flavor seems to really be subdued as it almost tastes like bitter nothingness. The orange citrus is almost nonexistent and all you get is a little pepper spice and some clove. Really weak flavor, quite disappointing. I guess it is sort of refreshing on a hot day, but doesnt do much for me flavor-wise.

One of the best saisons I’ve tried. Black pepper and cloves on the nose of the hazy yellow beeer. Solid body with similar flavor and a lot of yeast.

Shared by brewfiend and scluffman at Cellar’s WIne & Spirits. Pours a hazy blonde pale brew with a fast dissolving white head. Aroma of banana esters, cloves, yeast and a touch of pepper. Taste is light bodied, very little carbonation with flavors of yeast, black pepper, coriander and some earthy spice. Finish is slightly bitter with a pepper spice aftertaste.

Opens with a huge pop. I was getting ready for a gusher, but it never happened. Pours a pretty foogy gold with a huge off white head that came from one second of a firm pour. Nose is pretty firm with spices. Flavor is extremely spice forward as well. Not whole lot of funk going on here except on the backend a bit. Mostly though the spices just dominate everything. The feel seems a bit thin on the liquid. The carbonation is about standard I suppose. Overall this is a decent saison. Easily drinkable and a pretty high amount of character. However, held up to the many other good saisons of the world, it’s still a step behind. And the price certainly doesn’t help things either. If you want an Italian saison, my vote stays with Wayan for the time being.

Pours a clouded yellow underneath a huge 2 inch off-white head with lots of staying power. Vicious bubbles and white particles struggle to be free. Cloying lace. Nose is rotten flower petals, yeast, coriander, and moldy gym locker rooms. Flavors have a bold upfront presence, but dwindle towards the end. Same flavors as aroma, more apple, cinnamon, allspice, ginger is apparent, and slightly spiced cake. Medium carbonation and thin/medium body. Almost too subtle in flavor. This would be a great beer if it had more alcohol and power in character.

Bottle... Murky light yellow ale with trillions of white floaties and a small, wispy, white head. Herbal, floral nose with notes of white pepper and anise. Herbal, lifeless flavor; boring, but sort of refreshing. Light-bodied and watery with ticklish carbonation. Finishes crisp, earthy and spicy.

Cheers to Solan for bringing this by! Huge spicy nose, yet floral, the aroma is very inviting, ginger, peppery, hints of citrus. Pours blonde with a thick head, the foam started to seep out of the bottle even after we poured 2 glasses off. Very dry, somewhat earthy, spicy, peppery, a little ginger, some cinamon, very interesting, compared to the aroma i feel like the flavor leaves me wanting a little more. But still a great beer.