Saison Tasting #1

We love Saisons.

While most families play Monopoly or watch a movie, we often come together around beer. This is the second "official" time we have done a "proper" tasting. It's a great experience for many reasons: we get to drink beer together, we get to talk about what's right under our noses together, we can critique our critiques together, and we get to laugh together. Also, it's a blast to see the different notes people write and informative if you throw a home-brew into the mix.

If you scrutinize the above picture, you will notice that all the beers are various forms of Saisons. Furthermore, starting with the Karbach can of Barn Burner and moving left, most of these beers are brewed in Texas, a critical component of our "beersearch" (Excessive beer puns are part of the craft beer business, but I'm soft compared to some of the bombastic beer names on the shelves e.g., Santa's Butt).


Here's the rundown from left to right:

Rogness' Joie D'ete - By far the darkest beer all night, about 17 SRM (very odd). Nice foamy head, light tan colored. Spicy nose with rosemary sticking out the most. A sweet beer with high ABV and a strong fruity background - very much in the Belgian style. The hops are there, especially in the aftertaste. (4)

Adelbert's Philosophizer - This poured a huge white head that quickly dissipated. About 5 SRM, this beer had the consistent straw color of most Saisons we poured that night. The aroma was disappointing to me, sort of funky and musty, with no one thing clearly coming out. It tasted peppery like the others, but a bit more malty than most. (5)

Sandman's FSS (French Saison Sour) - I think every honest home-brewer is harder on their own creations than they are on commercial products. It's similar to being over-bearing on your kid in the T-ball game. In this case, our kid straight up flung the damn bat out of their hands and face-planted on the T-stand. Well, maybe not quite that bad. Besides the color and clarity, our beer lacked considerably when placed in this prestigious line-up. (7)

Karbach's Barn Burner - I wouldn't call this a traditional Saison. It reminded me of Blue Moon's rendition of a Belgian Witbier. They turned up the herbs and spice and sweetness, and left nothing to the imagination, so to speak. Yet, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tasty. (6)

Stone's Matt's Burning Rosids - Poured clear, obviously filtered, with the color coming in around 9 SRM. The white head quickly evaporated. The aroma was unmistakably smoky. Drinking it was a pleasure bomb on the palette. The smoke hits you first, quickly followed with a flourish of malty sweetness, extinguished in a gush of hops. This beer was seriously good, yet not truly what I consider a Saison. (3)

Prairie's Prairie Ale - The de facto champion of the night. Everyone was wowed by this simple Saison, despite its near-deadly carbonation (the cork blew out before the cage was even partially removed). It poured a massive white head that quickly dissipated. It held the consistent straw color of about 5 SRM that we had become accustomed to seeing that night. The aroma was a wonderful bouquet of floral and fruit, evoking the dawn of spring. It tasted peppery, tart, and balanced -- reminding me of Jester King's distinctive style. This artisan brewery nailed it. (1)

Funkwerks' Tropic King - Aged about two years, this beauty was a birthday gift from a great friend. Similar to the rest of the Saisons, it poured a straw color with a huge white head, but interestingly enough, this was the only beer that produced noticeable lacing. We felt it was similar to Adelbert's, but a significant improvement in the fruit area. (2)


All-in-all, a great experience, aside from that green-apple-uppercut home-brew.