Ilkley Siberia Saison

Good evening all. Tonight's beer is Siberia Saison, a Saison from Ilkley Brewery (Ilkley, UK). This beer is the result of a collaboration between Ilkley Brewery and Melissa Cole, beer writer and author of "Let Me Tell You About Beer", and has been brewed with rhubarb and a myriad of hop types. Being both a Saison and an interesting collaboration (two significant positives for me), this beer has been on my "must try" list for quite some time. I was planning to wait until GBBF to sample it but couldn't resist getting a bottle after seeing it in stock at Beer Ritz at the same time as I was putting through an order, so let's see if it lives up to the hype. Review after the pic....

Siberia Saison (5.9% ABV) pours an opaque straw colour with a thick bubbly white head that retains itself on the surface of the beer throughout. Loads of carbonation on this bad boy (the bottle opened with a satisfying pop and I had even had to scoop some of the foam out to continue pouring!) and even some early lacing in the glass- certainly looks like a Saison to me! The aroma is very interesting, with phenolic spice, earthy/herbal notes, funk, some fruity hop character (mango, possibly even grapefruit) and a light honey sweetness in the background.  Later on, as the nose becomes accustomed to the traditional Belgian yeast aromas, the malt makes itself known with biscuit and bread aromas. In true Saison fashion, everything is well-balanced and relatively subtle. The taste builds upon the nose marvelously, with phenols, biscuit malt, bittering hops, funk (reminiscent of Brett) and some tartness in the finish. It does seem like a very English take on a Saison, as the malt comes through more than with standard Belgian Saison offerings, and the rhubarb offers some interesting tartness after drinking that acts as a good transition into the dry aftertaste, warranting frequent sips. At times it also tastes like a hefeweizen, with cloves and banana becoming more noticeable during drinking and in the finish, particularly towards the end of the beer. The mouthfeel is thick and the beer is well carbonated which, in my opinion, always works well with this beer style. Overall, this is a very impressive beer that, whilst being inherently Belgian, is also unmistakably English in its execution. Spicy, sweet, slightly sour, light and very drinkable- perfect for the summer. Highly recommended!

Until next time....

Summer Wine Brewery Lime & Coriander Saison

Good evening all. Today I decided to travel up to London to acquire a few bottles from the Utobeer stand at Borough Market and generally kill some time walking around one of my favourite cities. I even had time to pay a visit to The Draft House Tower Bridge, where I finally tried Camden Town Brewery Wheat for the first time- absolutely stunning wheat beer that could easily be mistaken for a classic hefeweizen, it's that good! Of course there was also time for a half of Camden Ink after my food, and I left for Guildford with a bag full of new bottles and a feeling of complete satiation (both food- and beer-wise). Tonight's blog post concerns one of the bottles I picked up- Lime & Coriander Saison, a Saison from Summer Wine Brewery (Holmfirth, Yorkshire). This brewery has been garnering a lot of positive feedback over the last few months, and today I decided to pick up one of their offerings to see whether the hype was justified. Review after the pic....

Lime & Coriander Saison (6.0% ABV) pours a golden colour with a thick white head that retains itself well throughout drinking. There's plenty of lacing present and a very generous stream of bubbles constantly supporting the head- looks fantastic already! The aroma is very similar to a traditional saison only more subdued, with some mustiness, a herbal quality, some spiciness from the coriander and a light bittering hop aroma. The lime is very noticeable on the first inhale, retreating somewhat in subsequent draws but still present among the hoppy aromas. The coriander provides aromas that are very reminiscent of yeast-derived phenols and earthy esters, except without the volatility that gives these qualities enhanced body in traditional Saisons. It reminds me of a slightly spicy lager on the nose, with the hops and slightly sweet malt aromas juxtaposed against the herb additions and the lime acidity adding an extra dimension to the proceedings. Interesting stuff, not overpowering but enough there to fit the intended style. Tasting the beer brings up more of the spiciness and lime acidity, accompanied by a malty sweetness, grassy flavours and some bittering hops in the background. The finish continues the spice encountered during drinking, with the lime tartness coming through more substantially without the malt and hops getting in the way. The use of the coriander to replicate the Belgian yeast spiciness is definitely interesting, but without the phenols acting as a medium for the spiciness and to add more body, the flavours can cloy on the palette after a while and can seem one-dimensional. The mouthfeel is quite light and the beer starts off heavily carbonated but diminishes in the latter stages of drinking. Overall, a good attempt at replicating the characteristic flavours of a Saison, but unfortunately it can taste a bit thin without the phenols and the other yeast-derived aromas and flavours that make this beer style so unique. Regardless, it's still got a solid malt base, a good balance between the herbal additions and the earthy qualities of the hops, and it is a very drinkable beer. I don't think I'd get this again, but I would definitely like to try more offerings from Summer Wine in the future based on the unanimously positive feedback I've read over the last few months. Worth a try, but it's probably best to stick with the more authentic examples of this style. 

Until next time....

Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont

Good evening all. I seem to have created a backlog of tasting notes over the last few days, which is understandable when you have a new beer every evening and you're too exhausted from lab work to form semi-coherent sentences about an alcoholic beverage. Today was a relatively easy-going day though, so I'm going to plough through a couple of reviews in quick succession as the beers were too good to neglect writing about. The first is Saison Dupont, a world-renowned Saison/Farmhouse Ale from Brasserie Dupont. Review after the pic....

Saison Dupont (6.5% ABV) pours a golden colour with a thick white head that settles down to a foamy covering over the surface of the beer. The aroma is fairly strong on the phenols, with malt, bittering hops, citrus, a fruity character and some funk in the background. It's quite hard to describe the aroma of a saison, it's just one of those things you have to experience. The taste is composed of phenols, spice, cloves, fruity esters (ethyl acetate, giving a slight "pear-drops" flavour) and honey. The finish is rather dry with the spice lingering long after drinking. The mouthfeel is quite thick and well carbonated. Overall, a very good Belgian beer and one of the most well-balanced saisons I've had. Typically the earthy flavours can dominate the beer but this is definitely not a problem with this offering. Highly recommended!

Until next time....