Yards Brewing Company, Saison

A farmhouse inspired beer with an interesting history behind it results in Yard’s Saison summer beer. A culmination of fruits and spices combined with an harmonious balance of hops and malts results in a crisp, refreshing ale ready to enjoy on a sunny day fishing, barbequing, or relaxing poolside.

Origins are tied to a French-speaking section of Belgium where farm workers would brew their recipe in Autumn or winter (the cooler months) to be ready for consumption out in the fields during the summer. The saison beer was used as hydration for the farm hands ("les saisonniers") as there was often a lack of potable water in the fields. It served its purpose and as a result forged a new style of beer often referred to as the farmhouse ale.

It belongs to no specific category other than being a Belgian style ale as there are no defining characteristics that pigeonhole it into one genre’. The saison was a dying breed but has most recently made a strong comeback in the craft beer community. Thanks to Yard’s brewing company out of Philadelphia, they have resurrected a delicious ale that was close to the brink of extinction.

I gave this beer a generously high rating, but overall, a great session beer and certainly a pleasant change-up just in time for summer! Yard’s Saison has a citrusy carbonated bite on the front end leading to a crisp, refreshing, mildly-hopped finish. Yard’s Saison appeals to a vast audience, from your IPA lovers on down to your Belgian-style ale enthusiasts, and has much to offer in the ways of diversity regarding the elements used to create this seasonal. An easy drinking, light-bodied, golden pale ale lends itself to a vast array of audiences that can enjoy and appreciate this farmhouse seasonal beer. Cheers!

ABV 6.5%
AVAILABILITY April - July
PAIRINGS Break out the grill because Saison is the perfect compliment to anything you throw on the fire. We like pairing it with various types of sausages, a pot of mussels or Southeastern Asian cuisine.

Personal Rating: 8.1/10

Style Rating: 9.3/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at whitehorsewine.com.

Cape Ann Brewing Company, Sunrise Saison

A new Summer seasonal for us but one that stands out from the crowd. What caught our interest was the Saison brewed with fresh strawberry and rhubarb. This sounds like it could be the perfect combination of sweet and tart.

The brewery elaborates on the inventive style saying they took "... a cue from a home brew recipe from Mr. Jumpers Home Brew club, we gave it our own spin and came up with the Sunrise Saison. Our first foray into Belgian styles of beer, Saisons were pale ales originally brewed in the farmhouses of Wallonia, the French speaking region of Belgium. Giving it our own twist, we’ve added 150 lbs of rhubarb and 250 lbs of whole strawberries. The result is a light pink hue and flavors that wonderfully compliment the natural tartness of a traditional saison." We normally don't carry much in the way of this brewery other than their pumpkin stout, but they do seem to have some interesting seasonal beers.

This brew clocks in at 7% which is similar to my other farmhouse saison Colette by Great Divide. When you pour this beer out you get a nice whiff of fresh strawberries. I clarify that statement with "fresh", because you don't get a fake, syrupy strawberry flavor. You definitely get that super ripe, juicy and slightly tart natural strawberry flavor. The aroma also has the classic farmhouse spice of lemon, coriander, clove and slight farm funk. I'm not quite sure what rhubarb smells like, but with the complexity of aromas coming out of this beer are very enjoyable. The flavor in the mouth is very tart and refreshing with just a ghost of sweetness at the end. A perfect beer for Summer that is both flavorful and easy to drink. I would highly recommend picking up a 6 pack especially at the $9.99 price while it is still in stock. I highly enjoyed this beer so I gave it a 9.5 rating, but I took a half a percent off the style rating simply because of the liberal addition of strawberries and rhubarb which while delicious are not normally found in farmhouse saisons. Cheers!

Personal Rating: 9.5 /10
Style Rating: 9 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
https://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=892480000072

Victory Swing Session Saison

A new Spring seasonal from Victory Brewing Company. This is a "Session" Saison which means it is lower in alcohol then most beers so you can drink alot of it in one "session". This sounds like a very promising beer.
Saisons are light citrus driven beers that are very refreshing and perfect for warm weather drinking. Hopped with German and American Hops and then spiced with peppercorns, orange peel and fresh lemon zest, this beer has potential to beer a great Summer sipper. Full disclosure, Victory's Summer Love is one of my favorite Summer beers as it is easy drinking but hoppy enough to satisfy so I have high hopes for this brew.
When I first cracked this beer, I was expecting to be hit with the classic citrus aromas of a typical Saison or at least a little citrus hop aroma. Neither are present even when poured into a nice Sam Adams glass (engineered to bring out more of the subtle aromas found in beer). The aromatics are more woody, with light pepper spice and a slight almond smell. The first sip is interesting. It is not light and crisp, which would be great for a Spring beer. It is also not hoppy enough to satisfy a hop head as a lighter pale ale. I find this beer neither refreshing nor enjoyable. I have to say that I like a lot of Victory's beers, but this one falls way short of my expectations and severely disappoints. I really thought this would be another home run from one of our local breweries. Great idea but poor execution.


Personal Rating: 2/10
Style Rating: 4/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
www.whitehorsewine.com

Boulder Honey of a Saison

A really interesting brew from Boulder Brewing. When I think of Saison style beer, I usually think of a light, crisp (sometimes low in alcohol) citrus driven beer that is perfect for a hot summer day. This is one that clocks in at 11.5% and is brewed with honey (a nice compliment to citrus). According to the brewery, it is fermented to full dryness. I had to pick this one up just for the shear juxtaposition of a light, crisp style with a heavy, sweet twist to it. 

When first poured into a pint glass, it foams up nicely (which is not common for such high alcohol beers). Its is light amber in color with a nice citrus, honey nose. It drinks surprisingly well for such a big beer. The Saison style defiantly works well with the honey! Think of this as a big brother to a Belgian Tripple style beer. It has a lot of citrus and spice complexity to the nose with a silky smooth finish without the expected burn of alcohol. Overall, I'm very impressed with this beer. It certainly doesn't fit into the typical Saison style but it is a really great, unique brew. Definately well worth the 7 bucks for a big 22oz bomber!

Personal Rating: 9/10
Style Rating: 5/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=050939122076

The Bruery | Saison de Lente

Saison de Lente from The Bruery, a small brewery based in Orange County, California, that recently opened its doors in 2008. Averaging an output of only about 2,500 barrels a year, The Bruery strives to make unique and "experimental" ales brewed in the Belgian tradition. Most of their beers utilize a Belgian yeast strain, but the beer recipes themselves are sure to surprise and intrigue even the most adventurous beer drinker. Saison de Lente is the spring seasonal saison (saison actually means "season" in French and German) from The Bruery, which is a bit lighter in body, and slightly hoppier than the year round, Saison Rue.

Poured into a Stella chalice, Saison de Lente has a mostly clear golden-amber color with a fluffy 3 finger head. The foamy head falls to about a cm where it seems to have settled, while leaving plenty of sticky lacing along the way.

After a good swirl, the aroma gives off lots of grassy and lemony hops. Hints of peppery spice, powdery soft yeast, flowers, and a very slight hint of tart barnyard funk round out the nose.

The flavor starts off spicy and hoppy: citrusy, grassy… all in all, very lemony hop flavor. The middle introduces a bit of grainy and bready malt to the flavor, but still kept quite light and crisp. The finish is where Saison de Lente really shines. Mildly tart Brett yeast flavors become noticeable, while mixing perfectly with the hops, as well as more standard belgian-style yeast flavors. Although not bone dry, the finish is definitely on the dry side, think belgian pale ale, but a bit lighter.

Saison de Lente is only the second saison I've ever had, the other being Saison Rue, also from the Bruery. And if I'm being honest, I'm setting the bar for saisons way too high. The style always seemed a bit boring and high priced to me, since it's more of a lighter spring/summer style. But Saison de Lente does not disappoint! There is plenty of hop flavor, while maintaining light/crisp drinkability, plus the Brett yeast that adds an extra dimension of funkiness that we all love. At least I know I do. Mix things up, give this one a try.

Personal 7/10 for the style 8.5/10