Cazeau Saison - Brasserie De Cazeau

rdickey

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear, very pale gold into a goblet. A smallish one-finger head dissipates relatively quickly, but leaves nice lacing.

Smell: Hops, carrying significant citrus flavors, come across first in the nose. They’re closely followed by very traditional spice notes (black pepper and others), and a somewhat surprising floral character.

Taste: Wow, this is an interesting one. The hops promised in the nose come through first, but they are quickly followed by a distinct tartness. The spiciness from the Belgian yeast remains present but lets the bitter and tart flavors take center stage. Earthy and herbal notes begin to make their impression felt as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel: Despite the complex flavors, this beer is pretty light in the mouth. The finish is very, very crisp and clean.

Drinkability: Quite high. I’ve dilly-dallied and am only getting around to tasting this on the first day of October, but this would be an ideal summer beer. At just 5%, you’d need to work at it to get into much trouble with this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 22:56:39 | More by rdickey

ElGallo

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +3.9%

06-16-2013 02:20:55 | More by ElGallo

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.29/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottle into a tall tulip. I'm not sure how old the bottle is, but it has a June 2012 best before date.

A: Pours a slightly hazy light golden color with two fingers of long lasting head. Active carbonation is evident in the beer, with a lot of bubbles rising from the base of the glass. Lacing looks superb. The head lasts throughout the length of the pour. This is a beautiful beer.

S: Lots of tart yeast aroma upfront, providing an aroma that is both fruity (mainly apricot, but also lemon, and green apple) and floral, I assume from the elderflowers. The beer is mildly funky and earthy providing an almost tonic-like quality to it.

T: Very dry. The tonic quality from the aroma comes off as more of a seltzer water flavor. The fruitiness is still there, mostly lemon peel, yet the apricot flavor does come through a bit. The elder flowers are also still there and provide a nice floral component to the beer. Tis works well with a firm bitterness and light peppercorn flavor. However, the juiciness I got in the aroma is not here nearly as much in the flavor.

M: Quite thin with very strong carbonation.

O: A wonderful Saison. The appearance and aroma are near perfect. The flavor is still quite good, but not nearly as good as the appearance or aroma. It could use a touch more sweetness and I think the beer would be near perfect.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 00:34:43 | More by coreyfmcdonald

Janeinma

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -15.6%

06-10-2013 01:33:29 | More by Janeinma

MEsquandoles

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

06-09-2013 21:42:13 | More by MEsquandoles

nlfrenette

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

05-31-2013 21:41:47 | More by nlfrenette

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This is a pretty sharp saison. The lemon bites a bit more than I would expect or hope for. Floral and fruit tones are there, with the latter being much more present. Carbonation is quite full and does seem to steal the show from the taste of things. A nice drinker that's consistent, but sharp in a lot of ways that make it somewhat less pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 02:31:55 | More by RblWthACoz

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

05-23-2013 20:36:48 | More by InspectorBob

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.9%

05-13-2013 16:19:19 | More by leftstagebrew

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4/5  rDev +3.9%

05-03-2013 04:19:29 | More by LambicPentameter

drummermattie02

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.9%

04-12-2013 15:05:39 | More by drummermattie02

beernads

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -15.6%

04-11-2013 05:59:10 | More by beernads

CADMixes

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

04-07-2013 01:27:04 | More by CADMixes

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 330ml bottle. Pours a cloudy pale yellow with a ridiculously big foamy head. Nose has lemon, saison yeast notes of peppery spice and citrus. The floral elderflower notes show up on the palate, as do the spicy saision yeast notes. A little sweetness balances the tart and spicy notes. The carbonation is a little big and out of whack.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 22:58:44 | More by CookstLiquor

iL0VEbeer

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +3.9%

04-04-2013 18:12:36 | More by iL0VEbeer

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.74/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Capitalizing on the blooms of spring, Cazeau uses "the flower of elder trees" to decorate the already perfumy, spicy, and earthy character that's normal for Saison.

The fresh farmhouse ale pours with a light straw color that's lightened by an aesthetically, pleasing yeast cloud. Easily mistaken for Witbier, its fluffy white head caps the beer with a quiet calm that's nearly irresistible.

Without knowing exactly what elder flowers are like, the beer reveals floral notes of rose hips, sandalwood, thyme, citrus and rosemarry. Lightly musty in its scent, the essence of dried lemon, hay, sulfury green apple, and pepper add to the earthy counterpart to the beer's bouquet.

Apples and lemons provide a seldom-seen fruit taste to kick off the Saison and is backed by the sweetness of light honey and wafers. Under-rippened berries and dried citrus peels keep the fruit-floral taste developing across the palate with a late arrival of soap. Stern hop bitterness finishes the beer with an aftertaste of lemongrass and a medley of herbs and white pepper.

A lightly slick texture detracts from the dry, peppery, light zesty carbonation. Finishing quick, the beer carries a mild grape skin astringency with a pleasant wine-like acidity. Light warmth hides behind peppery prickle and closes fairly clean and crisp.

There's something more floral and fruity about this Saison than is normal for the style. I can only attribute it to the elder flowers being used. But the brewery takes all the fun out of it by letting us in on their secret ingredient, when the guessing would be so much funner without it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2013 16:51:11 | More by BEERchitect

GreenMountainBoy

Vermont

4/5  rDev +3.9%

03-30-2013 19:40:26 | More by GreenMountainBoy

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.79/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a murky topaz with a very bubbly white head that leaves tons of lacing.

Smells of peppery farmhouse yeast, lemon-like zest, green and red apples, flowers, slight tartness and fair amount of funk. The pepper has a slightly metallic note to it that just barely prevents this from having an excellent nose as opposed to merely a very good one.

Taste opens fairly sweet and flowery, fades into mild tanginess and then into lots of yeast, finishes somewhat dry and peppery. I get some mild apple and banana but not as much fruit as in the nose. Only a faint touch of funk.

Mouthfeel is very nice and somewhat unusual, good carbonation but not too fizzy, there's a soft milky character to this.

A very respectable saison, almost a great one.

7.8/10

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 00:21:23 | More by AlexFields

AngusOg

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

03-04-2013 18:16:15 | More by AngusOg

bsuedekum

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%

03-02-2013 02:12:00 | More by bsuedekum

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.66/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Got this 750 in a great trade with OhSayCanYouBeer... Thanks a bunch Matthew!! Poured into my HotD goblet and shared with a friend who took a month off from beer and shitty food. Pours with a firm 2 finger head... tons of lace and rock solid retention... the brew is hazed yellow.

The nose is floral and and sorta sharp... It makes me think it is going to be tannic... Faint hints of pale malt, smells very dry.... Light peppery phenols.

Flavor is more spicy... very dry and crisp... The elderflowers are snappy and add a bright floral quality.. dry hay/grassy on the finish.

Light body with tons of carbonation... This is very very drinkable... Would be perfect on a summer afternoon... I would certainly buy this if I had access... Thanks again Matthew!

There are no real problems with this brew... It seems aroma/flavorwise on the light side for a saison... but the floral notes help bring it up and about.

4.25/3.75/3.5/3.75/3.75

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 04:24:58 | More by JohnGalt1

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

02-20-2013 20:49:19 | More by schopenhauerale

mendvicdog

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%

02-17-2013 22:57:06 | More by mendvicdog

pknyc

New York

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%

02-03-2013 13:31:46 | More by pknyc

lupercmda

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -22.1%

01-27-2013 04:34:23 | More by lupercmda