Ovila Abbey Saison - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Brenden

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A creamy pillow of white head sits between one and two fingers tall, dropping off to heavy foam and leaving a good amount of thick patching well down the glass. Beneath is a very cloudy brew a coppery gold color.
This beer showcases a lot of earth and spiciness along with yeast, a mild sugary sweetness, a vinous sort of dry tartness, and some white fruits flesh. The Belgian character of the yeast is light but present, allowing for a pretty good complexity. There's a further balance between breads and very gentle leafy and citric hops bitterness.
The body is about medium and the feel of this beer is soft, creamy, smooth, flowing and fluffy without being overfilling. Crispness isn't lost in the midst of it. The mouthfeel is the best aspect, though it's very good overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 02:13:37 | More by Brenden

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A humongous pop of the cork... Voluminous fluffy crisp pure white head with a slightly rocky top... Loads of micro bubbled sized brisk paced carbonation rise randomly throughout... Rock solid retention gives way to a slightly thick slightly creamy lacing... The color is a light golden orange with a very faint haziness... Loads of lacing cling to the glass... Quite regal and sophisticated...

S - Loads of hay and grass... Lemon zest... A slight Belgian yeast component... A very subtle but intriguing funkiness... Perhaps the slightest bit of candied sugar... Touches of pear an apple... Very nice...

T - Earthy... Apples... Pears... A very little hint of pepper... Muted lemon and orange zest... Faint candied sugars... Apples... Solid, but perhaps just the slightest bit muddled and a bit too subdued...

M - Medium bodied... Smooth... A touch of lushness... Very lightly carbonated... Simple and effective...

D - A solidly above average Saison... Very nice all the way around... Spot on for the style... I would drink this again without hesitation, though this one falls short of excellent... My favorite beer thus far from the new Ovila line of brews...

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 23:40:33 | More by philbe311

JayQue

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sierra Nevada never disappoints. I was expecting a bastardized hop bomb masquerading as a Saison. Not the case. This beer is true to style and very nice.

Pours a cloudy dark gold/orange color with a delicately bubbled white head. Head retention is average. A little lacing.

Smell is great. Lemon zest and yeast and funkiness.

Taste is more of the same. The lemon zest and funk are just right for the style. A nicely crafted Saison, as good as some imports

Mouthfeel is good. Crisp, a little sour and funky. Nice.

This is an impressive American take on a Saison. I would have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 23:01:46 | More by JayQue

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.18/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a slightly cloudy orange amber with a thick one finger white head and lacing. Looks nice. Fairly complex aroma of caramel malt, banana, light fruit and Belgian spices. Starts with a medium sweet malt and light fruit flavor and abruptly finishes dry with pepper, citrus, a hint of funk, Belgian spices and a light hop kick. A very different flavor progression. A bit too dry on the finish for my taste, but very well made and interesting enough to keep my interest.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 04:01:03 | More by LiquidAmber

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From notes:
Split with Stavehooks

P: huge head frothy and ceamy. Great retention. Blonde cloudy with beautiful bubbles. 

S: sweet candy and citrus fruits crisp clean a tad musty. Alcohol is evident but not a huge player. Earthy maybe somewhat grainy. 

T/M:  very dry with good carbonation. Smell is better than the taste. Spicy with good mouthfeel. Tad on the tart side but not overpowering at all.  Dry grass and apple peels and a slight bitterness of orange rind on the finish.  Touches of funky wheat.  Yeasty once beer warms 

O:  smell is outstanding and Tate is well done. Great for the style. I could smell this all day. Another great addition to the SN line up.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 02:11:16 | More by Hopswagger

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.03/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Split this one with Hopswagger.
Half of a 750 ml bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip glass.

A - Pours a hazy golden orange with 1.5 fingers of white head.

S - Floral hops, lemon and orange citrus, dry chalky yeast, orchard pears, apples, and bright stone fruit. Straw dust, there's a musty but clean damp basement aroma going on.

T - Orchard fruit-pears, apples skins, stone fruit, tangerines, earthy grass, wood, spicy musty yeast, the sweet pale malt quickly dries out on the finish.

M - Soft effervescent carbonation, medium bodied, dries out on the finish.

This was better than I expected. All the flavors played their part. It was fruity, musty, and dry. This is worth seeking out. Wish I had another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 06:16:04 | More by StaveHooks

snaotheus

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured into a pair of large snifters

Pours mostly clear (until I got to the bottom of the bottle), yellow, with fair amount of head and plenty of active carbonation. Smell is sour and funky.

Taste is mildly sour, grassy, wheaty, yeasty, a little more of the funk. But fairly mild overall.

Mouthfeel is thick bodied but fairly light. Overall, pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 03:06:57 | More by snaotheus

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: An explosive situation of effervesce erupts within an oxidized orange colored body. Porous eggshell white head sits dominantly atop 2 fingers strong with time passing. Good patchwork lacing.

S: Ripe pear with a hint of pepper and honey dew fruitiness for aroma. Dry vinery.

T: For flavor a spicy twang of citrus, hint of Belgian pear yeastiness, and green melon fruitiness. Dry herbaceous notes, citronella with a soft peppery touch. Sweet malt based, toasted, semi-dry rounds things out.

M: Strong carbonation rings through in the mouthful creating a frothy nature on the hold. Dry spicy twang of citrus on the exit.

O: Overall spicy, dry with a strong carbonation presence well suited per style. Smooth flavor and transition, fruity Belgian yeasty contributions with a crisp factor ranks this as good.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 23:21:47 | More by beerthulhu

jeffjeff1

California

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

My wife got this for me a while ago.

Appearance- golden color, thin head, good head retention

Smell- very fruity, spices

Taste- citrus fruits, nice flavor of spices

Mouthfeel- medium bodied, good carbonation

Drinkability- I thought it was very good. Sierra Nevada always makes good beer though.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 20:22:58 | More by jeffjeff1

Kromes

Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured into a tulip glass. A hazy light orange color with a 2 inch thick white, fluffy head.

S: Biscuity malt, Belgian yeast, clove, lemon citrus, pineapple, alcohol.

T: A nice biscuity malt flavor with Belgain spice up front. There's a citrus quality to it and also some tropical fruit. It finishes semi-dry with a clove spice and alcohol lingering flavor. There is a bittering hop flavor there in the finish also.

M: Medium body with high carbonation to give it a spicy feel. Finish dry and a little bit bitter.

O: Good Saison here. Flavors are there and the feel is good. I've always like the aromas that Saisons give off and this one didn't disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 20:00:40 | More by Kromes

joecast

Australia

3.6/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Great presentation, bottle and label. Cork goves a forceful pop when released.

Lightly cloudy golden with a touch of orange. Gorgeous pillowy head. Almost looks too good to drink. Low to medium carbonation,

Aroma has a light yeast and sort of fresh herbal character. Some hints of floral and spice but overall a bit light. This may change as it warms though.

Stronger base malt presence than expected. Not real heavy but more than I have noticed from other examples of the style. That is joined by the more typical yeast and a touch of rounding sweetness in the finish.

Overall a quality beer but less exciting than I had hoped (mind you I put very high expectations on anything from SN). Nice and certainly tasty. Will go well with the pizza that's just come out of the oven.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 08:07:40 | More by joecast

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled 5/26/2011. Pours hazy golden orange color with a nice 2 finger dense white head with good retention that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some spotty lacing on the glass, with plenty of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big lemon, grass, apple, pepper, biscuit, pear, banana, coriander, apricot, yeast spices, and light funk. Nice and well balanced aromas with a nice amount of complexity. Taste of big apricot, pear, pepper, coriander, lemon, biscuit, banana, yeast spices, and lightly tart grain. Lingering notes of citrus, pepper, apricot, lightly tart grain, and spiciness on the finish for a bit. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Pretty easy drinking, and is very nice to sip on at 7%. Nice balance of flavors, with good complexity. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming after the finish. Overall this is a very nice and enjoyable Saison offering. Good complexity, and smooth drinking for the alcohol level.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 04:48:04 | More by superspak

MrKennedy

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750ml bottle thanks to Lukie. Poured into a Great Divide tulip.

Has an old-gold/orange hue with a nice, large, off-white head that craters and grips a little as it recedes.

Smells of citrus peel as well as citrus pips. A bit of yeast as well as spice. Some green pear as it opens up.

Taste is largely yeasty and spicy, but approachable with just a little bit of pear and apple featuring in the mix. The spice drops off quickly, while the yeast isn't over the top. Some orange comes later on as well.

A tiny bit of heat early, some booze late detract. Otherwise, it is refreshing from the carbonation as well as the yeast and spice.

Entry level saison, good, but nothing that would keep you coming back to grab a case of these. No faults, but not super memorable, merely reliable.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 11:04:14 | More by MrKennedy

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

sampled August 2011
A steady pour into my large Tripel karmeliet tulip produces a four finger thick, pale tan colored head; this leaves lots of thick lacing on the sides of my glass as it slowly subsides. The beer is an amber hue that shows a mostly clear, deep orange tinged, rich gold hue when held up to the light. As I pour this beer a strong note of ripe pears with a touch of apples is noticeable. This is amplified with a more focused look at the aroma, but this is backed by a touch of spiciness and a mustiness that is a bit stronger towards the finish. Aromatic specifics remind me of musty white pepper, perhaps a hint of woody ginger, ; A deep inspection of the nose makes noticeable a grainy, toasted cracker note as well as a some dried grass notes. This really has an earthy, musty note that makes me think of a damp cellar, though for some reason not a dark one, but rather one that has some nice a sunlight coming into it

Sweet and fruity tasting, a spicy, earthiness tries to balance this towards the finish, but the finish remains dominated by the bright, pear and floral apple fruitiness. There is a dried hay grain character as well a toothsome, wholesome sweet pale malt note. The finish has a phenolic spiciness that is mostly clove, but also has a warmth to it somehow that reminds me of woody white pepper and spicy ginger. While the fruitiness is certainly the most noticeable character here, it is pretty well balanced by the musty earthiness and the spiciness that is here. The body has a certain fullness to, it is not overly heavy, but it does have certain viscous character to it that sees it sticking to the palate for a bit before finally being washed clean by the lingering fruitiness and spiciness.

I prefer a Saison that is quite a bit drier and I would prefer that the spiciness and / or a bright hoppiness was the dominant character, as opposed to the fruitiness. Still this is a pretty tasty beer that I am quite happy to be drinking and would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 03:28:15 | More by Gueuzedude

cvm4

Mississippi

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - A loving light amber/golden in color with a nice 2 finger head.

S - Earthy qualities / yeast / hops

T - A little tart and some bitterness from the hops. Dry and crisp, somewhat thin on body.

M - Light to my mouth, effervescent almost.

O - A pleasing saison that develops nicely as you drink it. I was not in awe of it but it delivered.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 22:31:35 | More by cvm4

viaingo

Maine

4.78/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Type: Saison Ale.
Color: Golden hue.
Body: Medium carbonation. Great full bodied saison.
Head: Nice lofty white head. left a fantastic lace that really added to the flavor.
Taste: Great fruit flavor. There is definitely a citric tang in the finish. Very dry throughout.
Aroma: Spicy and fruity. Full bodied and earthy flavor with a touch of yeast.

Sunday Sunday Sunday! The Super Bowl was amazing and so was this beer! This beer was a celebration of the monks style of brewing ales. The profits of the limited series of Ovila ales goes to the Santa Maria de Oliva chapter house on the grounds of the Abbey of New Clairvaux. The order of release of Ovila Ales goes as this: Dubel, Saison, Trippel. The saison was a good beer to drink during the Super Bowl. This was certainly a great beer to pair with snacks like carrots, cheese, and pita chips.

cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 12:30:20 | More by viaingo

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rustic orange color with a beautiful eggshell head. Nice thick lacing on the side of my CBS snifter. This beer is very cloudy in appearance, as expected. The nose is very citrus oriented. Orange being the key player. I also get yeast, malt, grass and spices. Nice nose. The taste is very spice oriented and earthy. Definitely some pepper in there as well. Feel is medium, with a fairly dry finish. Pepper aftertaste on the back end. Overall, a good saison, but a little short of great. I'd have this again, however. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 01:25:28 | More by jayhawk73

larryi86

Delaware

4.08/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a tulip

A- A clear golden amber color with a four finger white head.

S- Earthy spices, pears, yeast, faint apples.

T- Nice light fruits, pears and apples, light tartness, finishes with earthy spices, not very funky.

M- Smooth, crisp, light to medium body.

O- A nice, easy drinking Saison, not the best Saison I have had, but will pick it up again.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 02:50:44 | More by larryi86

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

(Served in a chalice)

A- This beer has a slightly hazy deep orange body with a racing carbonation of big bubbles. There is a bubbly light beige head on top that last for a good bit. The beer gets hazier with each pour.

S- The soft citrus fruity esters have a very faint yeasty quality that take on a phenolic coriander as the beer warms up.

T- The dry crisp fruit hints have citrus and red grapefruit qualities wit a bit of alcohol to dry out the finish. There is some spice hop qualities that turn more green as the beer opens.

M- The light mouthfeel has a soft alcohol note in the finish that turns into a much larger alcohol burn on the back of the throat.

O- This beer is a bit too big to be refreshing and although it does have dry and fruity character it doesn't have the yeasty qualities that I enjoy in this style. The alcohol and phenolic characters are just to overpowering and the fruity esters are just odd aswell.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 21:14:30 | More by rhoadsrage

gueuzeonhigh

Maine

3.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy straw color.
The head is a short lived white bubbly affair.
No lacing

A mild nose- perhaps very mild. Hints of yeast, a pinch of hops, something reminds me of wild flowers.

Flavor is light- but with a definite ale character- dry, mild bitterness, hints of citrus and effervescence. Overall flavor body is thin-- initial flavor dissipates quickly.. flavor is not particularly complex even for a Saison.

Mouthfeel is cordial-- finish fades quicker than I'd like.. but nevertheless the stage is set for another sip.

Overall this is an enjoyable beer-- maybe even a fine summer-time drink chilled.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 22:32:39 | More by gueuzeonhigh

jwc215

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml cage-corked bottle that opened with a loud "pop" -

Pours hazed golden with a decent thin bubbly head. Dotted lacing sticks.

The smell is of lemongrass with citrus notes. Not as "funky" as some other examples, but pleasant. Pleasant enough to give it the higher of two scores that originally came to mind.

The taste is lemony, fairly tart with some sweetness. Orange and floral notes mix in. Again - not as "funky" as some classic examples, but there is a range of funkiness in this style I have notice, and what is here works well enough to fit. It has a refreshing character - a bit of yeast with citrus and floral notes. Very slight alcohol is detectable. It has a dry, refreshing finish.

Light and crisp, it is a bit thin at times, but holds together well enough.

While not the boldest saison, it is a pleasant one. It's a nice brew! Glad I had the chance to try it - worth getting while it lasts!

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 15:50:02 | More by jwc215

chodinheaven

Maryland

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A hazy yellow-orange beer with a huge 4 finger white head that dwarfs the actual beer on a light-medium pour. Leaves plenty of sticky lacing on the glass. Peppery notes in the beer as well as coriander and cloves. Maybe a hint of banana, but definitely a Belgian influence here. Nice tones of bready malt and a hint of some herbal and floral hops.

Not as vibrant as the smell would have indicated, with the spices being a little more subdued than I thought they would be. That said, there is a wonderful grassy lemon citrus note throughout that combines with a somewhat bready malt for a nice herbal flavor. Some subtle peppery and clove notes come into play, but don't seem to be a main focus. However, that was the first pour of the glass. The second pour from this bottle yielded a good deal more in the spicy Belgian yeast category. The peppery notes are not as subdued and play with a soft prickle on the tongue. The clove taste has a bit more of a soft banana flavor as well, making for a nice combination with the lemon grass taste and bready malts. A juicy citrus bite in the front of the palate leads to a dryer middle and end. Virtually no alcohol tasted, except for a pleasant hint on the breath. A nice touch of herbal hops really takes it home and rounds it all out. The mouthfeel even seemed to change, being more effervescent in the carbonation than the first pour, which seemed nearly watery. Truly not the case here. It finishes bone-dry, with only a slight linger of skunkiness, but nothing too distracting.

Really a tale of two beers with this one. The first pour was certainly lackluster for whatever reason, probably the yeasty notes not being as present. Whatever the reason, don't stop after the first third of the bottle as better things seem to come. The second half was a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 04:44:04 | More by chodinheaven

BeerPhan86

New York

3.7/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml into a Duvel tulip glass.

A - Pours a hazy light golden orange with a thick one and a half finger of foamy white head. Good retention on the head with some pretty sticky lacing. Tons of carbonation evident in the glass.

S - Musky yeast, light citrus and sweet bready malt. There are some other fruits coming out, perhaps apple and pear. Some banana and spice at the end.

T - Grassy, sweet and lightly fruity. The Belgian yeast definitely stands out with some bubblegum and banana flavors. Citrus and grassy hops in the finish, which is dry and slightly boozy. Pretty spot on flavors for the style and everything is balanced well.

M - I would say it's a tad thin for the style and a little overcarbonated. Light on the lips without much stickiness.

O - A decent Saison but nothing worth spending too much effort to find. It was on sale for 3.99/750ml and it's tasty, but there are much better examples available for a little more money (Ommegang Hennepin blows this away for $4 more, for example)

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 01:56:15 | More by BeerPhan86

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.63/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I picked this beer up at the Kirkwood Spec's recently, so let's give it a shot as my first beer of the evening.

Appearance: The very cold beer initially pours a hazy orange golden color with a solid 1+" head of light peach foam. There are tons of bubbles rising to maintain the head at pretty much its original height for at least a minute before it noticeably begins to fall. There is lace trying to stick after drinking the beer, but it doesn't seem to want to hang there that badly as it keeps sinking back into the beer.

Aroma: The aroma was really clean for this style with some mild citrus and wheat malt notes being the most notable in the cold beer. As the beer sits, the hops and other citrusy aromatics are getting stronger and more complex with Orange peels being the most dominant of the bunch. The aroma is moving more toward lemon peels as the beer warms up some.

Taste: The beer is light to medium bodied with plenty of carbonation and mouthfeel. There are wheaty notes to the flavor that are pretty unmistakable. The wheat leads to a dry, but slightly malt balanced bread dough-like finish that is interesting. The citrus is still a big thing in the flavor as well with the orange and lemon being big players here too. The mouthfeel is pretty dry and doesn't have much creaminess left after the attenuation and carbonation get through. Regardless, it finishes very well balanced. As the beer is warming further, there is a subtle honey flavor coming out that must be an interpretation of the malts.

Opinion: Overall this is a pretty good beer and I am really enjoying it. That said, it isn't your most "classic" Saison and may be better suited to the Belgian Pale category if we are going to try to pigeon-hole it. If you take it for "beer" it is a pretty good one and I will gladly finish my glass. I will evaluate the price if I am going to be imbibing in this one much more, but I wouldn't mind doing it again while it is around.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 23:40:02 | More by SkeeterHawk

Zorro

California

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear golden colored beer with a tall white colored head.

Smell is sweet and flowery with a stout dose of coriander. Mainly honeysuckle and flowers in scent. Little bit of herbal hop.

Starts out mildly sweet with a strong flavor of flowers. Mild bitterness and a strong coriander taste. Tasty and mild this is a sweeter version of Hennepin.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable beer. The drier Hennepin edges this out in my book; but if you like a little sweeter beer this is for you.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 01:15:18 | More by Zorro