Saison Du BUFF - Stone Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Cole's, Mike's private collection. Great lace on light body. The aromas are a delightful, funky and fresh. More complex as I drink it, and that has to be done sip by sip. The herbs lead to a soup of tastes, still lemony and bitter, with white paper and the rosmary and sage. Above average mouthfeel and approachable by averge

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2010 04:01:26 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine"

--Simon and Garfunkel

Summer sunflower gold with a wonderful looking crown of alabaster cream that almost reached four fingers on the pour. Persistence, a firm creaminess during melting, and stickiness are strong suits. What more is there to ask of beer foam?

The first whiff delivered a blast of tropical fruity hops. The second revealed the herbal quality that was expected given the ingredients. The aroma is extremely enjoyable (and interesting) because both characteristics play off one another in complementary fashion.

Stone Saion du BUFF is better beer than expected because of a surprisingly prominent hoppiness. If the four herbs had the run of the joint, this delicious and complex saison would have tasted more like a gruit. Thankfully, the BUFF brothers weren't about to let that happen.

Barley malt doesn't make much of an impact on the flavor front. In addition, it's hard to say what sort of yeast was used since there are so many flavors flying around. A trip to spice rack before cracking the cap didn't help that much, at least in terms of picking out the individual contributions from parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Fresh herbs would have been great, if they had been available.

So what we have here is an American hop tasty saison/farmhouse ale with a juuust right amount of herbal-earthy zestiness. This is one of those ales that should be released in bombers, because each mouthful brings something new and different to the palate. Twelve ounces are gone in a heartbeat.

The mouthfeel is quality through and through, which is no surprise given the brewery of origin. It has exactly the right amount of heft and hang-on for the style/ABV, and the carbonation is faultless.

Saison du BUFF is interesting beer. It's also delicious and drinkable, especially given the rather unconventional ingredients. Here's hoping the Dogfish Head and Victory versions are at least this good. There's no reason to think they won't be.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 11:49:17 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

so not my normal drinking session, i decided to sit in the park after work with this one that i kept in the cooler all day at my desk and poured into a ccb pint glass, enjoyed on 10/08/2010.

really a fantastic pour here with a golden amber color that was completely hazed over and cloudy with a full three inches of head sitting on top of the glass that just dripped down the sides throughout the entire session.

aroma is deep hops and herbs right from the front. dense citrus and floral lavender and herbs come through very clearly and brightly as the smell is intoxicating and just remarkable. i really am not paying attention to those panning this one as i thought it was remarkable. such a bright and flavorful beer. deep citrus hops, lavender and chamomile, hints of herbs, fresh grasses, light spices, just sublime. smooth, light body is nearly perfectly carbonated and left me in awe after each remarkable sip.

overall i am bowled over with this one. really a sublime beer that defines style. perfect beer for a perfect.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2010 01:55:14 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.15/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A: The beer pours a clear golden orange color with two fingers of fluffy white head.

S: Smells quite herbaceous. A lot of sage and quite a bit of pepper as well. A bit of lemon and rosemary is present as well. The malts are really overwhelmed and there's a touch of dryness to the nose.

T: Pepper, sage, and rosemary are strong up front. The peppery quality continues all the way to the finish. A touch lemony with a very herbal tea quality to the beer. Slightly warm toward the back end with a dry finish.

M: The body is medium with a high carbonation.

D: I would like to taste the actual beer instead of an herb garden. I'm curious if the other versions are at all different, but not terribly so.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 07:10:00 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes. On tap at Rustico.

Pours a moderate gold color with a white head and some lacing. The nose really brings out a lot of herbs with the sage and rosemary being the most prominent. A bit of zesty citrus in there as well. The taste is pretty herb-forward as well with a bit of zest and spice. Feel is nice as the herbs present a good bitterness. Drinkability is a bit poor, as all the strong herbs are a bit much in the end.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2010 11:29:46 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at The Surly Goat in West Hollywood, CA.

Pours a clear yellow with a foamy off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, herbs, and spices. Taste is of malt, grain, herbs, spices, and yeast. There is a mild spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is pretty easy to drink but I think it smells better than it tastes.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2012 05:05:12 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy honey color with a modest head that leaves some spots of lace

Smell: Fruity and herbal, with floral lemon/lime and rosemary, thyme and sage dominant

Taste: The floral lemon/lime elements kick off the flavor fest with the peppery yeast and herbal (rosemary, thyme and sage) aspect developing by mid-palate; after the swallow, the herbal tone grows medicinally bitter

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Drinkability: A very interesting brew, but the aftertaste is too medicinal and leaves it lacking compared to the other versions of this beer

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 01:58:40 | More by brentk56

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle: Poured a dark golden color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma consists of primarily sage with a sweet malt base with candy-like feature which surprisingly works well together. Taste is also a very unique mix between a sweet malt base with candy and soap notes and a distinctive sage finish with other spices also coming through. Body is quite light for style but seems perfect in this case as it makes this a very refreshing drink. A lot better then I had anticipated and something I would seek again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 17:57:32 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.71/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

If any beer style can support the additions of spice that are normally found in roast beef or as a garnish to premiere entrees, then the Belgian Saison would be the one. Already a focal point on yeast spices, the dry malt taste and low-ester display puts these earthy and flowery botanicals to the test.

Opening with its signature light yeasty cloud, this playful Saison builds upon it a short statured creamy off-white head. With solid staying power, the beer recedes leaving intricate lacing patterns in its wake.

Aromas kick off with surprisingly fruit notes of dried limes, lemons, and green apples. Exotic grasses of rosemary are dominant, but fragrant parsley, sage and thyme are also noteworthy. With not-so exotic fresh cut grass, hops, and lemon pepper, the earthen spices are supported by the wafer-thin grain and malt. thin cracker malt support.

Short lives frainy-malt sweetness allows for soft early impressions, but the sweetness is soon cast aside in favor of earth and spice flavors to dictate the taste thereafter. Its resulting grassy taste goes from straw and dry crackers to lemongrass, lemon pepper, thyme, rosemary, perfumy parsley and an almost cilantro "soapy" taste. All these botanicals bleeds evenly into hop bitterness to finish a little leafy and stemmy.

Light creaminess massages the palate just as the early sweetness is present. But the beer quickly turns to a bone-dry middle and finish. Peppery warmth approaches spice heat and accompanies herb-derived astringency; masked by hop bitterness as echoes in aftertaste and texture.

The beer should have a disclaimer to require it to pair with savory meats like roast beef, pork belly, or tequila lime tacos. As a stand alone beer, the exotic herbs seem to be veering off in left field and lacking purpose.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 02:55:02 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass a hazed light golden with a fluffy white head that left shotty lace as it settled slowly.A nice mix of citrus and overripe pineapple fruitiness, along with white pepper,and slight yeasty phenols.Citrusy on the palate with a bit of yeasty flavors,a sharp spicy white pepper and herb-like note hits in a long finish.A tad sharp in the mouth but I really like this collaberation,it has an American feel to it with its big citric flavors.A nice saison beer even if not true to form.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 20:56:43 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tasted side by side with the other Saison Du Buff beers, I found the Stone to be the darkest in color, the most cloudy, the most spicy/peppery, and the most bitter.

It poured a deep gold/orange body beneath a massive head of foamy bright white that seemed to take forever to settle and left sheets of thin lacing about the glass, and a dollop of creamy froth floating in the middle of the surface.

The aroma expressed yeast and basic malt, a floral and herbal character, mild chalky citrus peel, a bit of dried fruit (mainly apricot) and and a clear waft of tea. It also displayed more sage than the others, but rosemary and thyme as well.

The flavor was spicy up front, followed by sage and other herbs, malt, some mineral and yeast and then a combination of hop and herb that dried it nicely and lingered in a surprisingly long finish - the solid bitterness and herb goes on forever, with lots of rosemary.

Overall, it's a fairly bitter and herbal beer, but it still seems to offer a pretty good amount of drinkability. Unless you let it warm, the herbaceous character is pretty much kept in check, and there's a solid bitterness there that helps to cut it short in the finish. I could easily see drinking two of these in one sitting, and yet there's still a good deal of complexity to it. Nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 00:35:19 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in a Sloeber tulip glass.

Big thanks to GoGriz for this bottle!

Simon & Garfunkel would be so proud (or so litigious...whichever...). It pours an almost clear, somewhat hazy golden straw topped by a more-than-healthy couple fingers of white froth. The nose comprises a dichotomous mixture of wheat and citrus assaulted by a a horde of window-box garden spices (must be the S&G "Canticle" spices). The spices return to dominate the tongue as well, providing more than enough garnish for the dish, both literally and figuratively. Some citrus flies in behind them, but this is quickly quashed by a strong earthy/spicy collaboration. Still, though, the herbs/spices maintain their iron-clad grip on the situation. This is the first time I've experienced a sammich's filling be completely o'ershadowed by the bread. Honestly, I think I find it a bit too much. The body is pretty light, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, I gotta say I am underwhelmed by this brew. Brewing with the window-box greens is fine, but I don't think they should dizzominate the proceedings like they do here.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 07:45:05 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer poured golden yellow in color with a finger high white head. A light amount of carbonation is visible from the rising bubbles.
S: There are strong aromas of herbs in the nose; rosemary stands out in particular.
T: Like the smell, there are lots of complex herbal flavors in the taste, which lend a certain uniqueness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very crisp on the palate with some dryness in the finish.
D: The beer is relatively drinkable, but only if you are accustomed to lots of herbal flavors such as those found in gruit beers.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2010 02:11:54 | More by metter98

drabmuh

Maryland

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Stone shaker pint glass at Rustico. A collaboration between three of my favorite breweries and a saison none the less, am I in heaven? Or is this a cruel joke. Unfortunately it was a cruel joke. This beer was not so good.

Beer is yellow and clear with a thick white head of small and medium bubbles, looks like meringue. Carbonation is high and there is a lot of lacing on the glass. So far so good.

Aroma is quite surprisingly hoppy. Very piny and mildly sweet. Interesting....

Well my notes say basil tasting, strong basil taste but after talking with Greg from Stone he said its parsley rosemary sage and thyme. Sounds great if I'm making sausage but this beer just didn't do it for me. It wasn't offensive but I doubt I'll go there again. Finishing was rather bitter and it has a creamy mouthfeel with a medium body. Too bad.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2010 19:06:08 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a hazy yellow color with a huge white head. The aroma is full of Belgian yeast, lemons/oranges and some pepper. The flavor is more complex and completely different. I get a ton of herb notes in the beer, mainly rosemary and thyme, but possibly some other herbs as well. I also get a lot of wheat, pepper, ginger and yeast notes. While there are a ton of flavors present, something about them doesn't sit quite right with me. The flavor is a little bit of a mess, but still enjoyable. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2011 03:01:33 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a cloudy, golden yellow color with a one-finger, fluffy, white head of foam. Nice retention and some sudsy lace.

S - It smelled of herbs! The rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley all blend into one delicious herb aroma.

T - Nice herbal flavor with a sweet caramel backbone. There is a hint of fruitiness and yeast kick, too.

M - It was crisp and sharp with a dry finish. A light to medium bodied ale.

D - This is a very interesting offering. It's worth picking up to try before it is gone.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 23:57:47 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright yellow color, with a large white head that fades very slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains a lot of lemon and spices along with Belgian yeast, light malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with a minty burst of spices followed by some lemon flavor. Then some breadiness comes in from Belgian yeast and a hearty but not too heavy malt character. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings some balance. The after-taste is spicy and slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style even though it seems a lot like a Witbier, if you're into the spicy flavor this is a good beer to drink for a while.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 03:50:35 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cheers to errantnight for this one!

Pours an effervescent bronze with a finger of pearl colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Lemony with white pepper & orange peel

T: Follows the nose, also some breadyness & candi sugar, apple peels & general spiceyness up front. Fruittyness & lemons dominate as this warms, along with white pepper & orange peel. This reminds me as much of a wit as a saison, so I will deduct half a point for that. I am picking up more the advertised spices once way warm. Finishes with apple peel, lemony & herbal hops & a lovely spiceyness & just a bit of grapefruit at the apex

MF: Medium bodied, lively carbonation, very nice balance

Superb drinkabilty I could stay on this all night!

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 03:25:58 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled July 2010
A careful pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a fat, four-finger thick, pale tan colored head. The head has lots of staying power and, as it slowly subsides, leaves lots of lacing patterns on the sides of my glass. The beer is a rich gold hue that has some touches of orange to it, but shows a very bright, straw gold color when held up to the light. The beer smells up front like American hops; a bright citrus character backed by herbal pine like aromatics. The herbal character is quite interesting, but could still be hop derived, but the more you dig the more you realize that it couldn't be from hops. This reminds me of lemon thyme, sage, perhaps a touch of eucalyptus, rosemary and even a touch of menthol; really though the biggest note to me is of the sage. This is definitely a beer dominated by the spice character as I don't really get any of the base malt character; though perhaps there is some spiciness derived from the yeast character (clove mostly, but some pepper-like notes).

Fairly dry tasting, and when you add the herbs on top of this the beer is quite dry from start to finish. Woody rosemary notes, peppery, earthy sage, some lavender like notes, potpourri, and even a touch of lemon zest. The herbs add some woody astringency to the finish that lingers on in the finish coating and drying out the palate pretty significantly. Hints of straw like grain, and a touch of honey-like malt (that seems derived from herbal flowers) become noticeable after a bit, but are still very subtle underneath the dominant herbal character. There is actually a fair amount of body to this brew, but the herbs make this seem lighter than it actually is.

There is a nice bright lemon note in the nose that doesn't quite translate to the flavor. It is interesting how much this smelled like it was aggressively hopped during my first few smells of the nose, especially when all this came from the herbs with a touch of yeast character thrown in.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 14:22:23 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

4.4/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"Are you going to Scarborough Faire?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine," - Simon and Garfunkel

12 oz. bottle, procured at the BevMo in Cypress,

A: Pours a clear dark yellow with a fluffy white head, solid retention.

S: Sage for weeks - not days, forest, a beautiful herbal smell. I'm in Heaven right now.

T: It's all about the herbs here. The rosemary really comes out and complements the sage which is as with the nose the major factor. Malt is relatively light but lends balance to the great flavours.

M: Medium-bodied, dry, elegant.

D: This is really good stuff. It's extremely herbal, but I like that so it worked nicely for me. Begs to be with food. I'm excited to hold on to my other bottle for a few months and see what happens to it.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 23:20:14 | More by Halcyondays

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap, multiple times, at T. Brendan O'Reilly's.

A: Served in a tumbler, the saison has a golden glow, bright with no traces of sediment, haze or imperfection (except for a stream of dense bubbles). Atop the wonder is a white head, thicker earlier in the night, that laced in layers as I made my way through each glass.

S: A complex saison that throws everything and the kitchen sink at you? I love it! Sage, with a minty pepper aroma, is strong, as is a piney hop presence. A bit of sharp anise, a further aroma twist finishes things off. By the third pint, a bit of nose fatigue sets in.

T: Fresh off the tap, the piney hops strike first. Their resiny flavor is sharp before being absorbed into the spice profile. The peppery sage is up first, and really it dominates throughout. Further spices follow the sage, with rosemary and anise standing out. The spices are, well, spicy, adding a sharp bite to the saison that leads into a long, drawn out finish.

M: The mouthfeel is lively to say the least. The heavy spice profile, from sweet to peppery, along with the oily hops, are a nice package.

D: The booziness isn't very strong, hidden well behind the wall of flavor. I am very impressed with the reckless abandon of the ale.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2010 15:09:34 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into my La Fin du Monde chalice, beautiful slightly hazed bright sunshine golden hue with a bright 3-4 finger stretch of head. Lacing is fine and evenly scattered between sips, nice stuff. Aroma has a bright herbal garden nose, the rosemary additiones stand out but I don't think I could pick out the others individually very pleasant. There's also a pleasant lemon/lime tone to the nos. Flavor is harsh with herbal spices, the underlyng saison is hard to determine because the untraditional brewing additions create a blanket of bitterness I'm guessing the thyme did this. It overpowers chicken when fresh and overused. Mouthfeel is medium bodied not boozey just a cast of bittering herbs sticks to the palate like Tom's organic toothpaste. Drinkability isn't what I was expecting herbal Saisons don't work to well, checkout reviews from Great Lakes version last spring.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 16:13:06 | More by WVbeergeek

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured a straw yellow color with excellent carbonation leaving a big fluffy white head

S: Parsely, sage, lemon

T: Nice crisp feel upfront with lemon, grass, parsley and sage. Did not detect thyme until midway to the end

M: Crisp, light hops and grains, light on booze.

D: Good

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2010 02:12:07 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thick white head that slowly recedes. Leaves ample, coating lace. The beer is gold with a mild chill haze.

Very spicy aroma that reminds me of pizza. To me, it reminiscent of oregano. It's also peppery. Mildly floral (Dogwood?).

Quite peppery on the tongue almost immediately on the initial sip. Unusual flavor but still appealing. Moderate body with an above average level of carbonation. The aftertaste is very dry, even astringent, featuring a long lasting white ground pepper bite.

I love the experimentation. This is worth seeking out if only to try something completely unusual.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 02:16:01 | More by smcolw

rhoadsrage

Illinois

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

(Served in a chalice)
A- This beer pours a crystal clear golden yellow with a swirling sea of microbubbles and a creamy light tan head that last
S- The perfumy yeast aroma of saisons has a green hop snap with notes of mint and thyme and a very faint herbal parsley quality. There is a rubber balloon note to the finish of the hops. T- The yeasty saison flavor has a slight sweetness with a faint bread quality and a big pungent hop kick in the finish with grapefruit zest qualities that grow as the beer opens up.
M-There is a medium mouthfeel with a tight light fizz and no alcohol heat noticed.
D- The nice saison with strong American hops has an interesting herbal twist with mint and rosemary that is not over the top but.... interesting.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2010 21:49:35 | More by rhoadsrage