Colette Farmhouse Ale - Great Divide Brewing Company

Rayek

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Hazy brass with frenetic carbonation. All those bubbles hold up a big and soapy white cap that has very nice staying power. The only downside is that little lace is left behind.

S: Musty and slightly spicy with pepper and clove aromas. A fair amount of straw can be sensed as well.

T: To me, this beer starts out tasting distinctly like an APL. The dry malts upfront are the only thing going on at first. The spicy clove and pepper bitterness arrives just in time to add some complexity. Things get really interesting toward the end when the beer becomes distinctly sour. Perhaps a bit too much so. Finishes dry, sour and tart.

M: Medium body feels grainy. Carbonation feels about right given the style.

D: Not quite what I was expecting, but still decent. A greater level of complexity out front would have been nice. The sourness of the finish was a bit too much for me. I'm still glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2009 15:22:05 | More by Rayek

Beaver13

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle. Pours a hazy yellow with a frothy white head that quickly diminishes to a thin collar.

The aroma is musty yeast and some light banana and cloves.

The flavor is musty yeast with a surprising sweet sugary fruitiness at the finish. The alcohol isn't obvious at all. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with light carbonation and kind of watery.

Overall, not a bad summer beer, but not too interesting for a saison - a little too sweet and the sweet sugary fruits don't jive well with the yeast funk.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2009 05:00:51 | More by Beaver13

OldSchoolGamer

Ohio

3/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I think Great Divide is easily one of my favorite breweries. Their Imperial Stouts and IPAs are out of this world. However, I am not a Saison fan, so we will see if they can change my opinion about the style.

A: Pours a hazy, pale yellow or straw color. Lots of bubbles coming up from the bottom. Nice bubbly, white head that sticks around.

S: The first smell is very musty. Smells almost like sauerkraut. Some Belgian funk. Maybe some grassiness or something. Doesn't smell very appetizing.

T: Thankfully that sauerkraut smell doesn't come through in the taste. I get Belgian yeast. There is a earthy like flavor, almost like grass or something. Maybe some corn. There is just a hint of citrus, but you really have to look for it. Flavor is pretty bland overall. Nothing stands out.

M: I would say medium-light bodied. Some prickly carbonation. Yeah, thats about it.

D: You can probably tell by now that I don't care for this beer. So for me, the drinkability is gonna be kinda low due to the lack of decent flavor. I guess it is kind of refreshing. Drinks pretty smoothly.

Great Divide churned out a turd in my opinion. Its funny how they can make 'grand slam' beers like Yeti and Titan, but make average beers like this and Samurai. I still love Great Divide, but would have appreciated more effort or originality in this summer brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2009 18:27:21 | More by OldSchoolGamer

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle - $6.99 at Bullock's in Marietta, Georgia. Bottled On: April 15 2009.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, delicately effervescent, golden body capped by a short-lived, white head.

Smell: Tangy-scented malted wheat interwoven with pleasantly aromatic notes of flowers, fruits, honey, and spice.

Taste: Ah, the tangy taste of malted wheat with a fair amount of whipped honey sweetness and garnished with wheat shafts and husks. Tastes of clove-spiced bananas, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, and fresh, sliced Bosc pears. Hints of faux-fruity rice here and there. Perfumy, floral hops with a medium level of bitterness. Some of the various flavors drop out, leaving the peppery spiciness behind to pair well with the hop bitterness. Finishes crisp, dry, and a touch warming with some lingering tart and tangy hints.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium, but fairly crisp carbonation.

Drinkability: A fairly enjoyable, pleasantly drinkable saison given a slight American twist. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 23:14:56 | More by ChainGangGuy

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Hazy straw yellow body. Small head that quickly recedes. Not much of a skim, just a slight ring around the edges. Little, to no lacing.

S: Slight lemon, banana, yeast notes. Very little must/funk/feet/farm/saison smell.

T: A bit out of style, with an almost complete void of the characteristic saison flavors. There isn't much of an earthy/funky flavor. Instead, its a clean lemon, wheat flavor. Tastes like a wit beer.

M: Light-medium body. Semi-dry finish. Feels good on the palate.

D: Don't get me wrong, this beer was quite enjoyable. It just didn't taste like a saison. If you blind folded me and gave me this, i'd identify it as a pretty solid wit beer that I would get quite a bit of enjoyment out of.

Bottled Date: April 15, 2009
Consumed: May 13, 2009

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 01:26:14 | More by callmemickey

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.23/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Seems like GD is just pumping out all the new beers lately. Pours a mostly clear lemony yellow color with lots of fizz. An ample frothy white head with good retention and lacing. Took a while to settle down great lacing throughout. Maybe a touch light for a saison but it there is a big variable there.

The nose is mostly malty. Some Belgian notes but limited overall. The malt has a pilsner aroma with some grainy and husky notes. Some hints of aromatic malt and a light note of biscuit. The yeast is there but would like a bit more character. Some floral and fruity notes. A light peppery but earthy aroma on the back end. Some stale notes as well (which I think other are getting funk).

The taste is a bit off. The first flavor I picked up was plastic. More specifically a rubbery flavor that balanced with the grainy malt notes. Some sweetness at first with a almost sugary quality but finishes dry. A light tang but has more of an infection note that lactic. The yeast comes out more versus the nose. A good yeast taste with a light apricot, herbal and spicy notes. Would have liked to see more of this come out. Some hoppy notes on the back end, but not really distinct.

The body finishes a bit dry. This is enhanced by a high carbonation with a slight carbonic bite. Light but noticeable. Overall, there are some good positives here, specifically with the yeast. But some negative, with the rubbery flavors (and the lack of more yeast). Still drinkable though.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2009 21:41:41 | More by Oxymoron

cjgator3

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle
Bottled April 15

A- Pours a golden orange color with an off-white head.

S- The aroma has some malt and yeast with a touch of funk that has a lot of lemon as well. There is also some spices as well as some earthy hops in the aroma.

T- The taste is extremely refreshing, and probably dangerously so considering the high ABV for a saison. The taste starts out with some citrus flavors and hints of spices with some earthy hops coming in on the finish.

M- The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

D- This is a dangerously drinkable beer that is very refreshing. Overall, this is a fantastic saison and another great beer from Great Divide.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2009 03:02:07 | More by cjgator3

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled April 15. Very decent new Saison from Great Divide- a style I like very much, and what I find is a great hot weather beer different from all of the wheat beers out there this time of year. Pours a hazy pale straw color with a fairly nice pur white head that fades to a ring. Nice fruity nose of bananas, a touch of lemon, straw, and some coriander. Alittle citrsuy in the taste as well, especially up front, with some sweet banana and light grain and spice in the finish. The tiniest bit sour and very clean in the mouth. A relatively simple but tasty Saison. It is a touch on the sweet side, but the nice citrus finish helps make it very refreshing, balanced, and keeps it interesting.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2009 23:35:36 | More by Georgiabeer

Jettanbass9

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A - hazy, very pale, straw yellow. thin lacing of a head. no visible carbonation rushing to the head, this beer almost looks like a witbier.

S - banana, clove, lemon acidity, light grainy note and light peppery note. aroma reminds me of a mix between a blanche de bruxelles and a bottle of chimay white. I really expected the forefront to have much more pepper and musty aromas that are usually associated with the style. lemony note is a little distracting.

T - theres that mustiness! a somewhat earthy flavor emerges as the beer warms. it really is quite pleasant among the banana and clove ester and phenols. peppery note appears as well as the beer warms. flavors are very nicely balanced, they really come together however not to the extent that some of the highly rated saisons are.

M - too much body for a saison... nearly medium bodied... this beer needs to be attenuated a bit more, the dryness is just not there. Completely undercarbonated for a saison... the body alone could have been fixed if a higher carbonation would have been given to the beer.

D - all in all the flavors of this beer carry its drinkability. its mouthfeel definitely needs some work. the dominate yeast flavors (the label claims to have used 'a special blend of four yeasts') really give you the impression of a witbier of some sort. i wouldn't call this beer 'true to style' by a longshot however, it is a decent beer. go in without expectations and you might just like it... as for me? 9 bones can get me a beer much closer to style.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2009 01:27:57 | More by Jettanbass9

bonsreeb85

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

22-oz. bomber into my snifter.

Hazy golden in color, lots of active carbonation is visible through the haze. a cream color foam stuck it's "head" up for a quick second, but then was not to be heard from again.

I got a lot of fruit and spice in the smell dept. Granny smith apples, lemon, and some pepper. Lot going on here

The taste was a lot different then I expected, I thought i was in for a more spicy affair, with more dryness. was i got was more tart than sweet, however plenty of both. I also got a banana/clove thing going on(similar to a wit or wheat) very strange, but tasty none the less. Nice bit of earthness in the backroud, and just the right amount of bitterness round this one off to be a strange, but delicious take on a saison.

MF - lots of carb, on par for saison

D- very high, would get again if i was in the mood for something a little different, If i was looking for a straight up saison, i would turn to Dupont of Hennepin.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 18:34:35 | More by bonsreeb85

GilGarp

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 4/14/09

Served chilled in a goblet.

Pours a deep hazy yellow color with thick white head. The head doesn't last long and leaves little behind.

Aroma is slightly sweet, citrusy, and funky. There is also a bit of earthy smell to it.

Flavor is a little bit sour, a little bit funky, and a little tart. It has some of the saison qualities but it's really more of a sour wit beer than what I've grown to know as a saison.

Mouthfeel is alright but it should be a little more effervescent. Drinkability is pretty good as it's not too strong and fairly refreshing as a summer evening beer.

I wouldn't say this is a great saison. Maybe it just needs more time in the bottle. However, it's not a bad beer for what it is. At this price, I probably won't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2009 02:37:21 | More by GilGarp

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle $7 with a cool label that has a yellow checkered theme that reminds me of Dupont. Thick white head and a super cloudy whitish yellow color. The smell is just slightly funky, dusty, earthy, smells pretty much what I would expect for the style. The taste is quite refreshing or at least it makes me think I have been refreshed. Its been a long week. Nice yeasty, spicy flavor and goes down very smooth.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2009 03:23:50 | More by ArrogantB