Colette Farmhouse Ale - Great Divide Brewing Company

champ103

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a very cloudy pale yellow color. A two finger white head forms with good retention. Light lace is left behind.
S: Strong yeast aromas up front. Earth with lots of fruity esters up front. Light basement funk. Inviting.
T: Earthy yeast and lots of fruity esters. Banana and light lemon peal. Not much else.
M/D: A medium body that is very smooth. Clean, but not nearly as dry as I would like. This goes down easy. Very moreish.

Enjoyable is the name of the game. Nothing crazy, but a nice easy drinker that is good on a hot day. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 00:45:42 | More by champ103

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Prime 16 into a shaker pint.

A: Very, very pale straw - almost green when held up to daylight; one finger of frothy white foam; average retention and some light lace. Not bad for the style.

S: Bright, lively aroma of lemon, flowers, grass, and lightly spicy yeast. Quite nice.

T: Starts fruity, with citrus and pear, then gets spicier and hoppier. Mix of spice and pronounced grassiness on the finish. Slight tartness makes it refreshing. Enjoyable.

M: Light and lively lively with tons of explosive carbonation, but not so much as to be overwhelming.

D: There's no way I'd peg this at anything over 6.5% - it goes down too easily. While not necessarily the most drinkable saison I've had, it's definitely up there.

Notes: With great interplay of everything that makes saisons fun - yeast, tartness, spiciness, and grassy hops - this is a very solid beer. I'd put it slightly ahead of Smutty's Farmhouse and just behind Hennepin among American expressions of the style. Good stuff.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2010 19:22:41 | More by woosterbill

tdm168

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - bright, cloudy yellow with a loose, bubbly head that fades quickly

S - lemon, a bit tart

T - lemon zest, a hint of orange, faint yeast, fruity

M - medium bodied, well carbonated, a bit crisp, a bit warm in the finish

This is a rather refreshing Saison. It has a nice citrusy, fruity flavor that is balanced and enjoyable. It's also easy to drink. I will probably pick this up again.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 16:52:12 | More by tdm168

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottled Feb 18 2010

A - First off I am impressed by the mild lacing and heavy carbonation of this beer. Pours a hazy yellow with a half inch of head.

S - Slight funk with lemon and mild wheat backbone. Maybe smells a bit of apples which means the yeast has done it's job.

T - Ow wow pretty damn good. Starts off yeasty with a mild apple or pear taste and leads to a clean semi bitter finish but fruity. I don't know how but I liked it better than Hennepin since it seems just as flavorful with less ABV.

M - Clean and crisp almost effervescent.

D - Well I have two more and plan to have one more now but damn this is the best drinkable Saison I ever had. I hope the same with age...

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 08:16:18 | More by DrDemento456

merlin48

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Foil wrapped bomber pours a hazed, light golden body with a medium sized head that leaves some sheet lacing.

Aroma is suitable for a good saison, with an herbal and floral profile, and caramel and mint accents.

Medium body and carbonation lacks the pastoral funkiness of the better Belgian saisons.

Taste is pleasant. Sour and tart, with notes of white pepper, lemon, yeast, wheat, and grassy hops. Sweet caramel maltiness is appropriately restrained. Clean finish.

I like this one a lot, but it simply needs a lot more funkiness to compete with the better examples of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2009 22:58:27 | More by merlin48

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The new 2011 batch on tap, Rockies opening day. Sunny outside, perfect for this brew.

Cloudy pour, very hazy and bright. A deep, yet pale golden pour. Big white head, great lacing.

Aroma is very nice; spicy, floral, bready. I've said this before about myself--I think I'm quite sensitive to corn aromas, and I get that here. I'll knock a tic off the score, but not much since it might just be me. Somewhat sweet it seems

Yup, it's a bit sweet in the taste. Overall it's flavors are nice. Bready--with spice. Coriander, florals, a bit of soft citrus. Fairly rich is the mouth. I'd like to see more of something to cleanse the finish, but still very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2011 17:24:33 | More by Mebuzzard

flagmantho

Washington

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a tulip. Bottled 15 April 2009.

Appearance: pale yellow and slightly hazy with a lot of apparent effervescence and a huge chunky white head. Very nice.

Smell: tart and malty; not particularly complex or pungent but fairly nice.

Taste: nice chalky malt with a little bit of tartness thrown in. Quite subtle but tasty; reminds me a little of a heather ale in flavor. I think the strength of this beer is in its holding-back; granted, I'm no saison expert, but I find this beer quite good.

Mouthfeel: medium, maybe medium-light body with big carbonation which leads to a solid creaminess. I quite like it indeed.

Drinkability: I didn't know quite what to think when going into this beer. I'm finding it quite tasty and enjoyable. Very drinkable for a 7.3% beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 04:42:37 | More by flagmantho

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a Stella Artois glass late at night. I forgot I already had this on tap, so here goes a bottle review.

Murky muddled yellow with faint traces of faint orange on the edges. Colette did not provide a decent head for a Belgian coming from a hard forceful pour, only a whispy inch of adjunct lager looking head that died before it rised up, weak fluff.

Surprisingly the nose on Colette is just filled with a fruit basket backed with a Belgian yeast, or should I say four. Ok, the bready semi sweet comes through but it's the fruits that come out in full force. I can say that the fruit is coming into De Dolle territory with ripeness out the wazoo. Under that some trace hay and earthy hop scents.

The taste comes close but does not mimick the scent, I was not expecting it to, alot of American brewed Belgian styles tend to miss the mark, Great Divide comes close though. Apple skins with pears and some bready yeast with some bisquit. A small non bitter hop taste comes through mid way while Colette forms a fruity and bready finish.

At times, she is smooth with a ripe fruit taste going down, sometimes, it's more bready and yeasty leaving for a dryness on the backend, it all depends. Medium bodied with a solid build and enough carb built in to leave a slight mark. This comes off like a Belgian golden mixed with a saison.

I like this, I like it more in the bottle for some reason or another. The mix of yeasts in this really sets it off. This is one American Saison that I would drink more than one of. It's not to far off from the others meaning it's not quite on the Belgian scale, but damn it's close. I know it's not sessionable, but F that, Im dranking more.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2010 04:56:43 | More by onix1agr

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Rattle N Hum in New York, NY

A: Pours a very cloudy pale straw yellow in color. The beer has a thin off-white head that quickly reduces to a thin film covering most of the surface of the beer. Very little to no lacing is observed.

S: Overall, I found the smell of this beer to be quite mild. There were hints of spices, citrus, and just a touch of the funk you would expect.

T: Again, a little more on the mild side than I might have expected/desired but definitely tasty. There was a very light amount of funk with some crisp citrus notes and just a touch of spice (clove and possibly white pepper).

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of effervescent carbonation. Very dry.

O: Overall this was a very enjoyable light summer saison and definitely a beer that would go down well on a warm afternoon/evening. I found this one to be quite easy to drink and worth getting another.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2012 14:17:10 | More by dbrauneis

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Remarkably clear pale yellow in color, although a nice haze brings it nearly to witbier territory and keeps it from looking like a washed-out, boring corporate lager. So does the head, which is a cloudy white and as fluffy as meringue.

The aroma delivers the goods. Anyone into this style will appreciate it, I'd think. Very clean, very bright, lots of fresh-cut hay/straw, hints of lemon and lime rind, flowery herbal-ness, a hint of soil-like earthy yeast. If you can smell tartness, then this smells tart. Or smells like it's gonna taste tart. Yeah.

Flavor is everything the taste promises, plus the sweet, doughy goodness of sugar cookie dough and shortbread. So: citrus (lemon, lime); hay/straw/grass; flower/zesty herbs; and shortbread cookies. Light flash of white pepper, too. The yeast character is complex and underlines all of this, and it ends with a crisp, semi-dry, citrus-laden finish.

Weighs hearty in the mouth, having just a little bit of stickiness while the carbonation is active yet unaggressive; remains buoyant and airy, very much a pleasure to hold in the mouth.

They nailed it. But of course but a good old American spin on the style, in terms of its stickier/chewier mouthfeel and the slightly bolder flavor than the more subtle creations of the homeland farmhouse ales. Excellent stuff that I wish they'd sell in a bomber, as I could easily enjoy a bit more of this, right now.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2010 23:21:23 | More by Metalmonk

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a cloudy yellow color. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes quickly into a small cap of lacing. The aroma is of lemons, hay, and leather. The taste is a balance of lemon, orange and mildy funky barnyard notes. What is there in the flavor and aroma is nice, but lacks depth. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with lively carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, this is a good beer that I would happily drink again, but there are much better saisons out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 23:18:17 | More by KarlHungus

emmasdad

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours the color of cloudy spun gold, capped with a beautiful rocky white head. This one looks so inviting in the glass. Aroma of strawberries, lemons, yeast and wheat. Tastes almost exactly like it smells, spicy and refreshing, with a good hint of lemon-citrus and a peppery tang on the back end. The alcohol is not the least bit evident in this one, and it makes for a delicious and refreshing late spring afternoon beer. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2010 21:32:07 | More by emmasdad

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz Bottle

Appearance - Slightly Hazy light yellow colour with a large size fizzy white coloured head. I can't make out much carbonation due to the haziness and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for 4 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell – Breads/grains, lemon zest and juice, banana

Taste & Mouth - The beer has a high amount of carbonation. I can taste lots of lemon juice and zest mixed with bananas and wheat. There is also a light amount of barnyard funk and the beer finishes with a grainy and tart aftertaste.

Overall – This is a very solid that beer that was well balanced and extremely easy to drink. It's worth trying and I'll be buying it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 17:11:19 | More by spinrsx

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

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into tulip, bottle March 3, 2011. Pours hazy golden amber color, with a fairly dense 2 finger white head with great retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. A bit of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of huge grass, lemon, pepper, spices, bread, a bit of funk and some light fruits(apple, grape). Very nice and complex aromas here. Taste of grass, lemon, pepper, spices, grape and a slight bit of funk. Very slight bit of tartness noticed on the finish. Lingering notes of spices, lemon, pepper, and breadiness on the finish for a decent amount of time. Quite refreshing and easy drinking for the alcohol level. Medium carbonation and body. No alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. Overall, a very nice saison with nice flavor and balance.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 03:53:54 | More by superspak

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazed yellow gold with moderate cap of soapy white bubbles, little retention. Scent begins with equal parts tangy wheat and floral hops, light vanilla cookie like sweetness with a splash of watery fruit and lemongrass on the finish with the lightest hint of herbs. Taste is a touch more aggressive than scent dictated but still well balanced with strong tangy wheat and floral notes still the star, the backbone has an aggressive shortbread taste with a hint of vanilla as well as watery fruit (pears), combines pleasantly with a hop profile that provides a touch of lemon zest and earthy spiciness. Medium bodied and dry finish. A nice non-funkdified saison which keeps things dry and light with some well blended flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2010 14:50:49 | More by rfgetz

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

Mitchster

Michigan

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

$14.99 for a 6'er in Dearborn. 7.3% ABV. Bottled on Feb 23, 2010. Brewed in the Belgian tradition with rice. WTF? Haha! No specs per the website or the bottle.

Pours out to a hazy pale golden, forming a soapy and voluminous white head with excellent retention and one solid thick sheet of lace. Thin layer of yeast in the bottom of the bottle. Briskly carbonated, but not effervescent, releasing a firm "Psssht" with the cap. The aroma is of green apples, pears, delicate honey, subtle barnyard, and freshly mown hay. The mouthfeel is tart, seltzer-like, astringent and with a deceptively light body owing to the rice and carbonation level. The taste is a recap of the aroma, except there is a subtle toast in the aftertaste, and a definite lemon pith tartness. There is a subtle musty oxidation that doesn't overwhelm, and some slight fusels that creep in owing to the high fermentation temps. Bitterness is mild and floral.

This is a well-crafted brew, but the style isn't really my favorite. If you're a saison fan, it's definitely worth checking out. Comparable to many run-of-the-mill Belgian saisons.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 09:18:26 | More by Mitchster

prototypic

Ohio

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

Saison pours a pale gold color. There's a light amount of haze clouding the scene, but not much. An active white heads caps it off and reaches a couple of fingers deep. Given the activity, it was much slower to recede than I expected. Lacing was on the lighter end of the spectrum.

The nose is easily above average, but isn't stunning. It smells a little fruity initially. Light pear and lemon are noted. Yeast is very prominent. Belgian yeast is here, but it's not as strong as I'd like. It certainly has strong earthy and herbal notes. I'm not picking up anything overtly vegetal (which is a good thing). It's a little musky, but not quite funky. I'm not picking up any alcohol. It smells alright, but doesn't "wow" in any way.

The flavor profile is pretty consistent with the nose. It's certainly fruity up front, but not in a sweet way. Lemon is the strongest fruit flavor, but pear is present as well. A rather strong herbal flavor mixes with some spicy notes. There might be a little clove here. Tough to tell. It's hoppier than I anticipated. I like that aspect of it. It has a nice bitter surge. The hops taste mostly floral in variety. Yeasty flavors emerge somewhat late, but are strong. Belgian yeast is definitely appreciated (in more ways than one). I'm still not picking up any alcohol. It finishes bitter and dry. This is pretty good stuff. Above average. Ultimately, it's just a tad too herbal.

Saison has a medium body that's nearly smooth. Active carbonation really prevents it from getting there. Too much buzziness. Drinkability is okay. Above average. The flavor's alright, but I'm not in love with it. It goes down pretty easy. A bomber will due.

This is the second Great Divide beer in a row that really hasn't dazzled me. After rolling out consistently great beer, this and the 15th Anniversary Release are just in the 'pretty good' category. This one would probably be improved if the herbal aspect was toned down a little. The other flavors seem to work nicely and I like the hoppy aspect of it, but that vegetal bit is just too strong. Not a bad effort, but a little disappointing. Worth a try nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 02:50:18 | More by prototypic

argock

Virginia

4.19/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a cler glass tumbler. No decipherable bottling date -- rubbed off. Purchased at Knightly Spirits (Orlando, FL).

A: Straw yellow, slightly hazy as a little of the yeast snuck in. 1-2 finger white big-bubbled head with good retention but only scattered dots of lace.

S: The aroma is mostly bready, grainy maltiness with light fruitiness including pear and yellow apple and some pretty strong floral and fruity yeast esters. There is an herbal, lightly fruity and lemon citrus hoppiness in the aroma profile. Nothing light about this -- spot-on.

T: A superb mix of fruit, herbal nuances, yeast esters and solid backbone of grainy Pilsner maltiness. Malt wins of the big three, but the yeast esters are interesting with pear, apple, and some green grape flavors blending with floral, perfumy qualities. The hops are mostly bitterness, but there is some lemon rind citrus along with mild grassiness. A really excellent saison.

M: Colette hits the lush maltiness and finshes with the dry crispness this style demands. Carbonation is active without a doubt and helps bolster the refreshing qualities of this ale.

O: Colette is an outstanding American version of farmhouse ale -- clean grain and bread maltiness with fruity yeast esters finished with lemon citrus and the righ punch of dryness. Yet another reason I am sad that GD is no longer in my neck of the woods in VA.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:28:45 | More by argock

atsprings

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Many thanks to Erik from Flying Saucer for the hook-up, 22oz bomber into a Duvel snifter pours a hazy straw yellow with a nice frothy off-white head. Aroma is lemon peel and sweet malt. Taste is a nice amount of sweet fruit, crisp spice and yeast funk that leaves a tart, sour finish. The beer is just as crisp and refreshing as the style calls for, the tartness is a little on the astringent side, however. This is an enjoyable Saison, just not as good as I hoped it would be coming from Great Divide, oh well, it is still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2009 03:08:44 | More by atsprings

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in to pint glass

A - Cloudy yellow colour with half a finger of bubbly white head and a lot of visible carbonation.

S - Light scent of cloves and bready malts. Smells of a light Belgian ale. A nice nose.

T - Some cloves and other spices up front with crisp bready malts and a very slight bitterness that lingers in the finish along with the clove taste.

M - Light body but with a nice chew to it. Medium carbonation.

D - an excellent summer beer and great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 23:54:30 | More by TheSevenDuffs

claspada

New Jersey

2.25/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

The aroma was pretty prevalent with some earthy, lemon and a hint of peppery spice.

The taste and mouthfeel fall really flat for me however. The flavor profile seems to be a muddled jumble of flavors. Starts off sweet with a bunch of pale maltiness. Some slight clove, white pepper and just a bit of coriander. Almost no citrus or grass. Subtle bit of wheat tang with no fruit and for some reason the after flavor really bothers me. I cant quite put my finger on the flavor but it totally missed the style mark for me. Also the mouthfeel is WAY WAY too thick; I think that is my main problem with this brew. I usually love a thicker mouthfeel but not in my Saison. Almost creamy, very unpleasant in my opinion because it is also really carbonated but somehow not at all dry, just wierd.

Overall this is by far my least favorite beer from a brewery I really love, hey can't nail em all I guess...

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 02:35:54 | More by claspada

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle, labeled 'Colette', not 'Saison'.

Bottled on: March 10, 2010

G - Delirium tulip

A - Pours a nearly schoolbus yellow and it is quite hazy (perhaps that is due to the motorcycle ride I just put it through), with a big white head, albeit short-lived. No real lace or retention.

S - A little hay funk, a little citrus-lemon, some bread, earthy mustiness and lightly herbal hop round out the aromatics of the tightly crafted brew.

T - This is a pretty damn good beer. I am surprised, honestly, by how good. Really close to spot-on for the (Saison Du Pont-esque) style. The flavor is initially a deft balance of bready Bohemian malt, subtle herbal hop and basement-barnyard funk; as it progresses, nuances of lemon, kaffir, jasmine, gardenia, celery-coriander and sweet lime become available. Very well-hidden alcohol.

M - Very light and refreshing, despite having reasonably full flavors.

D - It is the first hot day of the year here in Florida, and damn this is a refreshing brew. I see previous reviewers are less impressed; I am not sure what to chalk that up to.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 21:49:10 | More by ktrillionaire

rye726

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Not really impressed by this offering. Some what adjunctish flavor and aromas. Just a bit on the syrupy sweet side. Pours a clear yellow with a fluffy tan head. Taste and nose are quite sweet with a subtle Belgian yeast and floral hop presence. Some fruity spices. Medium body is overly carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2009 05:18:56 | More by rye726