Saison Athene - Saint Somewhere Brewing Company

Cavery

California

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

2009 bottle extra compliments of MarkWise in a recent RateBeer trade. He warned me about the cork, and man he was right. I think my cat will now run every time I get a beer out of the cellar.

A: Small half finger foams over a partly cloudy baked apple colored body. A subdued color pattern that looks like an aged citrus rind. Old, but not quite rustic. Pear like yellows meet old citrus oranges in a visual that reminds me of old paintings of fruit bowls.

S: The seasonings in this beer really mix with the yeast to give it a smell of apple sauce/pear sauce. There's a faint note in the beer that makes me think of hot teas that have been cooled. There's definitely a faint herb in here; after consulting the bottle it's obviously the remnants of the rosemary. Really thought his smells like pear sauce with fresh spices, flaking of cinnamon.

T: lightly peppery Aurugula that at first made me think pepper, but it's definitely too green to be ground pepper. Little bit of cucumber behind the prickling of herbs and spices. The rosemary comes off pickled, almost dill like. The floral aspect of the beer comes through behind the spices. Reminds me a bit of creosote branches.

M: Quite effervescent, especially considering the age. The beer has a really nice dryness that lets the flavor go just long enough before cleaning it up with a vacuum of peppery feels. A nice thin glaze from the alcohol makes for a fancier feeling saison.

O: This is a very easy beer to drink a couple glasses of, but there's definitely a fatigue factor from the effervescent feel and the peppery floral finish. You end up feeling like you are drinking a very well oak treated perfume. This is a very nice drying saison, but after a couple glasses I can't help but feel like this beer tastes like a great many organic shampoos. Be sure to share this one, and you will enjoy it that much more.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 02:48:46 | More by Cavery

GRG1313

California

4/5  rDev +1.3%

05-15-2013 03:57:57 | More by GRG1313

GPHarris

Alabama

4.26/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2012

a - the cork was ready to blow when i opened the cage. poured a three-fingers thick bubbly and effervescent off-white head into a tulip glass. the body was a bubbly straw golden color.
s - lemon zest, apples, pears.
t - spicy fruitiness (same as aroma) with a slight tartness.
m - bubbly and crisp.
o - very drinkable and pleasant. lots of flavors melding in here. one i'll definitely go back to.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 15:48:32 | More by GPHarris

bahnfire

Vermont

2.5/5  rDev -36.7%

05-07-2013 15:28:11 | More by bahnfire

BeerPunk1312

New York

4/5  rDev +1.3%

04-28-2013 02:10:37 | More by BeerPunk1312

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.69/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

750ml bottle into a tall tulip

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden color with a finger of fluffy white head. Good retention, great lacing.

S: Very intense and complex with a lot of spices. Freshly picked flowers start out, almost reminding me of rose water. Behind that, I get a mixture of ginger and peppercorn. Behind that, I get a musty, farmhouse flavor with some tropical fruits and Brett funk. There is a lot going on here.

T: Much more subdued, I get red apples starting off with a good dose of nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon. I also get some rose water and peppercorn like in the aroma, but not nearly as intense. A bit of caramel sweetness and some musty yeast reminds you this is a beer, particularly a Saison.

M: Medium thickness for the style with appropriate carbonation.

O: A roller coaster of a beer, there is a ton going on. However, the additions to the base beer kind of overtake the beer and dominate the flavors and aromas. I'd like to taste more of what is underneath.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 03:24:10 | More by coreyfmcdonald

KVNBGRY

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

03-27-2013 00:52:36 | More by KVNBGRY

nmann08

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-26-2013 23:18:50 | More by nmann08

Sparky44

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

03-25-2013 01:45:55 | More by Sparky44

Duchesse

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-18-2013 03:00:03 | More by Duchesse

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

03-11-2013 04:48:21 | More by spycow

gunclubchris

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-08-2013 04:59:41 | More by gunclubchris

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.3%

03-07-2013 20:37:21 | More by orangesol

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

03-07-2013 19:13:02 | More by ummswimmin

tectactoe

Michigan

3.79/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Split between Jeff and myself. Pours a completely opaque, dark-ish shade of gold. Murky and cloudy throughout with some lighter orange tints at the edges. Big, foamy white head - pretty volatile pour. The aroma is straightforward with some fresh Belgian-smelling yeast, heavy and very bubblegum-esque. Some very, very sharp and zesty spices, namely clove, sting the nostrils hard. Very clean and crisp, some nice fruity esters come through and sweeten things up a bit. I like how the aroma is raw and straightforward while remaining clean-cut and pure. Hard to explain, but it's refreshing.

The taste is very crisp - heavy doses of carbonation and a medium body provide a snap on the tongue like a fresh Sprite would do. Lemon zest, clove, apple skins. There is a very slight but appreciable tartness that hits right at the beginning in the form of apples and pears. This tartness seems to get heavier with each sip, although it never reaches a "puckering" level of sourness. Where most beers would descend the tartness into a type of sweetness, the mild sour flavor in Saison Athene actually transitions into a soft bitterness, with some slightly grassy and herbal hop flavors. As this bitterness transcends, so do the funky yeast flavors; barnyard, oak, cork, funk. Surprising how these funk flavors barely came through in the aroma at all. The finish contains a substantial amount of this funkiness, along with a light, almost menthol-like freshness, maybe even peppermint. Mild and a little dry.

Overall, not a bad saison. Weirdly enough, the aftertaste contained quite a bit of funk, but I wasn't picking it up in the aroma at all - the aroma actually led me to think this would be a little sweeter than it was. The tartness in the beginning was a nice touch, but the flavors didn't mesh quite as well as I would have like. Still pretty nice, clean, and drinkable. Don't know if it's worth the price, but it wasn't bad.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 14:01:24 | More by tectactoe

DStoked

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

03-03-2013 04:37:29 | More by DStoked

duff247

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%

02-25-2013 00:53:00 | More by duff247

ToastySteve

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

02-23-2013 18:15:29 | More by ToastySteve

Bizoneill

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +1.3%

02-21-2013 15:32:15 | More by Bizoneill

Blanco

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -24.1%

02-19-2013 04:57:44 | More by Blanco

harrymel

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%

02-14-2013 07:16:47 | More by harrymel

pixieskid

France

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

02-08-2013 01:05:12 | More by pixieskid

THECPJ

Delaware

4/5  rDev +1.3%

01-22-2013 20:39:56 | More by THECPJ

Thirstygoat

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

01-15-2013 05:05:50 | More by Thirstygoat

ScaryEd

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

01-15-2013 01:02:59 | More by ScaryEd