Serge - Saint Somewhere Brewing Company

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to dsauter for this awesome beer as an extra for our trade! Thanks Danny!

Nice loud pop when uncorking this 750 C&C bottle!

poured into snifter glass.

reviewed from notes taken 01/01/13.

Appearance: black bodied beer with 1 finger of tan head. Sticky head that lives some spotty lace.

Smell: dark malts, fruity, peppery and a touch of smoke.

Taste: a hint of pepper on the front end of this beer. transitions into an abundance of dark fruits like grapes, red apple and cherry. I get a little toasted bready flavor in there too. Little bit yeasty and spicy too like a begian beer. over the top complexity and unique elements found in this beer!

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel that dries out a little at the end.

Overall: I am really loving this beer. Havent had the pleasure of trying many Saint Somewhere beers before, but if Serge is an indication of how they brew most of there beers... i am going to have to look into more of those beer! I will not hesitate to drink Serge again!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 20:58:51 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

jtladner

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -1.2%

06-18-2013 00:44:53 | More by jtladner

Arsenal0328

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

05-31-2013 23:09:58 | More by Arsenal0328

Maxwell

Massachusetts

3.99/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark muddy brown, and sits in the glass as nearly black chocolate with massive tightly packed slightly creamy, khaki colored head. The beer’s body is impenetrable to the eye, but the head does leave a lacing of fat thick sheets of sticky bubbles. On the nose, the beer smells of funky leather with a soft green apple/pear tartness to the nose and a touch of bitter grass and a touch of pineapple. The malt is practically non-existent in the nose except for a lingering sense of caramel and toffee on the nose. On the tongue, the beer tastes tart with light roasted sweetness and a faint touch of bitters. In flavors this beer begins as of tart green apple which flows into light roasty malt with smooth caramel sweetness. As the tart green apple tastes moves into the caramel malt tastes it brings some funky cheese flavors to the mouth reminiscent of a light brie mixed with a smoked Gouda. The finish is tart but marries in some light roast and caramel flavors. The aftertaste returns to the tart flavors and a nice roasty chocolate but it also gets slightly chemical-like though this is quickly remedied by another sip of beer. These flavors are all light and subdued, but blend together beautifully. In the mouth the beer feels on the light side of medium with a slightly prickly carbonation that peppers over the taste buds. The mouth is left clean but puckering from the tartness of the beer, and slightly burned on the tongue from carbonation. Overall, this is a deliciously weird sipper. The flavors are all light but blend together beautifully into an interesting sipper. This is not my favorite of the dark saisons, but it is actually different from any other dark saison I’ve tried. Its tartness moves it towards the funky saisons, while still carrying some roasted and caramel malts. This beer actually reminds me slightly of the Stingo by Boulevard and Pretty Things, as well as the Descendant by Mystic Brewery (Review for Descendant is coming soon) with its dark flavors and tart/funkiness, and such a comparison is a good thing since I love both those beers. This is not the best beer in the world, but it has some nice complexity and actually opens up into more roasty flavors as the beer warms. It has a funk and tartness that are under control and functional in the flavor, and overall it is a great beer. Try it.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 02:33:14 | More by Maxwell

JeffreyJDavis

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Chose Serge for my second Saint Somehwere exploration, apparently this Black Saison is named after Serge A. Storms, the character in Tim Dorsey's Florida crime novels. Poured from a 750ml into a Riedel stemless goblet.

A: Pours a very very deep dark brown with 4 fingers of light cola head. Dissipates relatively quickly with very slight lacing. The beer is nearly opaque letting only a bit of light through, appears quite clear, though it's unfiltered, but definitely some yeast turbidity in the bottom of the bottle.

N: Smells like a sour, with tartness of cherries and some grapey vinous notes. But some roasted malty breadiness is there. You do not forget that this is a St Somewhere spontaneously fermented ale, as the 4-EP from the Brett is pretty prominent in the nose, but not to an off-putting level.

T: I was somewhat let down by the flavor which was nowhere near as complex as I would have guessed from the nose. Mostly tart cherries and sour apples well integrated with yeasty malty roasted breadiness. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think a Saison needs this roastiness.

MF: Relatively light bodied with durable carbonation which sticks with the beer long after the head has subsided. Lacking the peppery crispness in the finish. I found the finish to be somewhat chalky and muddled, not leaving me with a pucker which makes me crave the next swig.

O: A decent hybrid style beer but probably not one I would buy again. I think I really have a style bias against these dark farmhouse ales. Interesting and definitely unique, but not a world class beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 14:44:48 | More by JeffreyJDavis

Lob

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -13.6%

04-26-2013 03:28:36 | More by Lob

Gatordaddy

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

03-30-2013 02:37:57 | More by Gatordaddy

KVNBGRY

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

03-27-2013 00:53:15 | More by KVNBGRY

mixed_master7

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.2%

03-23-2013 20:10:53 | More by mixed_master7

sourgrass

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

03-21-2013 20:23:43 | More by sourgrass

JasonSiedman

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

03-17-2013 00:03:45 | More by JasonSiedman

analienacorn

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%

03-15-2013 04:26:27 | More by analienacorn

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -13.6%

03-08-2013 15:03:29 | More by RedneckBeerz

tbarris

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +17.3%

03-05-2013 07:13:16 | More by tbarris

halo913

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -1.2%

03-02-2013 15:03:08 | More by halo913

ToastySteve

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

02-23-2013 18:15:48 | More by ToastySteve

st9647v3

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

02-22-2013 02:32:23 | More by st9647v3

brandoman63

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

02-20-2013 03:31:15 | More by brandoman63

bmur112

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

02-19-2013 15:35:28 | More by bmur112

Immortale25

Florida

3.49/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Saint Somewhere wine-style glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a full inch of dark tan head that doesn't retain long before soon dying down to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a mostly full sheet of surface foam. Sudsy, semi-resilient lacing.

S- Effervescent carbonation with a saison yeast kick and some roasty malt. Also an alcohol fume that's too apparent for a beer of this ABV. Semi-astringent.

T- Odd yeast flavor clashes with roasted malt creating a duality of light and dark that's not very pleasant. Tangy, especially in the aftertaste. I'd like to say it's complex, but that would be giving it too much credit since all that's really on display here is a typical saison done with a lot of roasted malt. Slightly smokey. The alcohol is also apparent and in the way.

M- Chalky and dry. Medium carbonation and a hefty body.

O- The first beer by Saint Somewhere to truly disappoint me. I figured if anyone could nail the latest "black saison" craze it'd be them, but I was mistaken. Drinkable, but it's kind of a chore.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 01:28:11 | More by Immortale25

pixieskid

France

3.5/5  rDev -13.6%

02-08-2013 01:05:37 | More by pixieskid

C-Dog

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

01-25-2013 21:51:57 | More by C-Dog

craft_shannie

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

01-21-2013 20:35:02 | More by craft_shannie

kylehay2004

Florida

3.8/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: two finger off white head on a deep clear amber body with nice lacing.

S: lemon pepper, tart citrus, belgian yeast, coriander, funk and herbal hops. Not getting much roasted malt but the darkness gives some caramel and dark fruit.

T: as my friend points out this one has a basalmic character. also has tart citrus, hint of roasted malt,

M: light to medium body and moderate to high carbonation, semi dry finish.

Overall: interesting beer. Not as much of the dark character as I wanted. It's definitely good and worth having but sort of not descript and although the saison character is there it seems like it can't be categorized.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 01:53:32 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.59/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A - Pours with two fingers of light tan foam on top of a dark brown body with clear, ruby highlights. The foam settles fairly quickly and leaves nice lace.

S - Musty yeast, some dark caramel, and fairly pungent acid.

T - Soft malt, light molasses, toffee, and red apple up front. Some light sourness in the middle and a finish of cola, balsamic vinegar, and pepper.

M - Medium-thick body, high carbonation, and a balanced finish.

D - Nicely done, it has the aroma and some of the flavor of a hard core sour brew but almost no actual sourness. Kind of comes off like a "session sour", all the flavor and only a fraction of the intensity. Once again, St Somewhere makes some damn, damn good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 01:51:26 | More by nickfl