Southampton Saison Faucille - Southampton Publick House

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle that I purchased at last years RIS release at the publick house. Off comes the foil and after prying the cap off you notice this brew is seriously filled to the brim. Wow, no headspace in the bottle at all. Shared with friends and poured in a matching SH anniversary fishbowl. It appears a clear golden copper with 3 fingers of yellowish creamy tan head. Webby strings of lace stick to the glass and rising bubbles maintain the cap.

The smell is overall muted despite being allowed sufficient time to warm up. What does emit from the glass smells of apple juice mixed mildly with pepper. There is some yeast and fruit like apple and pear included to break things up.

The taste brings forth the apple juice mildly just like the aroma indicated. A mild peppery yeast character is present mixed with some mild tangy alcohol notes. As the brew gets warmer, a bit of fresh grainy quality comes out. Across the board, everything about this brew seems mild and easily approachable with no real distinct characteristics taking a lead role except for the apple. Not bad but not really something exciting or different to make this desirable.

This is a medium bodied brew with a smooth feel and light prickly carbonation. A solid arrangement that is very balance and enjoyable. I want to go on record here as acknowledging that even though it has been a year since I had this on draft, I vividly recall significant differences in this. Southampton brews are an entire world of difference between different servings types. (At least as far as bottle verse draft is concerned.) And I have noticed this via ther other offerings as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 20:01:02 | More by stakem

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours a transparent pale golden orange, very active bubbles with tons of tight white head. The nose is fruity, yeast notes behind with a touch of peppery spice. Lemon, peach, zesty. The taste is a bit sweeter, still has the bright golden fruits but a touch sugary. The zesty spice and yeast is underplayed but still nicely integrated. Te body is light, fairly dry. Assertive carb, a touch juicy in the palate.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 15:09:14 | More by cpetrone84

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to callmemickey for sharing this one at last Saturday's Philly tasting. Serve din a mini tulip.

Pours a moderate golden color with a nice white head and some spotty lacing on the way down. The nose carries a bit of citrus and light spice. A touch of earth as well. The flavor has some light grain character along with a bit of citrus peel, spice, and a very light floral character. Body is light-medium with good carbonation and a semi-dry finish. This doesn't live up to Peconic, but is still quite good in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 00:05:18 | More by Thorpe429

gory4d

New York

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to shaebs99 for another great S'hampton hook-up.

Pours a tawny amber with some haze; high white head, dense and foamy. The smell is runny egg yolk, maple leaves, clover honey, something at once fishy and woody. The taste is raw herbal honey, earthy funk, grass, tree bark, copper. It's nicely carbonated, medium in body, with some strange notes of rubbing alcohol that are out of place. All in all a very tasty and drinkable beer, but those alcohol notes throw it off.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 04:11:10 | More by gory4d

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml Bottle

Appearance - Slightly hazy yellow colour with an above average size fizzy white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for 3-4 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell – Breads/grains, lemon zest, yeast, white grape juice

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an above average amount of carbonation. I can taste lemon juice and zest mixed with white grape juice and wheat. There is a lot of yeast flavour going on as well and a touch of funk. The beer finishes with a grainy slightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall – Another great beer from Southampton. It was along the same lines as their Saison Deluxe, but with less of a fruit profile and more funk/yeast.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 17:26:48 | More by spinrsx

jrallen34

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Sean for this... Light murky honey gold, very carbonated lots of head with good retention... Smells like a saison, musky, nice and steady on the style... Taste is very lemony, weird and off, musky flowers try to balance but don’t, white pepper bitter chemical finish

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 03:16:38 | More by jrallen34

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2011 vintage. Poured from a foiled and capped 750ml bottle into Lost Abbey stemware.

A: Capped opens with a hiss and the beer immediately starts foaming. Standard pour yields a giant frothy, coarse, 4.5 finger white head that sticks around. Beer is a clear bright orange. Lacing is stick and stringy with great retention. Outstanding looking beer.

S: Nose is surprisingly subtle. Notes of spice, flour, and orange peel. Bit of band-aid and plastic lingers in the background. Very pleasantly tart and lively.

T: Opens malty. Orange peel, flower petals, and a brief ethanol twinge. Sweet flour and dried hay towards the middle with a nice straw funkiness. End is cane sugar and some more citrus. Finishes bready with a sweet, straw aftertaste. Not as funky as most in the style but tasty nonetheless.

M: Light to medium bodied with ample carbonation. Lively and bubbly on the tongue and abrasive, coarse, and crisp going down. Finish is messy with an aftertaste that lingers. Appropriate for the style.

O: Although I'm not a huge fan of the saison style, I've grown to appreciate it recently. This is a solid offering from a brewery really know for their creations in this style. Faucille is different in that its much more citrussy and a lot less funky. Interesting and definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 17:07:41 | More by SpeedwayJim

gford217

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Steve for this bottle.

As I begin to pour this one in the glass, white foam skyrockets to the top, leaving an initial 3 inch head that recedes pretty quickly to a small cap and leaves clumpy lacing along the sides.

Light lemon zest initially in the nose with some pears and grassy notes. Little bit of funk but just as much light grains as well.

The taste has a little more earthy funk that the aroma, especially in the beginning. It gives way to some much sweeter flavors including apricots and Belgian yeast. The finish is dry and grassy with more spices than I got in the nose.

It's highly carbonated, maybe a little too much, and light bodied. I can actually feel a little bit of alcohol burn as it goes down which surprised me.

This is a nice light bodied saison that has a little more fruit and grains than most while it dials down the spiciness. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 23:51:25 | More by gford217

Gavage

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a hazy orange color with a 2" thick head that lasts around a long time. Nice lace paints the glass.

Smell: some light funk, fruit sweetness, and grassiness are easily detectable.

Taste: bready and grainy malt base with lemon zest, pepper, grass, ripe pears, and a mild barnyard funk to it. Bitterness is moderate.

Mouthfeel: crisp throughout but a bit dry late. Medium bodied. Aftertaste is long as the flavors stick to the tongue.

Overall: a nice saison that really hits the spot with just enough funk to not overwhelm it. Nice beer, glad I bought a few bottles.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 18:25:30 | More by Gavage

AgentZero

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Golden beer with a frothy white head that a little bit of lace. Nice ring around the outside.

S - Somewhat grainy with belgian yeast. Fruity with a little bit of funk and sweetness.

T - There is a strange grain taste here with some spice. Fruity notes, with the funk and sweetness that was present on the nose.

M - Medium bodied, this is one of the drier finishing beers that I've had. Bit of spikey carbonation.

O - Not a bad beer, a little too dry for me, and the taste is different, but it was interesting to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 03:41:16 | More by AgentZero

MasterSki

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Sean for sharing this one. Served in a Heady Topper glass.

A - Extremely well-carbonated, with a giant white foam that settles to a thin cap and thicker collar, leaving minimal lace. Hazed dark golden straw body.

S - Peppery, spicy Belgian yeast, rye, lightly malted wheat, and some stone fruits as it warms up.

T - More spicy Belgian yeast, with faint pears, berries, and stone fruits. Less overt malt and grain character than the aroma.

M - Extremely dry, with high, somewhat prickly carbonation. Medium bodied, and quite refreshing actually.

D - It's a nice Saison, but it wasn't particularly special of memorable. I wouldn't say no to trying it again, but I wouldn't seek it out either. Pretty easy to drink, aside from the mild over-carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 19:17:45 | More by MasterSki

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle picked up at the 2011 Southampton RIS release party, and allowed to warm some before being poured into my Duvel tulip.

Saison Faucille pours a mildly murky tangerine, with a massive, four fingers worth of white head topping it off. All that foam manages to stick around almost to the point of annoyance as I wanted to get to drinking my damn beer. Lacing is a bit spotty, and keeps this one from being a real looker. The nose is a bit of a surprise, heavy on pacific northwest hop citrus notes. There's also a peppery aroma as well, but it's definitely more of a background presence. There's a certain spiciness up front, either from the rye or phenols from the yeast strain (or I'd guess a combination of both). Juicy, citrusy hops slide in and fill the middle of the palate, and then a distinct mustiness comes in to close things out. The body is just a little too light for my taste. A saison is certainly supposed to finish dry, but this one is barely there and the beer comes across as a little watery. The carbonation is well dialed in for this beer, and this body though, as it might be a bit underwhelming for most saisons, but it fits this one to a T. It cuts through everything and makes itself known, but stops short of the full on spritziness of something like a wit. Saison Faucille is a pleasant enough drinking experience, but I've had other, similar beers (Field Mouse's Farewell immediately springs to mind) that pull the style off a bit better.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 05:26:36 | More by axeman9182

Sean9689

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Southampton Mega Tasting!

A - Pours golden yellow, white head, thin ring and film on top.

S - Smells like the style. Funk, cloves, yeast, slight peppers.

T - Funk, yeast, lemon peel, oats, some honey sweetness. The finish is a little off-putting to me, but I still can enjoy this one.

M - Light, over carbonated, semi-dry finish.

D - A good saison but a little too carbonated for me. Overall though, I'd drink it again. Give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 02:00:01 | More by Sean9689

brentk56

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearancec: Pours a clear honey color with a massive head that sticks forever; not as much lacing as expected once it was reduced to a drinkable level, however

Smell: Stone fruit, peppery spice and cardamom, supplemented by a fermented honey sweetness and a grassy character

Taste: The spices dominate on the front end, with a peppery, herbal orange, and grassy character that is joined by the stone fruits at mid-palate; after the swallow, the peppery orangesspices linger, crowding out the stone fruit; the finish is dry and austere

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body (creamy from the oats), with buoyant carbonation

Overall: A very impressive achievement, though I would like for a little more balance

Thanks, afksports, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 01:36:29 | More by brentk56

CrellMoset

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 mL gold foil and capped bottle picked up at the 2011 Southampton RIS release. Poured in to a snifter.

Appearance: Pours a gorgeously hued flaming tangerine, crystalline and pure at first, though a little hazy after successive pours have emptied the dregs in to the bottle. The gentlest of pours evokes one of those great saison-y heads, two fingers tall, fluffy, off white, and with great sticking power. The two finger tall crown is a little erratic, though has a nice creamy-meets-sticky sort of appearance. What knocks it down from the 5.0 (and honestly, ultimately, almost knocks it down to a 4.0) is that the stick is a little bit illusory - though the retention is nice, the stick on the side of the glass is lacking, and the semi-cohesive collar and faint surface dusting suggest that this one is nice though not quite as nice as it initially seemed.

Aroma: The one thing I remember vividly about this beer from the release is the aroma. A wonderful, vibrant, bright, and robust smell, I came within inches of ordering a few rounds right after sticking my nose in it. Luckily, it was January 29th, close enough to my New Years resolution to spend less on beer, and so I was able to walk away with only three bottles of Old Herb, eight of the RIS, and one each the three once off rarities they released that day (including this gem). The aroma kept tugging at me, though, and so I cracked this for review 1199 largely just so I could smell it. Perfect in every way, this one showcases fantastic malt balance and restraint, with the perfect amount of residual sweetness, roast, and wholesomeness. Slight rye spiciness mingles with yeasty spices and grassy hops, and the bright juiciness of citrus hops breaks through at every opportunity. As it warms, you get a very "V8 Kiwi Mango Tropical Fruit Juice" note out of it, which is less artificial than I just made it sound. It has every good aspect of a saison nose - spice, fruit, robust maltiness - in a great balance, and I can't find any flaws with it.

Taste: This beer's weakest aspect, unfortunately. It's not terrible, it's just that - relative to the other aspects of this beer - this one is lacking ever so slightly. The malt base is varied and well balanced - I get plenty of rye spiciness that mingles well roasted, bready malts and some definite oat notes. On the less positive side, there's a little bit of chalkiness, likely courtesy of wheat. It's a little husky and wholesome on the whole, and while this adds a unique and interesting element, it also adds a little bit of a roughness that's not appreciated. Orange pith mingles with tropical fruits greenness in a way that's not vegetal, but is slightly raw, unripe, if that makes sense. Spiciness is intense, peppery, phenolic, with definite clove and cardamom, and this mingles well with the rye notes and the grassy hop presence, mildly bitter. It's not bad, and it actually improves as it warms, though it doesn't come close to touching the vibrancy and brilliance of the nose.

Mouthfeel: Bright, fluffy, and with an enormous quantity of lift, just like a saison should be. This one's a little too dry to support quite this much lift, though - it gets a little uneven, erratic, and "soda"-like at its peak - but on the whole and for most of each sip, it's fairly smooth, even, and pleasant. It also works well with the flavor profile, despite the over-zealous effervescence, augmenting and amplifying the yeasty spices, zestiness of the hops, and crispness of the malt base nicely. Definitely evens out a little as the carbonation dies, for a smoother but a little more oily, thick body.

Drinkability: What a beer. And at 6.5%, who doesn't want more of this? I'm kicking myself for that New Years resolution now, as I could have certainly found a nice corner of the Southampton Publick House to cozy up in on that chill January Saturday morning and sat back with a copy of Phil's book on saisons and about half a dozen of these. This is a fantastic saison from the king of such brews - it's likely the best I've ever had from them. Bring it back, guys - this one's a winner.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 03:21:16 | More by CrellMoset

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear straw gold with a huge, billowing white head. Nose is grainy with a little bit of an interesting edge in that regard. Light floral hops, and yeast I would recall as "DuPont". Bright and peppery. Mouth is fairly light, accentuated by an interesting grain interplay. Not overly grassy but certainly peppery. Bright and rustic. Not a huge yeast presence, which is a positive thing. Quite dry, but with some light fruits in the finish. Really good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2011 22:26:48 | More by JAXSON

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.53/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Prime 16 into an Old Engine Oil tulip.

A: Clear medium-amber body with a finger of frothy white head. Average retention and good lace. Quite nice, especially the clarity.

S: Smooth, spicy, and nicely funky. White pepper, coriander, clove, wheat, rye bread, pear, banana, and cheese. Complex and thoroughly enjoyable.

T: Dry and spicy. Opens with clove, a touch of cinnamon, and pepper, followed by bready malt, rye, and intensely peppery phenols. Awesome.

M: Medium bodied and hugely lively. Smooth, rich, and perfect - thanks go out to the oats for the suppleness of body.

D: Quite good. Great balance between fruit and spice. Not as refreshing as some saisons, but so complex that it rewards every single sip.

Notes: What a great beer. It's no easy feat to combine a plethora of intense spice notes with a complex malt body (at least without overwhelming everything with medicinal phenols), but Southampton have done a great job here. I had two of these, and could have had more if I didn't have to drive home. One of the very best American Saisons I've ever had.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2011 04:11:23 | More by woosterbill