Guava Grove Saison - Cigar City Brewing

hayesez

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tried to pour this into a snifter...one inch of beer, the rest was all fluffy white foam. Took me a good 10 minutes just to get a glass of it! A hazy golden color with gazillions of tiny bubbles rising from the bottom of my glass the entire time. The lace left behind is about the thickest I have ever seen. It is literally a millimeter thick even halfway down my glass. The bubbles continue to rise. This boy is seriously carbonated.

Definitely a Belgiany nose. A bit of funkiness toned by sweet fruit (maybe pineapple) and some clove. It does have a crisp clean smell to it that certainly is encouraging me to dive in.

Whew...fortunately, the beer doesn't have that overcarbonated fizzy mouthfeel that I was concerned about. I'm very pleasantly surprised with Guava Grove. Very sweet and yeasty. Lots of sweet fruit, but I couldn't tell you exactly which kinds. A bit of clove as well. The aftertaste is grainy - similar to what lingers around your mouth after a bite of Fruit Loops or some other fruity cereal. Medium-bodied and very brisk. Excellent stuff!

So after my first glass, the subsequent pours were significantly less carbonated. Maybe three or four fingers of loosely packed head. Much better than the first. The Guave Grove was easy to drink and a fine example of the style. Sweeter than many with just a hint of tart as well - balanced perfectly.

Consumed: 7/31/2010

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2010 21:43:22 | More by hayesez

clay23

New York

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%

05-19-2013 01:36:24 | More by clay23

ajtorres311

Florida

4/5  rDev -0.5%

05-16-2013 15:00:46 | More by ajtorres311

Bonko_the_sane

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

05-13-2013 05:25:04 | More by Bonko_the_sane

powz87

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

05-11-2013 00:48:53 | More by powz87

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%

05-10-2013 22:24:41 | More by mikeburd1128

FUwolfpacker

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -0.5%

05-10-2013 12:29:41 | More by FUwolfpacker

tree777

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%

05-10-2013 01:31:50 | More by tree777

maxcoinage

Illinois

4.01/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From a trade (thanks to rynosf32 )

Poured a 750ml bottled 11/2012 into snifter an orange sunburst color with a nice big 2 inch frothy head.

Aroma is great-orange, tropical fruit, guava, creamy

Mouthfeel- very carbonated as would be expected with a a saison

Taste-fruit hits you at first but then turns a little sour

Overall - A great Saison that I'd buy again, but not sure I would trade for it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 02:46:06 | More by maxcoinage

wyatt13

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I received this bottle in a trade with 67couple. Thanks Jon! Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A – Pours a beautiful reddish-orange, a hue that is more common in sunsets than beer. A crackling head immediately erupts, only to fizzle away within the minute. Lots of quick moving bottles shoot around the glass. Lacing is nonexistant.

S – A definite Belgian character, with some clove and banana notes. A lot of tartness with a green apple acidity. A nice spiciness.

T – Oh man, this is nicely complex. A great sour character that manages to be simultaneously sweet and puckeringly tart. A nice musty funk in the aftertaste. I’m not sure that I would be able to identify guava, although there is certainly a nice fruity quality.

M – Very active carbonation, which I assume is due to the extensive bottle conditioning. A sharp dryness in the finish.

O – I thought the fruit was incorporated pretty nicely into the beer, adding a good amount of sweetness and complexity to the saison. Very refreshing on a warm spring day.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 03:38:51 | More by wyatt13

Lurkerson

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

04-28-2013 20:28:11 | More by Lurkerson

DrIPA

Michigan

4/5  rDev -0.5%

04-28-2013 14:41:14 | More by DrIPA

DRBiser

Maryland

4/5  rDev -0.5%

04-25-2013 14:32:59 | More by DRBiser

Bluecane

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%

04-21-2013 06:42:08 | More by Bluecane

Boilerfood

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

04-20-2013 00:38:22 | More by Boilerfood

juliusseizure

New York

4/5  rDev -0.5%

04-15-2013 01:45:36 | More by juliusseizure

Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.14/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle to Fantome tulip

A: It looks clean and orange although it is completely opaque. There is a big tan orange head that dissipates quickly and leaves a heavy lacing and a lot of carbonation. Pretty much what you expect from a hoppy farmhouse ale and definitely resembles guava.

S: There is a distinctive yeasty scent that reminds me somewhat of a farmhouse, but more of a sweet scent. The guava definitely has some presence it is not necessarily a fruity or citrus smell but it does sort of remind me of a tropical smell. The scent is not necessarily pleasant it stings the nostrils a little.

T: The taste follow the nose with a distinctive taste it is yeasty but it is more unique of a flavor then it is stereotypical farmhouse yeast. It does have a distinct begin flavor that probably comes from the yeast but is also very ale like. The guava does also have a presence it is deep in its fruitiness I do not know how to describe it not quite sweet but dead on in terms of my guava experience very similar to mango and a very interesting complement to the powerful yeasty flavor.

M: There is a medium mouthfeel not too heavy or light it is pretty watery but not thin what so ever. It is smooth and goes down easily so it has a good drinkability with the alcohol being completely hidden. There is a light carbonation that adds to the drinkability.

O: I have only had a few Cigar City beers and I have been impressed so perhaps I expected too much but I was kinda disappointed with this beer it is pretty good but I was expecting great. It does have a disnctive yeast flavor with a solid guava presence but nothing really super special flavor for me. I like it, but perhaps I expect too much worth a try for sure though that being said I don't know if I will be back.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:40:17 | More by Pinknuggets

JReites

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

04-06-2013 20:06:51 | More by JReites

madnismo

Florida

4/5  rDev -0.5%

04-03-2013 02:43:06 | More by madnismo

Johnnyramirez

California

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%

04-01-2013 04:51:46 | More by Johnnyramirez

Rimbimhoot

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

03-28-2013 21:52:06 | More by Rimbimhoot

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

03-25-2013 18:31:46 | More by onix1agr

kingmaker

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%

03-22-2013 04:37:09 | More by kingmaker

Envelopes

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%

03-19-2013 03:07:54 | More by Envelopes

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

03-12-2013 00:52:59 | More by DaPan