Lips Of Faith - Prickly Passion Saison - New Belgium Brewing

TheSarge

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a chalice, and the Saison makes a decent heady appearance of a finger and a half thick off white foam, and the body is cleanly filtered, with a nice copper color.

The aroma is fruity of course, with lots of citrus notes, pretty much lemon with a hint of orange. There is a faint metallic fragrance meshed with slight bubble gum.

The taste is a little sweeter than I thought, somewhat in the way of honey with a mild tartness of sour grapes.

Feels full in body and kind of syrupy. The sour pucker factor keeps this decently a thirst quencher for the air conditioning, but there is a warm finish to this brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 02:34:59 | More by TheSarge

MooSully

Kansas

3.75/5  rDev +9.6%

05-21-2013 05:10:11 | More by MooSully

Fargrow

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +9.6%

05-18-2013 19:29:48 | More by Fargrow

djs467

Colorado

4/5  rDev +17%

04-30-2013 16:18:28 | More by djs467

vobr0002

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%

04-07-2013 05:54:26 | More by vobr0002

largadeer

California

3/5  rDev -12.3%

04-06-2013 21:51:48 | More by largadeer

runlikeakenyan

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -5%

03-19-2013 22:56:30 | More by runlikeakenyan

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.3/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

"Peter picked a prickly pear and paired it with a passion fruit. 'Perfect! Pitch it in!' he proclaimed, now we have this pleasing prickly passion Saison brewed with fruit juices and french Saison yeast to our brewmaster's picking." Brewed in the style of a Saison with prickly pear and passion fruit added. A one time release by New Belgium Brewing Company as part of their Lips of Faith series. Released December 2011.

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber to my New Belgium Globe Glass. Served north of 54º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy white head over a mildly hazy golden amber body. Retention is above average and lacing is thin and spotty. Carbonation is spritely and plentiful. A nice appearance. 3.75

(Smell) Biscuity malt character, subtle spice, a hint of clean bread yeast character. Herbal hop presence pair with some faint fruit notes, none particularly taking the front in this beer. The nose is a bit too heavy on the grain and must and not enough with the bright spritely characters that passion fruit and prickly pear cactus should impart on the flavor. The balance is notably off in the aroma. Potency is medium. 3

(Taste) Fruit is certainly more evident in the flavor and the lightness is much more reminiscent of a saison. Biscuity malts are lightly spiced with a hint of syrupy sweetness on the finish. Passion fruit is notable as well as a minor tartness possibly attributed to the prickly pear fruit. It's still a bit mild on the excitement factor and the fruit isn't noticeable enough for a marked difference from general saison beers. 3.25

(Mouthfeel) Very soft smooth mouthfeel, subtle carbonation. Body is medium for a saison and slightly below medium overall. Alcohol presence is mild. A pretty good mouthfeel, although it could have been a touch more spritely with carbonation. 3.5

(Overall) Amongst other Saison choices, this one doesn't impress all that much. I found the fruit additions to be very limited in the flavor and didn't do all that much for the beer overall. I enjoyed it for what it was, but don't foresee it being memorable amongst the versatile style. 3.5

New Belgium Brewing's
Lips Of Faith Prickly Passion Saison
3.3/5.0

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 03:59:55 | More by Jadjunk

Herky21

Iowa

3/5  rDev -12.3%

03-13-2013 02:41:33 | More by Herky21

spycow

Illinois

3/5  rDev -12.3%

03-11-2013 04:48:37 | More by spycow

nzerbe

New York

3/5  rDev -12.3%

03-03-2013 23:47:58 | More by nzerbe

Ristaccia

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +31.6%

03-01-2013 04:34:39 | More by Ristaccia

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -5%

02-06-2013 13:41:05 | More by Haybeerman

WifeofKegatron

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +9.6%

02-03-2013 17:34:43 | More by WifeofKegatron

JakeDebus

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -5%

01-23-2013 18:01:31 | More by JakeDebus

MordorMongo

Indiana

2.75/5  rDev -19.6%

01-14-2013 17:02:29 | More by MordorMongo

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.25/5  rDev -5%

01-09-2013 21:25:55 | More by AlexFields

Pinche_Oso

California

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%

12-28-2012 23:41:03 | More by Pinche_Oso

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had purchased this bottle during my most recent visit to my aunt & uncle in DC and put it aside awaiting a slow moment. I just returned from Christmas dinner and things could not be slower at Abbaye de Chandler aka Chez Woody.

From the bottle: "Peter picked a prickly pear and paired it with a passion fruit. 'Perfect! Pitch it in!' he proclaimed. Now we have this pleasing Prickly Passion Saison brewed with fruit juices and French Saison yeast to our brewmaster's picking."

I was interested while watching the cascading action of my pour eventually result in two-plus fingers of fizzy, tawny head with surprisingly good retention. The nose had the unmistakable mustiness of Saison yeast, but it also included a sweet fruitiness not wholly unlike bubble gum. Color was a hazy deep-amber. Mouthfeel was kind of on the effervescent/fizzy side and the taste was quite sweet, very fruity which cut some of the mustiness of the yeast. Finish was likewise sweet, but not cloying. The fruit juice(s) commingled nicely with the yeast to produce a very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 20:32:27 | More by woodychandler

jco3rd

California

4.25/5  rDev +24.3%

12-21-2012 23:42:35 | More by jco3rd

Brewsed

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%

12-17-2012 23:20:30 | More by Brewsed

mactrail

California

3.7/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bright coppery color in the big tulip glass. Pleasant foam and spritzy mouthfeel. Nose of fermenting fruit.

What a classic Saison taste. It starts out sweet and fruity, then morphs into a dry, stony sensation. Amazing transformation with every sip. Through it all is a tangy taste with plenty of fruit. Tangerine peel and cornbread come to mind. Very light body, but alcohol seems to be completely hidden. Malty with that Belgian yeasty bitterness that goes well with the rich aromatics.

This is a tasty beer with a strongly flavored mouthful. Unfortunately it goes down very fast. Another one for the education in the Saison style but it's a very agreeable drink. On tap at Pizza Port in Ocean Beach.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2012 07:06:12 | More by mactrail

ReeseMax3

Alaska

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%

12-14-2012 14:28:14 | More by ReeseMax3

sam_bliss

Washington

3.85/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Golden Caramel color with a white head and okay retention.

S- Some saison yeast flavor to sour out the sweetness of all sorts of fruit and a little bubblegum.

T- Follows the nose to some extent, but the funky flavor is brought even more extremely than I expected. Big banana and some overripe peach.

M- Good amount of carbonation. The aftertaste is of course sour and leaves me satisfied rather than reaching for my next sip, as is the case too often with sweet fruity beers.

O- The is somewhat of a one-trick pony, but it is very good at that one trick!Worth a try if you get the chance

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2012 15:27:05 | More by sam_bliss

ChrisMason

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -5%

12-11-2012 00:13:00 | More by ChrisMason