Lips Of Faith - Prickly Passion Saison - New Belgium Brewing

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

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

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

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

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.7/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out an orangish-amber with a flash head and minimal lacing. There are some medium sized sediment floaters in the glass, as well. Heavier side of medium body and carbonation levels.

Smells and tastes of sweet pineapple and passionfruit with a caramel malt and lemon verbena herbal accents. The flavor has an additional emphasis on green appleskins and musty malts that wasn't apparent from the nose. There is also a significant cooked vegetable off-flavor that I would have expected from a macro, not from New Belgium. It could have been a good brew if not for that off-flavor, and sadly I cannot recommend this one because of it.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 21:17:31 | More by WastingFreetime

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.45/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a chill hazed amber with a finger of cream colored head. Never clears, average lacing & traces of head retention

S: Appleskins, wet cereal, & some pineapple

T: Follows the nose, some pear notes, slight pineapple flavor along with passion fruit up front. Golden delicious apples & white grape as this warms, some dryness & lemon peel as well, some phenolic notes too. Finishes with grapefruit bitterness, juicy fruit & with smatteering of tropical & orchard fruit & slight sourness/tartness

MF: Medium bodied, slght carbonation

Drinks fine, the ABV is fairly well hidden, a passable saison, but a one & done for me. Glad I tried it, but not memorable by any stretch of the imagination

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 02:37:45 | More by russpowell

chinchill

South Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

from a 22 oz bottle of Prickly Passion Saison

Clear golden beer with a white head. The aroma is very fruity,with a clear note of apple cider and hints of pears and apricots

A very fruity saison, with plenty of yeast too. Lightly funky. Lingering aftertaste. Only slight presence of alcohol.

Medium body and medium-light carbonation.

Unique and interesting brew, but not tempted to return (unless/until I acquire a taste for funk).

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 03:27:36 | More by chinchill

phishsihq

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The brew pours a golden-amber color with a well-retained, off-white head that prov
ides tons of lace. A light malty sweetness weaves in and out of aromas of earthy saison yeast and tropical fruit notes. The tropical fruit from the nose is prominent on the pallet, and a sweet and sticky malt character meets spicy and earthy yeast tones. Medium in body, this Lips of Faith brew is also moderately-high in carbonation. Great for a sipping on a beach!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 00:32:54 | More by phishsihq

RussBecker1

2.2/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Served on tap at Kudu Charleston, SC

A-Pours a dark amber with a nice finger of clean white foam, that dissipates rather quickly. A darker saison with a pretty nice body.

S-Plenty of pear in the nose. It does mix very well with the farm house yeasts though which hides the fruit in a nice manor. Maybe a bit of apple here as well, and definitely a hit of sweetness to round it out.

M-pretty bland, carbonated enough to keep in refreshing but nothing to really bring to the beer.

T-Pretty nasty. The beer starts off with a nice hit of fresh pear which is very much appreciated and surprisingly not too sweet or tart as I had feared. From then on out though this thing is gross. The pear combusted into a horrifically bitter and flavorless mix that tastes damn near identical to a macrobrew. The aftertaste leaves you sucking your cheeks for any saliva to get it off your palate.

O-Deceiving looks lead to a disappointing and pretty tough to consume brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2012 23:46:45 | More by RussBecker1

stakem

Pennsylvania

1.95/5  rDev -43%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bomber shared with friends and poured in a tulip. The brew appears a clear bright orange with a finger of white froth and lots of webby lace sticks to the glass.

The smell is wet dog and canned peas. Honestly was not ready for that. More sniffs bring out a light melon character mixed with veggies. A tinge of fruit and yeast emerge as the brew warms up.

The tastes includes notes of dirty melon like cantelouoe mated with canned peas. It is earthy and yeasty but not in the expected saison way. The fruit inclusion is more vegetative than anything. Faint yeast imparts some clove and spice. Some herbal hops emerge as it warms with almost a buttery caramel, toffee and awkwad sweetness.

This is a medium to fuller bodied offering for the style. It has a modest amount of carbonation and really just a horrible arrangement of character. I did not care for this at all despite the alcohol being well intgrated. Everything about this is off including the thick feel. I man'd up and consumed my portion. The others opted for the drainpour.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 19:23:11 | More by stakem

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle. Served in a tulip, the beer pours a mostly clear orange/amber color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is mostly fruity, it smells like pears, passion fruit, green apples, bready malt and some Belgian yeast. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like pears, passion fruit, bready malt and some banana, and there's also a lingering earthy bitter finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit syrupy and smooth with moderate carbonation. I think it's a nice brew, it's worth a try. $8.99 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 21:35:11 | More by bluejacket74

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Bruery Provisions

Pours a clear golden orange with a dense white head. Sweet fruit dominates the nose. Sugar and mango and pear make up most of the aroma. There is a bit of bread and yeast without much yeast/ester/phenol. Sweet fruit with a bit of bread and cracker malt flavor. Quite a bit of passion fruit with a little less of an emphasis on the prickly pear. A touch of grass on the finish.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2012 18:03:40 | More by womencantsail

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance. Pours a very clear, deep gold-amber with a finger of off white head.

Smell. Fruity belgian yeast and some sweet pears, green grapes, and apples.

Taste. Again the fruity belgian yeast, some light fruits and a bit of sweet grains.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body with medium carbonation.

Overall. Nice beer for a summer day. Easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 01:36:37 | More by Rutager

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

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the brewery in beautiful Ft. Collins.

I've been looking to try a fermented drink with prickly pears ever since I read Papazian's description of a prickly pear mead. This beer was good, but did not live up to my lofty expectations.

Looks like a saison. Hazy orange-gold, head of white foam. From first sip it's a bit too sweet and sticky for the style. White wine, black pepper, and clove are the big flavors. Again, the sweet body is out of place, but the flavors are nice. A solid dose of earthy hop bitters helps the beer out. But where is the prickly pear? Nowhere to be found. It's absence alone is enough to make this beer a disappointment to me.

A good saison, but there are plenty of those around these days.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2012 22:20:54 | More by bump8628

Tone

Missouri

3.63/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, copper/orange color. 1/5 inch head of an off-white color. Slight retention and slight lacing. Smells of yeast, sweet malt, hint of hops, strong floral, and slight citrus. Fits the style of a Saison / Farmhouse Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of yeast, sweet malt, citrus, floral, slight hops, and a hint of dough. Overall, lacking in appearance, good feel, and average aroma and body.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 13:11:12 | More by Tone

Jamesthebrit

Michigan

3/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a hazy amber with a decent head that fades to cover the top of the beverage.

S: Fruit is present. Hints of grapes and alcohol. Not as good as other saisons.

T: Some fruit comes through but it's hard to say what it is. I'm certainly not getting a scream of prickly pear. There is a bit of sweetness that quickly gets replaced by an off putting bitter flavor that is rather dull.

M: Sits with a lightish medium body which quickly becomes too bitter on account of the carbonation.

You know, I avoided saison style beers for the longest time because the first few I had were so bad, then I tried some that were really great. This one reminds me of why I tend to avoid them. The flavor is rather dull and gross with the flavors blending into a mix that doesn't represent any of them individually.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 19:49:34 | More by Jamesthebrit

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

2.9/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz served into a Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a brassy amber with 2 fingers of cream colored head. The head maintains well and forms a thin ceiling. Very little lacing.

S - Spicy Belgian yeast, pears, peaches, lemon, hay, green apples, banana taffy, fruit bread, caramel malt.

T - Stone fruit upfront-mainly peaches, candy sweet malt, hints of banana taffy, biscuity, peppery alcohol hits towards the end. Finishes wet for a Saison.

M - Prickly carbonation, light alcohol heat, heavy bodied.

It reminded me of peach cobbler. It was pretty sweet and didn't really finish dry enough. I wouldn't seek this one out.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 00:20:08 | More by StaveHooks

Pencible

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: This poured a hazy dark gold with a little white head.
S: It smelled like grassy and waxy hops, with wild yeast and fresh wheat and sweet prickly pear juice.
T: It tasted like sweet prickly pear juice and sour Belgian yeast, with grassy and waxy hops and fresh wheat. It had a sweet and sour and bitter aftertaste that was nice and clean.
M: It was thick with a little carbonation. Surprisingly heavy and thick.
D: This was a nice balanced and complex beer. Not really delicious, but the scent and taste and body were all enjoyable. The alcohol was well hidden too, so it was easy to drink. Probably best fresh. Interesting beer to try at least once. I liked it.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 18:59:40 | More by Pencible

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Quick, fizzy head and no residual foaming. Syrupy looking bronze color with nice bubbling.

Yeasty, passsion fruity aroma with a little toasted cracker malt and light limey citric hop aroma.

Light, syrupyness to the palate along with a slow minor heat wave on teh finish and linger. Fruity, yeasty, dry, and a little tart. You can taste the passion fruit, but not overwhelming. A nice addition to the beer. Theres also a limey flavor I'm thinking is from teh hops mixing with the passion fruit. An intersting saison. Glad I tried this fruity, tart, sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 23:44:42 | More by scruffwhor

Mora2000

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head.. The aroma is heavy on the fruit with some Belgian yeast, a little bit of alcohol and some biscuit malt. The flavor is quite a bit more complex than the aroma. I get a ton of prickly pear notes, as well as some passion fruit and Belgian yeast. There is also some nice white pepper notes as well as some other mixed spice and alcohol. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. I liked this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 03:55:52 | More by Mora2000

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured into a snifter.

hazy amber color with a finger's worth of head which quickly disappeared. smells of honey, lemon, olives, basil, oats (almost a new box of cheerios smell). slightly sour up front followed by a very nice traditional saison taste. honey, bread, pepper, and a citrus zest. light bodied, medium carbonation, no lacing at all. this is a very refreshing and very tasty saison. not as much up front with the belgian yeast/peppery taste, which males it stand out. wish it weren't a limited series, but of course, all saisons usually are. very nice and outstanding beer from new belgium brewing co.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 21:07:01 | More by facundoCNB

SuperSpy

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A wonderfully clear and orange copper. A nice half-inch head and plenty of lively carbonation.

The aroma is tropical fruits, berries and just a hint of white pepper.

The beer is dry but not a crisp dry. The flavor is similar to the tropical fruit aroma. There is pineapple, starfruit and passion fruit with the addition of a bit of honeydew melon and peppery yeast esters.

This is a very interesting saison. I love the addition of prickly pear and the passion fruit. I think some brewers would be tempted to overwhelm the character of the saison with the fruit but this is well balanced. However, I think it would benefit from a better saison base recipe.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 00:31:29 | More by SuperSpy

Agold

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours clear and orange, with a short head with ok retention and a few spots of lacing. Aroma has a nice spice element with a bit of tropical almost pineapple fruit and some apple. Flavor is very nice. Dry, reminds me of tropical fruit gum and pineapple/melon, but in a very appealing way. If the beer was a bit drier and there was a bit of tartness it would have been perfect. It is also a bit on the sweet side, but it is definitely not cloying. Mouthfeel is a bit heavier than I want and carbonation is a bit light for me, however I really do enjoy this beer. If drinkability was still a field I would knock it a bit. Even though I like it, this is a bit tough to get through. Very nice beer though.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 04:41:07 | More by Agold

DavidST

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a tulip glass. This pours a golden color with a decent white head which leaves a lacing. The smells are a little light, belgian yeast esters, apples, pear, malts. The feel is medium to perhaps a little thin. The taste is okay, a little light, but some mild bitterness, sweetness, apple, malts, the higher alcohol is well covered.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 03:23:57 | More by DavidST