A Saison Darkly (Import Series Vol. 2) - Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Reaper16

Alabama

3.43/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz. bottle -- best before June 2012 -- served into a tulip glass

Pours a deep chestnut brown color. This beer looks nothing like a Saison, and I can't really rate the appearance to style because the nature of this beer's experimentation (i.e. bringing dark malt flavors to the Saison style) necessitates an nontraditional look. This would be a fine looking English Porter: that nutty dark brown body plays off of the two fingers worth of khaki head, creamy on top but composed of medium-sized bubbles. After the head dissipates a bit, I can start to make out some lighter brown shades around the edges of the glass, giving the beer a color close to a glass of cola. It looks good for a beer of this color, so I suppose I will rate the appearance as 'good.'

The aroma, though, is a place where I do feel comfortable rating to style. How well does Stillwater's dark malt experiment work in terms of aroma? Not incredibly well, I don't think. But it is certainly unique and intriguing. The initial smells are all fruit and sugar: sweet stonefruit candies, granulated sugar. Then a slight dusting of cocao powder wafts over before yielding to a massive amount of bread crusts. Like straight-out-of-the-bag, Wonder Bread crusts. I was hoping for more of a Black IPA or India Porter type nose, but this is fairly benign. I desire some roast character. Then again, the thinking could be that roast would take away from the farmhouse ale aspects of this beer. The beer starts off like a too-strong Saison, then gives way to the bread, but then more yeast aromas start muscling their way into the fray. Some dentist's office phenols and musty flower shop scents bring up the back end of the nose. The mustiness really become stronger with warmth, taking those bread crusts and making them into more a graham type scent . I'm kind of digging this nose, but I don't think that it's anything better than average for the style. The darker malts just aren't doing anything positive for the beer, and in fact might be contributing to the odd mustiness and the slightly-off phenols.

A Saison darkly fares much better on the palate in terms of acting like a farmhouse ale. That abundant bread character from the nose does not show up at nearly the same strength when drinking the beer. Instead you get a sweet milk chocolate-like base for the yeast to play around on. There's plenty of fruit here, both slightly dark and sightly citirc; the best way I can describe it is that it tastes like a mix of blueberries and sweet ruby red grapefruit. The phenolic structure of this beer, as in the nose, is affected by the darker malts. My mouth tastes like it's been to the dentist's office. The flavor is so reminiscent of the general anesthetic that my dentist uses. Some good black pepper & red flowers cut through the phenols on the finish. I like a lot of this beer's individual components, but I find that it isn't a cohesive beer on the whole. This beer doesn't deftly transition from first sip through the midpalate and onto the finish, it just harshly leaps from startling flavor to startling flavor.

The body is still well within the Saison wheelhouse despite the addition of these darker malts. I do appreciate the carbonation, which is not prickly but still manages to give a fine, gentle scrubbing. The only thing holding this beer's mouthfeel back is that it doesn't finish as dry as a Saison should. A Saison Darkly is just a bit too juicy to warrant high marks for the style. Overall, this is a perplexing, unique take on the style. It doesn't cohere, but that's the price of experimentation. I think this beer is well worth trying, and I do enjoy it more than the score might indicate.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 03:35:06 | More by Reaper16

BubbleBobble

New York

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

06-18-2013 06:35:34 | More by BubbleBobble

DaveBlack

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

A: Very dark, murky brown beer. 2 1/2 finger tan, foamy head with seemingly infinite retention.

S: Sweet, dark roasted malts, toffee. A earthy, yeasty aroma, and a whiff of alcohol. Smells more like a tripel than it does a saison, due to the heavy sweetness on the front end of the nose.

T: Taste is not what the aroma led me to expect. It is not nearly as sweet as I expected. The primary taste is that of burnt sugar, mixed with yeast and alcoholic esters. The finish is incredibly dry, with more biscuity yeast.

M: Heavy, chewy body. I have a feeling that this beer could substitute for a meal. There is a ton of carbonation, in the form of tiny bubbles that come off as a bit too much.

O: I am impressed with this beer. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it straddles the line between traditional Belgian dubbels and tripels and the average saison. I wish the carbonation was toned back a little, but that's the only thing that drags this beer down for me. Really a great brew and worth a look.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 22:34:58 | More by DaveBlack

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

06-15-2013 19:10:46 | More by schnarr84

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +2.3%

06-13-2013 04:39:53 | More by Kmat10

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.89/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

375ml bottle. Spiced with rose hips, hibiscus, and Schisandra berries. More weird Asian fruit ingredients - cool.

This beer pours a hazy, very dark reddish brown colour, with two fingers of thinly foamy, fizzy pale beige head, which leaves a few upward strands of sea plume lace around the glass as things drop away.

It smells of grainy, somewhat roasted biscuity malt, medicinal dark fruits - cherry and prune - a spicy rye sweetness, mild barnyard funk, paint thinner, spent yeast, overripe apples, mildly herbal cloves, and a bit of crumbling forest-floor woodiness. The taste is lightly toasted bready, grainy malt, brown sugar, edgy yeast, softly sour red berries, a hint of stale black coffee, earthy anise, faint musty funk, a fading medicinal fruitiness, a tame floral, ethereally perfumed alcohol warming.

The bubbles are decently supportive, and a tad spritzy, the body an adequate medium weight, with a rising metallic edge that more or less precludes smoothness. It finishes off-dry, the sweetness fairly tempered by yeast, spice, and roast.

A pleasant enough experiment, the base saison pretty overwhelmed by the roasted character, as well as the fruit and floral notes. It all comes together for the most part, another step on the road to new style attainment, which seems to be a specialty of this particular gypsy brewer.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 01:59:53 | More by biboergosum

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.96/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at John J Jeffries served chilled in a taster.

The color is dark brown with medium brown at the base with thin light beige head and tight bead. The smell is very nice mix of cocoa, raisin and slight nutty malt esters with some spice from the yeast. The feel is moderately creamy with spice in the back and mild toasted grain texture with a low sweetness level and mild alcohol.

The flavor follows the nose - nice blend of saison yeastiness and dark toasted grain with some raisin elements and light cocoa with mild nutty flavors and the yeast adds a mild pepper quality which adds to the complexity with mostly dry flavor as it finishes. Overall I like this a lot a very fresh tasting and complex take on the dark saison style with plenty of saison character yet the drinkability of dark belgian ale mixed in .

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2013 17:24:22 | More by Slatetank

Tone

Missouri

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy, dark brown. 1/4 inch head of a tan color. Good retention and good lacing. Smells of sweet malt, slight alcohol, hint of roasted malt, hint of yeast, dark citrus, and hint of dry hops. Fits the style of a Saison / Farmhouse Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of hint of roasted malt, sweet malt, slight hop, slight dark citrus, and slight yeast. Overall, good appearance, aroma, body, and blend. This is a solid Saison with interesting notes of roasted malt.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2013 13:35:22 | More by Tone

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-21-2013 20:51:09 | More by InspectorBob

jtladner

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-18-2013 21:55:51 | More by jtladner

jklecko2

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-06-2013 19:23:46 | More by jklecko2

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-02-2013 05:00:50 | More by spycow

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-28-2013 16:39:09 | More by LambicPentameter

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

P: Vivacious dirty dark brown cola appearance with a ridiculously massive crown of rocky foam about 4 fingers high. The head was so large it took about 5 minutes to finish the pour. Retention is great but minimal lacing.

S: Rotten wood, dried grain, barley, rye, basement funk, saltine crackers, blueberries, cherries, apples, allspice, clove, herb/medicinal aroma and Belgian yeast. A subtle undertone of fresh ground coffee beans, cracked pepper, and bubble gum. Aroma is similar to an Oud Bruin.

T/M: Coffee and a strong fruity medicinal flavor engulfs the palate. Dark fruits, musty funk, vanilla, oak, bitter fun dip powder and b-vitamins. Molasses and brown sugar sweetness combine with the smoldered grains. Zesty carbonation exploding across the tongue in a sloshy medium body. Super dry powdery finish that lingers ground up nuts.

O: Not sure about this one. This is a beer that must be enjoyed warm. I was shocked at how much changed once it warmed. When it was cold it was just a mess. I'm still on the fence with this one. Not one that I would seek out.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 05:53:13 | More by Hopswagger

MostlyNorwegian

Illinois

3.56/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Massive head that would not quit on this bottle snapped up from West Lakeview. First pour was all foam. Not personally a big fan of massive carbonation levels, and not sure how all that actions works with this ones very dark complexion. Instantly though, I got a hankering for some charcuterie, gherkins and spicy mustard. Definitely something to leave out and let warm up and absolutely a beer that begs to be paired with food, the kind of which I didn't have. Not terribly spicy in the peppery way. It's more a tartness from the berries and hibiscus peaking through which would probably only become more pronounced served closer to room temp and have more to say without the carbonation levels piercing the profile so much. Perhaps I missed the point as I didn't have anything to pair it with and didn't ignore it long enough for all of the components to really get their dance on. Would seek out another (if possible) for a more relaxed leisurely stroll to the end of the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 14:26:36 | More by MostlyNorwegian

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a dark black color ale with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of solid rustic malt with light funky ester with some light spices notes also easily identifiable. Taste is a somewhat unique mix between some roasted malt with dry notes with light funky yeast ester and some spices also discernable. The hibiscus and berries were quite hard to distinguish. Body is quiet full with great carbonation. Interesting experiment with good balance between different ingredient but not something I would necessarily seek on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 16:06:22 | More by Phyl21ca

laituegonflable

Australia

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a healthy umber colour, with some unfortunate chunks of unavoidable yeast. Beige head, nice and fluffy. Lace is pretty decent. Looks good.

Sour smell; pretty pungent. Bit of solventy goodness with licorice, unfermented cacao and a Chinese medicine shop as well. Oddly sweet, too, a funky mix.

Taste is really smoky upfront; about the only possible beer character I'm yet to get on this beer. Suffocated wood smoke, black pepper and juniper, with a touch of balsamic and fig on the back. Decidedly odd, not really accessible in some ways.

Pretty decent texture. Full, bitty, almost gritty, and somewhat dry on the back. Good.

Really extreme beer when it comes down to it. Funky, pungent, spicy and weird.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 05:03:48 | More by laituegonflable

Vroom

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

03-17-2013 06:44:19 | More by Vroom

rumorsofsurf

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

03-10-2013 23:20:54 | More by rumorsofsurf

jsanford

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

03-07-2013 23:36:03 | More by jsanford

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

02-21-2013 02:50:49 | More by t0rin0

Immortale25

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

02-02-2013 22:08:51 | More by Immortale25

iKrystin

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

01-13-2013 21:25:59 | More by iKrystin

nafredet1

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

01-11-2013 04:50:39 | More by nafredet1

strongaf

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

12-08-2012 08:18:50 | More by strongaf