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

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark murky body, with initial abundant foamy head that dissipitates. Chocolate aroma, above all else. Lactose, creamy milk chocolate taste, with some sourness in the finish. Some spices in the secondary, chipolte-like, that remain on the lips.Above-average mouthfeel, and then its gone, great dinkability.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 04:09:04 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

So it began. Hobo tasting No. 7 commenced at Ingles on an overcast and slightly damp day. It was an impromptu event that really was not solidified until a couple hours before, but none the less went off without a hitch. As me and Calton chilled for a good hour enjoying some of the finer craft offerings in our multitude of glassware and bottles and growlers, one could only wonder how much better it could have gotten, enjoyed during a hell of a good time on 04/21/2011.

Caltons offering to the table this was one I had chased for a while but had missed on a couple of occasions, and was glad to finally put a notch in the belt for. Poured out a nice dark brown with light ruby highlights that popped up around the outside and edges of the glass when held up. A nice sized tan head pops up on the top of the glass and sits there for a nice bit of time before settling back down and leaving a good amount of lacing around the sides.

Aroma is dominated by raisins and dark fruit early on. A really nice blend of light spices, roasted malts and almost a Smokey note start to permeate the air as it warms up and starts to come around full circle. Light notes of chocolate even find their way into the mix along with earthy malt notes and touches of figs. This carries over very well into the flavor as the first sips just spill dark fruits and spiced run notes all along the palate and a rich roasted malt note really starts to let itself be known. Really nicely done and a great blend of flavors. Especially as it starts to warm and fully opens up. Small hints of dark spices finish off the flavor as it rolls off the tongue and a nice and smooth, clean finish is the result.

Overall really nicely done. Dark, fruity, hints of sweetness sprinkled in, just exactly what I would have wanted and very, very well done.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 22:40:14 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle at the Bilbo Baggins event welcoming Stillwater to Virginia. Brewed in West Flanders and made with hibiscus, rose hips, and Schisandra chinensis, aka the Chinese five-flavored fruit.

Pours a dark plum color with an off white bordering on tan head and some spotty lacing. Some carbonation rings at the edges of the glass. Nose is light and creamy and has a mild tequila-like booziness. Slight notes of blueberry skin and wood.

The taste is lightly spicy and musty with a moderate berry tartness. Slightly floral and tea-like. Toward the end I get some light floral and plum characteristics. The feel is light with mild carbonation and is slightly bitter. Throughout the glass, I'm still trying to figure out what's going on. This is really quite interesting and definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 15:47:07 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Looks like a Belgian stout, what with an opaque chocolate color and a tightly bubbled foamy head; outlines the glass with a streak of lace

Smell: Roasted grain, filberts and unsweetened baker's chocolate

Taste: Opens with the roasted grain flavors and moves in a toffee and filbert direction by mid-palate; after the swallow, the unsweetened chocolate adds depth but the finish was very dry

Mouthfeel: Medium body with gently, but frothy, carbonation

Overall: While I liked the beer I cannot help but think that something was missing, and that something was the interesting yeast character that I look for in a great saison

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 01:04:22 | More by brentk56

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

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Import Series Vol. #2: Dark Saison Ale
brewed and bottled by Stillwater at Huisbrouwerij Sint Canarus in Deinze-Gottem, Belgium.
Imported by 12 Percent, Brooklyn, NY

The "dark" saison is surprisingly dark, pouring a black body that allows no light to pass through it. Atop, a frothy head of tan drops steadily from a finger thick crown to a thin creamy cap. the head retention is amazing, and it will maintain a solid surface covering throughout the entire glass.

The aroma is also surprisingly dark, delivering an edge of roastiness and a bit of dark chocolate along with some sweet golden caramel. Some soft red fruitiness is present as well, along with a subtle touch of spice.

In the flavor the dark malt dominates, although a bit of cardamom seems to be appearing as well. There's a nice, soft dark chocolate note to it, and the sweet golden caramel note found in the nose reappears across the middle as it warms a bit. It then it becomes slightly bitter before a flash of dark chocolate roastiness leads it into a dry, short-lingering finish.

In the mouth it's medium-light bodied, and the moderate natural carbonation leaves it velvety smooth across the palate.

Rather nicely done. It's not the first dark saison I've tasted (although it is the darkest), but it's certainly one of the most balanced and rounded. It's quite rich without being overdone; and I wonder what foods this would pair with. Well worth seeking out!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 16:29:14 | More by NeroFiddled

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is very dark brown (near black) in color and poured with a finger high off white head that quickly faded away and left a ringer of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of dark fruits and spices in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and also has some flavors of chocolate malts.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate with a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is relatively easy to drink considering its strength because the alcohol is well masked from the taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 03:16:43 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Batch #2, best before October 2012. Served in a Struise cervoise.

A - A few fingers of tan foam settle to a thick cap, leaving a few spots of lace. Opaque dark brown body with reddish highlights.

S - Lots of spice, smoke, and peppery yeast. There's some chocolate, cherries, and stones fruits in the periphery, but this is dominated by the yeast character. For more flavor depth, let this one warm up a bit. Maybe some alcohol too.

T - Taste is more chocolate-heavy. Farmhouse yeast, peaches, and thankfully less pepper and spice. There's some unpleasant herbal flavor in the finish. I liked the taste better until I got to the finish and aftertaste.

M - Lower carbonation, chewy medium-full body, some mild alcohol warmth, sticky finish. Could use a bit more spritz

D - Not a big fan of this one. It's not a bad beer by any stretch, and it delivers exactly what it promises - just not anything I was interested in trying in the first place.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 00:03:12 | More by MasterSki

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a nice deep brown color. Plenty of head on this brew. It's creamy looking and tan in color. The lacing I found to be pretty attractive. The smell of the beer had elements of a normal Saison as long with some dark wheat beer elements too. Some aromas of clove, grains and soft fruits. The taste of this beer was pretty good, lots of earthy flavors and spice throughout the beer. The mouthfeel was very smooth and had a decent thickness to it. Overall I enjoyed this a lot, I found this dark Saison to be much better than the Tom Foolery from Terrapin.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 17:05:05 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

11.2 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a dark brown with a huge off-white head, no lace.

S: Notes of winter spice, licorice, grass, anise.

T: Lots of direct dark malt flavours, the yeast makes an appearance for sure. Bittersweet chocolate, figs, with a hint of olive and ethanol.

M: Very smooth carbonation, robust - a big beer.

D: My first impression is a good one from these guys who just showed up in the Southland, I'd certainly like to try their other saisons.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 04:03:14 | More by Halcyondays

akorsak

Pennsylvania

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

On tap at Max's. A dark saison.

A: The ale is a caramel brown, dark with a mild radiance. A thin white head came along for a brief ride.

S: Dark malts, caramel and rye, drive the nose. The ale is very spicy, floral with a Belgian mustiness. A peppery sage aroma runs underneath the surface.

T: Herbal and fruity, this saison is unusual. The flowers were a little much at first, overpowering alongside the darker malts. As the ale sat, the sweetness emerged. Flowers and herbs are still the driving force, sickly sweet with plenty of sweet yeast by-products.

M: The darker flavors need some time to warm up, slow to emerge. When they do, the ale gets much more complex.

D: I'm on the fence. Complex? Yes but it takes a little long to get going. The Wine Source was all out of bottles, so I'm on the prowl for one to try from the comfort of my couch.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 21:02:53 | More by akorsak

Billolick

New York

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

11.2 ounce bottle, Best Before June 2012 on the right lower portion of the label.

Pours near black, under a larger then large and billowing medium mocha head, that stays and stays, leaving a thick collar, low sheeting and heavier bean shaped blobs of lacing.

Nose of vanilla, sweets, powdered sugar and toasted maple malts.

Delicate and complex, more lighly toated malt, maple, marshmellows, then some light chocolate shows its face and joins the party. I get some sort of a lightly perfumed or flowery note. Strawberries picked up, but not sure if I could have put my finger on this unusual taste without looking at a few earlier reviews...
Different, interesting, strangly refreshing. Well worth a try. Worth the splurge for Belgian style beer lovers.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 01:14:16 | More by Billolick

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge fizzy head of 3+ fingers forces me to stop pouring at the end, but it fades pretty quickly but then slows, over very dark almost black colored beer, hints of brown light sneaking through the edges.

Nose is interesting, some darker malts, hints of roast and black patent even, some creamy caramel malts, with a light spicy saison like aroma, with hints of spices, a light earthy farmhouse rustic malt aroma, and slight hints of fruit.

Taste starts with smoked malt flavors, with a bit of roast and black patent again, a nice smoke flavor that I wasn't expecting, almost chewy with the malts, some darker crystal malts again with a bit of caramel and hint of molasses and slightly creamy. There are saison spices again but muted compared to the darker malts and the nose even. Saison rustic farmhouse like flavors but light, with hints of spices and fruit. Fairly dry at first, then gets quite dry on the finish, very dry actually almost like its sucking the life out of my tongue. Then bitter hops hit as well, fairly bitter finish with a bit of spicy hops and spicy spices, as well as a bit of lingering malts.

Mouth is med bodied, decent carb, hint of warming and tingly booze.

Overall really interesting. The dark malts take the front stage, but the interesting rustic and spicy saison flavors come through in a complete juxtaposition for it. Some smoked malts really surprised me as well, and the booze is there but not heavy. It was actually kinda fun to drink, complex and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 02:23:38 | More by jlindros

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz bottle into a wine stem.

Pours a deep, dark amber/brown, with a couple fingers of fizzy mocha head. This peters down pretty quickly, retaining with mostly gentle foamy edging that leaves back a light cascade of spotty lacing. The aroma smells of ripe dark fruit, spice, and then a roastier malt presence across the back. This is mostly dark fruit and spices though.

The taste is similar, with dark malt, darker fruit, and an earthy hop presence. Plenty of spice is present too, which hangs strong in the finish along with a touch of dry bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and while mellow up front, this prickles up with some strength on the tongue. This has a pretty lively feel to it that matches up well with the spice.

I didn’t really get this one. Fruit, dark malts, and spice are what stood out to me the most here but the overall profiles just had a flat feel to them that didn’t get me excited in any way. I do like the label on this though and it’s basically what made me take a chance on it. I guess it did its job.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 14:56:17 | More by Kegatron

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First had: bottle from Pinocchio's beer garden, Media, PA

Poured a dark chocolate color, not quite opaque, with a nice off-white head. Smell was of mildly semisweet chocolate and roasty malts. Taste was similarly of roasty dark malts, grains, perhaps hazelnut, and light sugar, causing this beer to somewhat resemble a dunkel or light-bodied porter more than a typical saison. Just a mild alcohol sensation came through. Medium bodied, and pretty easily drinkable, especially if you like the dunkel style.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 12:53:03 | More by Rifugium

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from Belmont Station in Portland, OR. Shared with @LaitueGonflable and @tobeerornottobe.

Pours a pretty chunky brown colour, with plenty of yeast floaties. Head is frothy enough, and forms a bubbly mess of beige. Body is pretty light and fluid, but holds erratic fine carbonation. Not much in the way of lacing. It's solid enough, but I can't say it's enticing me with looks alone.

Nose is biting, herbal, slightly astringent and almost with a hint of smoke. Slightly minerally, almost chlorine character comes through, along with some hints of roast, and the antiseptic aroma of a hospital. This is so weird.

Taste blends that antiseptic bite with a really confusingly smooth and rich chocolate malt character, which gives a toasty depth to the palate. Astringency on the end tries to dry things out and create a bit of a pucker, but oddly the malt wins out, leaving a smooth and long finish of roast and toast. There's perhaps a slight boozy/peppery/antiseptic character at the very end, but it's disconnected somehow from the rest of the beer. Weird, weird stuff.

OK, I really like it, probably because it's so weird and so disconnected from the regular standard beers that you can find anywhere you go. But that doesn't mean I'm not confused and aggravated by it. Keep it up.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 03:59:23 | More by lacqueredmouse

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Brick Store.

Pours a slightly hazy chestnut brown color with a cream-colored head that leaves decent lacing.

Smells of dark malts with hints of roastiness. Also present are moderate amounts of spices – allspice and cardamom – and slight dark chocolate aromas.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Slightly dry dark malts up front are joined quickly by slight amounts of medium fruits and spices. Midway through the flavor profile dries out further after roasted malts come into play, carrying through to a mildly bitter ending. Mouthfeel is good, with smooth carbonation.

Overall this is another solid saison from Stillwater, but I’ve yet to have a dark saison that I really enjoyed. This one was one of the better that I’ve had though, and is worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 15:55:56 | More by glid02

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A Saison Darkly has a label that looks like the cover of a Tool album and a body that looks like something extracted from grounded coffee beans. As its name suggests, this is much darker than a typical saison, an opaque brown with a prune-like gloss, but it still sports the style's foamy, creamy capping (though it too is brown instead of white).

The beer may have been brewed with hibiscus and rose hips but it smells more like it's been mixed with mesquite - it has a sweet, nutty note and plenty of hickory-like smoke. I'd love to marinate a big slab of pork in this. As for drinking it, yea, I'd like to do that too, although more for curiosity sake than enthusiasm. The yeast overpowers all other elements.

This flavour of bruised dark fruits and nutty-sweet malts is more like what I'm accustomed to tasting in Belgian dark ales, but I swear to still be tasting a little bit of Texas barbecue. The smokiness becomes more roasty in the aftertaste, leaving a note of coffee in the finish. Yeasty spices redolent of black peppercorn and nutmeg show up on the palate too. I've never had Schisandra berries but I definitely started tasting something berry-y since I knew to look for it.

The brewer may have taken inspiration from farmhouse ales, but this far more resembles the dubbels and dark ales of Trappist monasteries (and it has English pub-like elements too). It has a delectable candi/brown sugar sweetness with lots of fruity esters, very mellow carbonation and a lot of lingering, herbal savoriness. A dry, woody, chicory-root note takes hold on the finish, mixed again with the dried berry taste.

I've only had a few of Baltimore’s Brian “Stillwater” Strumke's offerings but he seems to me like someone who might hold the secrets to the pyramids - all his ales appear cryptic, are mysteriously crafted, built to last and seem to harness almost metaphysical properties. This one is no less interesting or engaging and, like the others, is one I'd gladly buy again.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 02:28:44 | More by biegaman

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Shared this one at an impromptu Hobo Tasting #7 with mikesgroove which turned out to be a good time in an Ingles parking lot out of the trunk of my Audi with my AR-15 in-check to keep the haters out! Served from a bottle into a Southern Tier tulip. Poured a deep dark brown with a half finger tan head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, raisins, and dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, and dark fruit. It had a medium feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. They hit the nail on the head adding 'darkly' to the name with all of the dark fruit presence going on in this one. There was very little saison presence going on in this one for me. Which didn't bother me too much if I'm honest as the rest of the brew seemed to carry quite nicely. I could have probably had a few of these and not grown tired of the flavors going on here, but that would be about it. Glad I got to finally tick this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 13:56:52 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Comes out of the bottle an opaque hazelnut brown with a fairly thick pale tan head. Aroma is malty with nutty, caramel and clove undertones. Malty flavor has a firm nutty tone plus strong hints of burnt caramel and cloves. Texture is smooth with a subtle fizz that stays long after the beer has gone down the proverbial hatch.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2011 02:31:07 | More by Cyberkedi

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick, cloudy texture. There was an inch of creamy, fairly long-lasting head. Average lacing.

S: A different smell than I expected: Very malty, with a bit of the saison funk in it.

T: Tasted strongly of malt (strange for this style), a bready quality, that funk. Slightly grainy as well. Didn't have has much of a fruity tinge to it as some saisons. Not quite as dynamic as others.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Not a bad beer, but not as compelling as I would have liked.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 00:06:58 | More by avalon07

gford217

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle.

Pours dark, chocolate brown with ruby hints around the edges. The head is big fluffy and tan, sticks to the sides stubbornly on the way down.

The aroma actually starts with some roasted chocolate malts and hints of darker fruits like plums. The spices, clove especially, are present but accentuate the dark character more than dominate it.

The taste is excellent and unlike any saison I've ever had. It really is dominated by the dark chocolate malts throughout. There is a bit of brown sugar underneath along with the spicy yeast. Nice dry and surprisingly roasty finish.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with nice, strong carbonation. Very roasty with lots of chocolate.

This is a great saison and completely original. Love the chocolate backbone and the subtle use of the spices instead of the overpowering nature of the lavender in Of Love and Regret.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 03:31:09 | More by gford217

dirtylou

Washington

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on tap, paradiso - georgetown

paired with a a stout-cherry pizza topped with duck

appearance: to my surprise, this arrives in a vessel presenting a dark mahogany beer. i saw the saison description but didnt read the word "darkly"

smell: roasty, cocoa, spice, anise

taste: I'm not a dark-saison enthusiast really - i just feel like a saison should be light and funky, not dark and roasty. This offering features a decent amount of spice, anise, cocoa, roasty flavors, light yeast, touch of dark fruit. it's a fine beer, but it's just not what i look for in a saison

mouthfeel: light, roasty

drinkability: good

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2011 01:13:03 | More by dirtylou

kylehay2004

Florida

4.18/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: two finger head with excellent retention on a very deep brown amber body.

S: very nice full nose with belgian yeast, corriander, herbal hops, and peppercorn.

T: raisin, chocolate, belgian yeast, herbal hops, peppercorn, spices, and roasted malts

M: medium body and fairly high carbonation. semi dry, a little over carbonated even for the style

Overall: this is a very good dark saison. balances the saison belgian character with roasted/chocolate malt notes.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 04:50:39 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with two fingers of off white foam on top of a nearly opaque, black body. The head settles slowly and leave nice lacing on the glass.

S - Vanilla, pepper, mango, clove, and a touch of chocolate.

T - Dark sugar up front with notes of toffee and light molasses. Spicy notes of clove and black pepper I'm the middle with a finish of clove, mango, dark bread and a lingering mocha note.

M - Medium body, moderately high carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Nicely done, the roasted malt is just light enough to work with the strong yeast character. Lots of spice and fruit without becoming cloying or harsh.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 04:51:59 | More by nickfl