Notch Saison - Notch Brewing

busterthecat

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 22oz bottle for $5.95. Chilled and poured into an Allagash chalice. No date on bottle.

A- Pours a murky hay hue that sits an odd pale dark golden color. A nice foamy white head forms and creates an good creamy cap.

S- Lots of nice spice upfront in the nose. Hay and yeast are present but in the background. The spice is light, peppery and has a slight tang. Some citrus slowly creeps in.

T- Spice, cloves, yeast. A bitter grapefruit rind comes in midway through and lingers. Taste is pretty simple and light. Some citrus zest and old bubblegum.

M- Light-Medium bodied. The feel is pretty full on palate upfront then fades to a light. Stays wet through entire taste. Carbonation can be lightly felt on palate.

O- A nice session beer in general. A light saison that is very easy to drink. The bitter rind taste is a tad overpowering for the other more mild flavors. A good simple summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 00:32:21 | More by busterthecat

In_Control_Mike

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

04-18-2013 20:35:32 | More by In_Control_Mike

shehateme

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -11%

04-16-2013 23:25:42 | More by shehateme

Dat

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

03-25-2013 03:40:41 | More by Dat

beertardis

Rhode Island

3.25/5  rDev -11%

03-17-2013 23:42:50 | More by beertardis

braican

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.6%

02-18-2013 02:52:04 | More by braican

alamode

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -11%

01-24-2013 15:54:21 | More by alamode

Thorpe429

Illinois

2/5  rDev -45.2%

01-17-2013 22:56:06 | More by Thorpe429

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Glad I was logged out during my last review session, crappy web browser. Here is the short-hand version.

A- Poured into an over-sized tulip with an ultra hazy yellow-golden body. A massive white cap forms with a foamy, frothy texture. Great cap retention and a few nice patches of lace randomly around the glass.

S- Light Saison yeast profile. Notes of spices, flowers, coriander, lemon zest and yeast bread. Fades quite a bit with time.

T- Loses a bit from the nose here but still nice. Saison yeast lends spicy, floral, fruity, citrus and pepper notes. Fruit is somewhere along the lines of white grape and apple. Light biscuit and cracked grain malt notes. Hops lend spicy and grassy notes.

MF- Light -end body with big foamy, bubbly carbonation sort of like a champagne without the bite on the palate, creamy. A bit of bitterness in the finish and a very slight tart feel.

The lower ABV seems to remove a bit of the yeast complexity but it also takes any harsh spicy feel that some Saisons can develop, more drinkable than most.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 05:50:52 | More by cbutova

Rekrule

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.6%

12-09-2012 04:22:26 | More by Rekrule

PatGreer

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.6%

12-03-2012 23:49:20 | More by PatGreer

sendbeer

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

12-03-2012 20:49:25 | More by sendbeer

darcange

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9.6%

12-01-2012 15:49:56 | More by darcange

snowmaggedon

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

11-01-2012 22:18:34 | More by snowmaggedon

Brewsephus

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%

11-01-2012 01:53:11 | More by Brewsephus

JTC40

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured clean straw color, what little liquid there was since the head foamed lavishly like champagne. Aroma spiced with farmhouse yeastiness. Dry taste with gentle bite of wheat reinforced by spicy hops.

3.8 percent alcohol made me wish I'd had a whole six-pack instead of only one. Good easy drinker.

Liked the fact that wheat grown locally and malted at Valley Malt.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 18:25:18 | More by JTC40

KarlosT

Massachusetts

2.2/5  rDev -39.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Had this beer at the Amesbury Beer Festival on Sep 22 2012.

Most of the beers were served from bottles into small 3oz plastic pixie cups.

Although I took notes on the 20+ different beers that I tried, it is difficult to remember all of the details associated with each beer. My apologies to readers of these notes. However, I did pay attention to my overall scores, and noted what I thought were unique positives and negatives w/ each beer.

Note that for me:
< 2.5 = probably would not finish the beer
3.0 = drinkable beer, but likely would not buy again or look for
>3.5 = will try to buy again in the future

My apologies to Belgian beer advocates. Just not a fan of this style. The "spice" notes really puts me off. Need to investigate more ... where do these spice notes come from? The yeast? The hops? or are additional spices being added?

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2012 15:13:48 | More by KarlosT

nmann08

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

09-04-2012 01:25:06 | More by nmann08

Maxwell

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a pretty barnyard hay golden yellow with a nice soapy head that dissipates quickly but leaves a fat scrim ring of middle size bubbles. The beer is hazy and slightly oranged with its opacity, and there are some chunks floating around from the yeast, but there is definitely a good stream of carbonation bubbles working their way to the surface all around the glass. The beer smells quite nice with a biscuity citrus reminiscent of orange bread. There are some good damp banana and pineapple esters also swimming in the nose that coincide with the slight spice kick expected in saisons. The beer tastes wonderfully orangey in the initial sip, supported by strong banana/pineapple esters and light earthy spiced biscuit from the malts and hops. The flavor clears into a crisp and refreshing funk towards the middle and then pulls back together into a strong citrus-spice aftertaste. The esters work marvelously to add subtle flavors to this beer. The mouthfeel is cool crisp and refreshing, everything a saison traditionally should be. Bubbly carbonation is light and constant on the tongue, and the mouth is left very clean with only a slight drizzle of saliva on the sides and some dry spice on the top of the tongue. This is an excellent saison in my opinion, and a terrific return to the sessionable style of old saisons. Notch has done a great job brewing a historical and delicious beer that really highlights the funk and esters that these beers are all about. The fact that this beer is so nicely flavorful and is 3.8% makes it even more appealing. I am very surprised especially since I was not very taken with their pilsner, but this beer definitely highlights the cool things this brewery is doing with sessionable beer. I could drink quite a few of these and definitely advise this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 17:58:38 | More by Maxwell

Stinger80OH

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

08-28-2012 15:22:45 | More by Stinger80OH

HEADYdb

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

08-18-2012 20:49:33 | More by HEADYdb

ms11781

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

07-29-2012 15:38:16 | More by ms11781

andrewinski1

Maine

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a fancy pint glass. The color is light straw and clear. There is a white foamy head with good retention.

The aroma balances mild bready malt with some citrus and lots of yeast-like spice. The aroma is nice and strong.

The taste has a nice dose of grassy hops balanced with some peppery yeast that is prominent in the finish. Lot's of flavor here!

The body is light and this is crisp and refreshing. I would love to try more Notch beers! Come to Maine if you want!

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 03:36:37 | More by andrewinski1

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pale straw color with a billowing white head. Took two easy pours to get the whole 12 ounces in there. Large foamy schmear all down my glass. It may not have the heft of bigger saisons but it sure looks the part.

Smells like spritzy hay and cream soda. A smattering of musty hop.

Tastes like mildly rustic spiced cream soda. It does suffer taste and body from 3.8% but it is in the neighborhood. Mineral vanilla in back. Dry-ish?

I was really impressed with this on tap but I'm sorry to say either it's not nearly as good in the bottle or it was just having a good night that night.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 20:55:26 | More by donkeyrunner

Thomas_Picton

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -11%

07-04-2012 18:43:51 | More by Thomas_Picton