Sour Apple Saison - Epic Brewing Co.

metter98

New York

3.66/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is hazy pale yellow in color. It poured with a thin white head that quickly died down , leaving some lacing on the surface and a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of sour apples and spices are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that the spices are a little more prominent initially and the sour apple flavors are most noticeable towards the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer isn't dominated by sour apple flavors, but these help keep the spices from being overpowering. It is an interesting take on the style.

Note: Release #15

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 17:51:25 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Release #15

A: Pours a cloudy pale straw yellow in color with light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some lemon yellow highlights. The beer has a half finger tall fizzy white head that quickly reduces to a couple of small patches of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Upfront there are moderate to strong aromas of spices - ginger, cinnamon, coriander, and anise. After that, the light to moderate aromas of sour apple come through.

T: This beer has a really unusual flavor but one that I enjoyed - it started out with some light flavors of wheat and spices (cinnamon, ginger, coriander, and just a touch of anise stand out. Then there are some lighter flavors of sour apple that come through in the finish. Minimal amounts of bitterness.

M: Light bodied with heavy amounts of carbonation. Moderate amounts of acidic prickliness. Light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: This one is really interesting with the plethora of spices upfront and the sour apple flavors in the finish. Quite refreshing and easy to drink - would be great on a hot summer afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 17:50:44 | More by dbrauneis

bambam2517

Arizona

3.91/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On draft, into a 12 oz snifter.

A - Sneaky to the eye, looks like a light ABV hefe or something common. Nice level of carbonation and a good lasting lace ring.

S - Apple dominant, also crackery and yeasty, little bit of spice mixed in as well.

T - Drinks alot like a chardonnay, one with apple and pear flavors as the backbone. Its sweet, and has a little spiciness feel to it as well.

M - Not like a saison I dont think, that spiciness plays as alcoholic heat to me and this again feels more like a chardonnay than an ale.

O - Made for an interesting change of pace, but back to the beers that come across as beer...

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2013 01:28:45 | More by bambam2517

notchucknorris

California

3.65/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours an intensely hazy golden color with a thin white head. Leaves some nice tracks of lace.

S: Belgian yeast, a TON of coriander, sage, apple Laffy Taffy and a big, tart wheat aroma. Definitely overspiced for me.

T: Really sweet. The Belgian yeast shows up right away and really takes over. Some faint green apple skin, chardonnay and white grape juice, lemon hard candy and some booze. A touch of ginger on the finish. You can taste every bit of the 8% here and it feels way too heavy for a saison.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 23:05:57 | More by notchucknorris

hooliganlife

Missouri

3.96/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

thanks to dak for this.

pours a golden yellow, slightly hazy. little head.

funky apple juice, really. a hint of some spice but very apple and funk forward.

similar to the nose, a strong funky and spicy saison with loads of apple. no so much sour as the name depicts, but more on the lines of apple juice. hint of sweetness and a slight slight pucker at the finish.

mild carbonation. light and easy. some pucker in the finish.

pretty good, VERY apple forward .

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 21:54:13 | More by hooliganlife

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.66/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

22oz bottle poured into taster

Clear golden straw pour with a bubbly white head, dissipating quickly. A few spots of lacing dot the glass with thin retention.

Crisp green apple and fruit skin in the nose with funky yeast and spice. Citrus peel, zest and soft sweetness.

Tart and refreshing on the tongue with a mix of citrus peel and lemon zest. Coriander and clove with toasted grain and biscuit malts. Funky yeast, cracked pepper, soft spiciness. Finishes with tart apple skins and dry saison yeast.

Lighter medium body, higher carbonation, dry and bubbly on the tongue. The fruit-forward tartness is pretty tasty, especially if you're an apple lover.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 02:10:36 | More by xnicknj

BilbosNuts

California

3.45/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Release #12. Poured from a 22oz bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Clear straw yellow color with a moderate amount of carbonation bubble streams rising to the top. A small , rocky, white head dissipates quickly to a thin film across the top. Looks very clean but kind of unimpressive.

S: A blast of sour green apple is noticeable immediately after pouring. Belgian yeast and Belgian sugar come through prominently as well. A mild perfume, floral aroma comes through towards the finish.

T: Sour apple up front with significant typical Belgian characteristics at the finish. It has a spicy sort of finish with hints of black pepper.

M: Light bodied with a dry finish. There is minimal carbonation, but just enough to give a refreshing feel and finish.

O: I had high hopes for this one, but it left me a little disappointed. I guess I was expecting more sour apple than what I experienced. I'll have to try a fresher bottle to see if that makes a difference as this one is close to a year old.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 02:16:32 | More by BilbosNuts

wethorseblanket

California

3.4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Release #17.

A: Pours a slightly hazy pale yellow with a 1-inch white head which fades to a thin cap and rim leaving rings of lace.

N: Sour green apples (check), belgian yeast (check), peppery spices (check), herbal, earthy, with faint melon.

T: Big ginger and other spices are strong and somewhat medicinal, yeast is present along with some over-ripe, off tasting fruit. Tartness is mild and slightly unpleasant.

M: Semi-moderate body and medium carbonation. Spicy, herbal finish.

O: Over the top on the spices. The yeast competes with the sour apples not in a good way.
Makes sense only 1800 bottles produced for this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 03:04:52 | More by wethorseblanket

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Release #17, bottled on 7/26/12. Poured into an Allagash chalice.

Pours a cloudy pale yellow with a bone-white frothy cap. Fair globs of lace cling to the glass. Sharp scent of spices - coriander, pepper, and a big wallop of apples. This is almost causing my nose to pucker a bit.

Carbonation level is moderate, definitely not as spritzy as many in this style tend to be. Not complaining about that at all. Nice mellow finish. There's enough boldness in flavor to keep this one going. On first sip there's a big smack of herbs and spices. Coriander, lemon pepper, cinnamon, yeast. A lot going on here. But there is a nice puckering tartness to this as well. With my experience as of late, I thought the apple would be downplayed, but it is far from that. Sour green apples, lemons, limes - all make this nice and tart. It's not the most enjoyable or flavorful, but it is sour. As this warms this characteristic develops and opens up even more., but I'm presented with another characteristic I don't care for - nail polish remover. Near the end, this is dang near difficult to finish. I think this one drinks better on the cold side, but that's just me. Interesting beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 14:56:07 | More by Onenote81

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.08/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Release #14, bottled 23 April 2012, per the website. Tasted 2 November 2012, reviewed from notes

Pours a pale, slightly golden yellow. Almost completely clear, just gives a soft fuzzy look to the stuff behind it. Nice column of bubbles streaming up. One finger of white head, decent retention, okay lacing.

Smell is funky, tart, and spiced. Funk is the first wave, earthy. Light tart fruit is next, sweet, lasting, and potent. I really like the balance of funk and fruit.

Taste has a weird side that I'm not digging. It's sour and bitter, but in a sharp way that doesn't really work for me. Beyond that, it's fruity and tart. Loads of apple, that only gets more potent as I work my way through the bottle. Gets better as it warms up, for sure - otherwise I would have rated the taste lower. But it's still sharp.

Medium-bodied, enough carbonation. Nothing really remarkable, other than the fuzz. But that could be the alcohol.

An okay saison, not my favorite. I was intrigued by the smell, but the taste has an off bitter side, and not enough positive to counteract it. I keep going back, looking for a taste without that bite, but I'm not finding it.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 21:05:44 | More by zeledonia

Auracom

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Another share from Dan, thanks amigo. 11 oz. poured into a Kishimoto Duvel on October 20, 2012.

A - Pours a light murky golden, with a nice frothy pure white head.

D - Tart granny smith apple juice and skins. A touch herbaceous with banana.

T - Not quite sour enough for a granny smith, more like a semi-sweet golden delicious here. Touch of a bready malt and trace yeast notes in the backend.

M - Very crisp. Light body, but not nearly as dry as it ought to be.

D - I guess I was expecting more of an American wild. While it's not that, it's pretty accessible and would fit in perfectly on a warmer night. The biggest letdown is in the feel, and I didn't sense much depth to this in general.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 17:16:05 | More by Auracom

MeneerBeerSnob

District of Columbia

3.38/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bomber poured into tulip.

A-Hazy golden straw color with a thin finger of head.

S-Strong crisp apple smell, when first poured smelled almost like fresh apple pie.

T-Like a saison with a hint of cider. Background notes of cinnamon, coriander and ginger.

M-Light body with and carbonation. No lingering taste as the beer progesses on your palate.

O-Very interesting saison. I probably wouldn't buy it again unless I had a taste for it.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:51:22 | More by MeneerBeerSnob

maximum12

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Haven't visited Epic in a while - they kind of came in a flood & are now much harder to find on MN shelves. My wife recommended this 22 oz. bomber, so open it we are.

Pour is unfiltered, hazy yellow - is that right for a saizzzon? Smells like straight up tart apples & spice, like a cold, lovely mulled apple cider after sledding.

Sour Apple Saison is aptly named. Tart green apples in the flush of autumn mix it up with the saizzzon yeast to frankenstein a slick, slightly sour experience. Cute spices invade the mid-palate, lemon zestiness. Touch of must on the back-end, but not enough to mess this up. Really easy to drink.

The apples & saizzzon make very nice nookie, but don't quite make it all the way home. Solid, nice twist, good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 03:28:41 | More by maximum12

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.48/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours light straw with a slightly green hew. Very thin white head and little lacing.

Very spicy aroma. Clove and nutmeg. No apple or sourness in the nose.

I'd like to write a lot of descriptors for the flavor, but really the flavor is bland. Belgian yeast dominates with clove and other spices. Very little body to speak of, no sourness and hardly any detectable apple at all. As the beer warms, the spices come out more and are too overpowering for the base.

Good carbonation levels. As mentioned, body is very light.

Thought I may enjoy this one, but definitely did not. The blandest beer I've had in a while.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 15:45:29 | More by jmarsh123

womencantsail

California

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

On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

The beer is a cloudy golden yellow/straw color with a white head. An interesting aroma. Lots of apple and a touch of tartness, but it’s got a big spice character to it (mostly cinnamon and clove). Quite a bit of yeast and a light medicinal note. The flavor is almost potpourri-like: very spicy and floral. Some apple, but not quite the sourness I was anticipating. Lots of bread and yeast flavors to it as well.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2012 20:51:30 | More by womencantsail

jtierney89

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Green apple hue with a thin white lace of head. Nose of green apples and funky saison notes. Spicy yeast and clove with an overall earthiness.

Sweet green apples up front followed by classic belgian flavors of candy, clove and spice. Finishes with a puckering green apple tartness. Mouth watering and very very good. Lingering sweetness. A complex and well layered in-your-face saison. Slaps the tongue around and your tongue asks for more. At 8.1% it's pretty damn dangerous. On the fuller side of medium bodied with gentle carbonation. Theres a richness to the body with being too heavy. Just picked up a little bit of a nuttiness to the beer.

Please resist drinking this beer cold, it really does open up magnificantly at room temperature.

SIDE NOTE Mix half sour apple saison and half Brainless on peaches and you have a pretty nice dried fruit refreshing beer in your cup!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 04:16:13 | More by jtierney89

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

1,800 bottles? OMG.RAR.COM

I poured aggressively and it made a really thick chunky head that is bone white over a crystal clean golden yellow body. Looks nice.
The aroma is really intriguing, green apple is obvious, sage really stands out of the spices, reminds me of this pasta my wife hates and i enjoy. Flowery esters are in attendance too.
Flavors are the green apple and sage, with Lemon zest, yeast, white pepper, and some grain that mingles with the spices to form a rye like note.
Body is medium with medium carbonation, not the driest out there, but nod bad.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 22:51:48 | More by ChadQuest

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.53/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a translucent light straw with about one full finger of head that takes a good while to settle. The foam leaves a ring along the edges of the glass as it drinks. Solid lacing.

S: The nose is sour apple, sage, rosemary, plastic, and burnt rubber. It's spicy and sweet and sour, and a boat load of confusing. It's wacky, but it's not terrible.

T: The taste is also kinda wacky. It's sweet to start, but then gets sour and funky. It has all kinds of herbal qualities in it and I also get some of that plastic/rubber taste. The finish is back to sweet.

M: Light bodied beer. It starts out sweet, gets sour and funked, and finishes sweet. Nothing lingers too long.

O: Wacky beer. I don't think I'm diggin' it. The flavors are all over the place, and I'm just not that enthused to keep drinking this full snifter.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 22:34:06 | More by trxxpaxxs

Jason

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz brown bomber, no freshness date.

LOOK: Fizzy, very expressive carbonation, hazed yellow hue, good retention

SMELL: Coriander, all-spice, Italian Christmas cookies, green apple taffy, chalky yeast, gummy

TASTE: Very crisp, earthy, tart, estery, grainy, faintly medicinal, coriander, cinnamon, licorice, green apples, yeast, very dry

Very "in your face" type of beer, a Saison can do that on its own but Epic wanted to dial this one up to 11. Spiced to the hilt but not overbearing, tartness resets the palate with each sip and make me want to take another. A fun beer to sip.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 02:25:45 | More by Jason

Halcyondays

California

4.15/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours a translucent gold with a small white head, nice retention, spotty lace.

S: Yellow apples, flowers, yeasty notes.

T: Nice apple flavour, though it's never over the top. Some quenching acidity on the back end with a lot of spice. Bready malt, hint of sourdough bread.

M: Medium-bodied, quenching, only lightly tart, crisp there at the end with a cider quality.

O: Another delicious beer from Epic. Very enjoyable, liking the stuff they're doing with fruit.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 03:36:13 | More by Halcyondays

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

slightly hazy golden yellow with nice foamy white head which quickly diminished. smells almost like a pilsner.. very bready, lemon zest, pepper, celery, slight hint of green apple. initial bitterness turns into a slightly tart funk.. almost tastes like chicken with lemon pepper seasoning. grassy herb flavor, faint taste of grapes, cherry, apple.. definitely tasting the belgian yeast. light body with very fizzy carbonation, slight creamyness towards the finish.

overall, this is a solid thirst quencher, though a bit off tasting. i probably wouldn't pick this one up again, though after a month or so seeing it on the shelf, i'm glad i gave it a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 18:29:05 | More by facundoCNB

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Lightly hazed pale yellow color with a good sized white head that sinks rather quickly. Decent lacing. Aroma definitely packs a sour apple punch; hints of somewhat generic sweet maltiness underneath, with cinnamon, pepper, and other spices.

Taste is lightly funky and sour, not bad but not exactly delicious either. Strong green apple flavor threatens to overwhelm the subtler spice, yeast, and somewhat meek malt notes. A little unbalanced. If you like tart sour apples and Granny Smith peel you’ll probably like this. Restrained but present sweetness. Cinnamon and cloves noticed in the aftertaste.

Body is medium-light with crisp carbonation; definitely a clean drinker with a semi-dry finish and overall refreshing feel. Not terrible but I probably wouldn’t buy this one again. A little heavy-handed and clumsy with the apples, methinks.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 18:28:23 | More by tobelerone

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

purchased from the source for about 10 bucks poured into an epic snifter. looks like a belgian golden, clean and clear honey color with an expanding white fizzy head. smells like granny smith apples, green and crisp, with some spicy belgian yeast there to back it up. flavor actually carries a bit of grassy hops that works very well with the understated apple flavors going on. the fruity notes in the yeast also add a perfect complement. the apple isnt in your face, and its not particularly sour, just tart and clean in the finish. mouthfeel is well carbonated but not too intense, and the body is just under medium. this beer is quite drinkable because it lacks that gnarly sweetness many of the fruity beers have. the apple is not dominant, rather just another player on the team. i liked this one a lot, although im not sure it fits with what id call a saison, but its an excellent bottle of beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 17:58:06 | More by StonedTrippin

pitasoup

Tennessee

2.15/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

from a 22oz, shared with neorunner.

a: huge cloudy billowing head. one might say overcarbonated since the cap removed itself with an angry cat like hiss. cloudy body and straw yellow, perfect color for what seems like a lighter bodied saison. very much looking forward to the first sip, as soon as this damn head settles down.

s: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, then saison yeasts. similar to wlp670 w/o the brett, which seems to indicate nice clean and tart, oh man am i excited. though the spices are kinda meh, i hope it's due to high-ferm temps and not silly over-compensation spices... cardboard, mint, and wheat grains come through a bit later. so i'm guessing this is an xmas saison? doesn't exactly smell sour or appley

t: tart, then over-nutmeg'd numbing, then cloyingly dull saison yeast and wheat. yes the the smells come through, but are an ugly ass mess of xmas spices. i've had worse homebrews, and other over-spiced beers, with the fantastically horrible standard of short's gambler as the worst spiced beer ever. this is a close second tho, muddled and rude. i cant taste any more, if you tell me there's apple in here, i'll believe you. it's like a belgian christmas apple pie that got drenched in cider-mix. so close to drainpouring...

m: numbing and effervescent, if that combo is possible. bodywise the base is light-medium and unoffensive. the tastes don't help any mouthfeel though.

o: Epic Brewing...fail? in the words of sir charles...turrible. tastes like acetaldehyde and mulled cider, fermented at way too high of a temp. brewers need to stop overcompensating with saisons by adding spices. they are ugly and distracting. ugh, call this beer a spring-glug and i'd be much happier drinking it because i had warning.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:25:04 | More by pitasoup

UCLABrewN84

California

3.45/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Release # 9.

Pours a slightly murky light honey orange with a 1/2 inch foamy orange-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grains, yeast, and a heavy dose of almost medicinal smelling spice aromas. Taste is the same with a slight hint of sour green apples on the finish. The spices linger on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a nice crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good saison flavor wise but the aroma is very spice heavy in an awkward way.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 04:03:06 | More by UCLABrewN84