Sour Apple Saison - Epic Brewing Co.

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

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to bmanning for opening up this bottle. Served in a wine glass.

Pours a light straw color. There is a bit of a white head, though that dies quickly. The nose has a bit of light green apple plus a bit of hay and straw. There's only a slight bit of yeast and earth. The flavor has a sharp green apple character to it with a strong bite in the finish. Nothing much else there. Maybe light grain. Light body with big carbonation. Just okay.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2011 20:54:39 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

Appearance: Pours a clouded, pale yellow body with a moderate-sized, foamy, white head.

Smell: Granny Smith-based apple cider, then, a bit of pils and wheat malt, with hints of ground spices and cobweb-strewn gum as the sour apple scent ramps up.

Taste: Pilsner malts with, perhaps, a trifling bit of wheat. Lightly tangy, lightly sweet upfront. Yes, there are the expected green apples, moderately tart. Also, a myriad of spice hints and a touch of earthy phenolics (bordering on band-aid occasionally) striking the back-of-the-throat. Finishes dry, phenolic, and tart.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation.

Overall: It's interesting and an appealing combination, sure, though I'm not in love with it, and the one visitation is probably enough for me. Still kinda interesting, though!

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 16:28:01 | More by ChainGangGuy

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

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a hazy dirty light yellow color ale with a big white bubbly head with minimal retention and not much lacing. Aroma of tart apple with some spicy peppery yeast is quite strong. Taste is a very unique mix between some tart apple notes with a strong spicy yeast strain and with some very high carbonation. Body is quite full with strong carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Interesting though not something I would rink everyday. Almost closer to Champagne then beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 20:12:37 | More by Phyl21ca

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a glass mug.

Thanks to mdfb79 for this bottle!

Reviewed blind as part of Blind BIF Round 5.

A: Things come into the mug as a whiter shade of pale than most pale ales (all the young dudes will agree with me, I'm sure), topped by a healthy, tall berg of white froth. Kinda like a light hefeweizen that suddenly got frightened, all of its face-color running away first, a head start before the rest followed suit.

S: A menagerie from many sides, the pleasant shared nightmare of a grocer and a geometry teacher: light lemon zest, light pine, mint, rather light menthol, wheat, orange zest, very light bubblegum, very light banana, light-ish clove, and light black pepper.

T: My tongue's eyes have been growing greener while watching my nose have all the fun. Gotta fix that, as a rebellious tongue is not something I'm willing to live with at this moment (I just don't think I'm ready for such a potentially volatile commitment. Here ya go, buddy: orange zest, lemon zest, that typically saison-like funky-ish yeast, Creamsicle. black pepper, coriander, light lemongrass, clove, and that fake watermelon flavor you may find in certain packs of Bubblicious.

M: Things sit pretty lightly on the tongue, though (and I've sworn of euphemisms with this particular partner, so I've gotta be blunt here) some heft is starting to form in the midsection (still got a ways ta go afore it gets to my level, though...). Bubbly personality, indeed. When all is said and done, I'm left feeling a bit dry, though definitely crisp. Yuppers.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this brew. Once I found out it was a sour apple flavor, I went back and figured out that everything listed above was my brain's way of dancing around that without ever really finding it. Good times nonetheless, though.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 08:03:29 | More by TMoney2591

Mora2000

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle. This is one of 1,800 bottles produced according to the label.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is a mix of wheat, yeast, apples and some spices. The flavor is tart Granny Smith apples with a strong Belgian yeast note and some wheat and lighter malts. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Tart, green apples and saisons seem like a natural fit. I am surprised this was not tried sooner.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2010 05:34:21 | More by Mora2000

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

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

akorsak

Pennsylvania

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

A 650 mL bomber, shared with mughugger amongst others.

A: The saison is a pale straw color, lighter in hue that most saisons. The light ale appropriately supports a stark white head. Very foamy, it looks effervescent.

S: The nose has apples and spices, cinnamon and sage principally. The apples, sour as they are, don't seem out of place in this Belgian ale.

T: Sage and mint stand out, very spicy flavors that are almost hot. Cinnamon follows, prepping the taster for the apples to come. Those apples, green and sour, have plenty of sweet juices. The effect of the bubbles is to drive all of the flavor away quickly after each sip is swallowed. Interesting but quite spicy.

M: Syrupy sweet and spicy, the mouthfeel runs all over the place. Those flavors are fast to fade though, disappearing almost instantaneously.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 16:02:57 | More by akorsak

Wasatch

Utah

2/5  rDev -44%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

22oz. Bomber
Exponential Series
1800 Bottles Produced
Release #1
$7.29 ea.

Poured into a chalice a cloudy pale yellow color, some carbonation, little fizzy white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some yeast notes, slight sour apple note. The taste is malty/yeast, tart. Medium body. Not Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 18:57:27 | More by Wasatch

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

mdfb79

New York

3.15/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

From 08/12/11 notes. Had on tap at Galaxy Hut in Arlington, VA.

a - Pours a murky yellow color with one inch of white head and light carbonation evident. No lacing or head retention, pretty average looking.

s - Smells of pepper, yeast, and light sour apples. More pepper than I would like, but still good.

t - Tastes of pepper again, light sour apples, yeast, and floral notes. The pepper dominates the taste and there is not as much apple as the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate to high carbonation.

o - Overall a pretty average saison. Pepper dominates this one so if that's what you like in a saison, you may enjoy this, but I was looking for more fruit/apples. Wouldn't seek it out again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2011 15:20:41 | More by mdfb79

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy pale golden yellow color with visible carbonation bubbling up and a two finger frothy white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Earthy, slightly funky aroma with a nice barnyard character that is countered by the sweet apple presence. The sour apple character is kind of artificial/syrupy smelling, reminding me of candy/kids juice box. There's also a slight musty scent with some sweet alcohol and bread/yeast in the nose.

Medium bodied with a lot of tight carbonation up front tickling the tongue. Slightly earthy and very sweet up front with a strong sour apple flavor. Again, this flavor is very syrupy and artificial tasting yet the tartness compliments the funky saison yeast. There's a crisp dryness that lingers into the finish with hints of bread, zesty spice and grass.

Overall, this beer is an interesting idea but the result is a beer that is too sweet and artificial for my liking. A decent amount of tartness and subtle funk but the cloying sour apple flavor is a bit much.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 03:44:30 | More by corby112

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Release #4.

A: A glass consuming firm cotton white head dominates from the start even with a gentle pour, most likely thanks to a wild Belgian yeast strain run amok. A volcanic eruption of effervesce is explosive in the glass while the head took forever to drop before I could continue my pour leaving broken stratified rings down the glass. Pale lemon peel coloring with a slight obstruction of clarity. A second pour produces a monstrous mountainous head that was rocky and still steadfast in its holding, shellacking the glass with a full coating for lace.

S: For aroma I detected light hints of wheat and sour green apples, fairly simple, with musky grains.

T: The flavor was sour green apples dominating right from the start smacking the sour taste buds of the tongue with good results. Powerful with a musky citron character, fruity notes of apricots and red grapes perhaps from the yeast. A slight acidic nature true to style, brass upfront and quite the shocker, but becomes much more smoother and mellower with each concurring sip.

M: tight and bubbly, very active on the tongue even after an extended period of time. Soothing apple sourness, turning gentle by time after the swallow.

O: Overall a solid drinking saison with a sour green apple twist. Crisp, tight and bubbly.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 23:17:41 | More by beerthulhu

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.9/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Inflatablechair brought this one over to share with buckeyeboy and me. I will say, that I thought it was better than they did.

Pours with a thin white head with only hints of lacing and little retention.. the brew is very hazy lite straw golden... expected.

Pretty phenolic up front... almost too much.. tons of spice and hints of bandaid.. peppery.. lite clove... even cinnamon.. the phenols blow out almost all of the traditional and expected aromas... there is some pear that tries to come in, and the cardomom fucks things up.

Thankfully the palate has some nice fruity esters that come out up front... pear and green apple.. the phenols though are way too heavy in my opinion.. the bandaid plays with bazooka joe.. "real" spice shows toward the finish... cinnamon and lesser nutmeg.. I get how the fruity esters and the apple are "supposed" to get along, but there is a ton of stuff going on here.. I get a hint of ginger burn later.

Honestly, I like this.. It needs some work to meld things up into something more congealed.. but I appreciate it and need to stock up before it is gone!!

4/3.5/4/4/4

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 06:41:40 | More by JohnGalt1

mactrail

California

4.05/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tastes like cinnamon along with the tart apples at first sip. But it after a few sips it tastes strongly of cloves and I get the whole Hefeweizen flavor profile. Great aroma of malt with a long nose of spice. Not much in the way of Belgian flavors. Pours a hazy golden in the chalice. Some buttery taste at the end but only some faint bitterness. Tart, though it has plenty of sweetness, along with a cidery taste.

It's hard to judge this as a Saison, but if you think of it as an apple-flavored Hefeweizen, it's really quite a unique treat. I think the over-abundance of clove flavor keeps it from being more popular. Release #7 and ABV is listed at 8.2%.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 05:37:52 | More by mactrail

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

Big thanks goes out to beermeX2 for sharing this one with me! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller flute. Poured straw yellow with a half finger pure white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, grain, spices, banana, and sour apple. The flavor was of sweet malt, grain, spices, banana, and sour apple. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. When I saw the name on this one I was a little concerned on how the sour apple flavors would mix with the Saison spices. However, much to my surprised they actually blended quite well together. The brew was very smooth and drinkable which was a nice touch. The aroma was very good with the sour apple definitely making its presence known. Really glad I got the chance to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 13:12:09 | More by thagr81us

ccrida

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, Epic's Sour Apple Saison is clear gold with a white head leaving decent lace.

Smell is fairly true to style, a nice mineral pith, with green apple notes, a touch of sourness, it's very pleasant.

Taste is more skewed to the green apple, but it's still aligned with the style, if bastardized...but I'm a huge sucker for saison esters. That said, it gets a little candied as I pull through it, with a slight, over-ripe compost after-taste, and a touch grainy.

Mouthfeel is lighter, it's dry, there's a bit of spritz, with a fairly high carbonation.

Drinkability is pretty good. Fun to try, it's geared to saison fans as an interesting concept that is not quite but reasonably well executed. Cheers to the idea!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 04:16:38 | More by ccrida

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a hazy yellow color with a white head. In the aroma, earthy and sour apples. In the taste, dry green apples, a bit yeasty and a nice dry sourness. A small sour bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a dry green apple in the aftertaste. Dryer than I would expect, but quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2011 12:17:53 | More by OWSLEY069

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle, Release #6, 7.9% ABV. Served in a tulip glass, the beer pours a hazy straw gold color with an inch white head that went away quickly. There's a decent amount of lacing left on the glass. The brew smells like sour apples, bubblegum, herbs, light peppery spice and bready malt. I think the taste is mostly herbal, but there's also some sour apples, peppery spice, lemon peel, bready malt and yeast noticable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating and has good carbonation. It's also easy to drink. I think it's a good overall brew. I wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but once I got halfway through the bottle I started liking it more and more. At $7.99 a bottle, I'd buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 23:37:25 | More by bluejacket74

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

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

ngeunit1

California

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

A - Very cloudy golden yellow with a finger of frothy white head. Head faded down at a normal pace leaving behind some lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of funkiness with some lemon, tart apple, and some spices.

T - Starts off with some tart green apple flavor with some hay and lemon. Through the middle, some yeast, coriander, clove, and funk come through. The finish is a mix out tart green apple with some sourness, yeast, and some spices.

M - Medium bodied with moderate-plus carbonation. It is smooth with a nice tart and crisp finish.

D - Very drinkable. Not as sour as expected, but the tartness does give the saison a nice extra kick.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 07:02:53 | More by ngeunit1

billab914

Virginia

3.3/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22oz bottle poured into my Allagash glass. It poured a slightly hazy, golden yellow color with a thin white head barely covering the top of the beer.

The aroma shows a ton of spices to it, which given the ingredients isn't surprising. The grains of paradise and coriander are really bold, giving it a strong citrus presence. The nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon all add some earthy, christmasy spiciness. The spices just overwhelm, I don't get much else past them.

In the taste, the spices dominate up front but there is some really good sour apple flavors that do come out in the finish. The coriander and grains of paradise just seem way overdone to me though and unfortunately dominate the beer.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being above average. Overall, I didn't really care for it. The spices dominated way too much and covered up nearly all of the sour apple flavors. The Christmas like spices didn't work well for it either. I had hoped for a little more sourness out of it given the name.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 22:14:34 | More by billab914