Utah Sage Saison - Epic Brewing Co.

DaveAnderson

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had a couple of beers from Epic before, but this is the first I have gone back to -- and I've done it a couple of times. So it's time to review.

A: Even a moderate pour into my goblet yields a big white foamy head of fine bubbles, which doesn't want to recede, and leaves a ton of lacing. The beer itself is pretty -- pale and hazy.

S: This is all about the sage. Sage is everywhere. Oddly enough, there seems to be some type of menthol in there, too. Or eucalyptus. It's great.

T: The first time I tried this beer, I couldn't taste the sage. Don't get me wrong -- you can't help smelling it. But my first impression was: "smells like sage, tastes like saison". But this time around, it's as if someone put eucalyptus in my saison. It's really striking.

M: Very light and drinkable, with solid carbonation.

O: This is a fun beer with high drinkability. It's probably a good beer for sharing, since I'm not sure I want to drink a whole bomber, but I'm not complaining too loudly at having to do so.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 05:11:10 | More by DaveAnderson

jsmith6051

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

05-24-2013 01:19:39 | More by jsmith6051

BAsbill

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

04-30-2013 04:21:28 | More by BAsbill

UCLABrewN84

California

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle I brought to share at Wowcoolman's tasting.

Release # 7. 6.9% ABV per the label.

Pours a hazy orange with a foamy bone head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, yeast, and sage aromas. Taste is much the same with sage and herbal flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of herbal bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with an interesting sage presence.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 00:38:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

arizcards

Arizona

4/5  rDev +0.8%

04-21-2013 20:56:43 | More by arizcards

EyePeeAyBryan

Arizona

4/5  rDev +0.8%

04-03-2013 23:04:43 | More by EyePeeAyBryan

im4beer

Utah

3.79/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A= poured a very light amber color with nice lacing and about a 1.5 finger head that disappeared quickly.

S= typical Belgian ale with initial citrus smells then yummy smells of of yeast and malt and then finishing with a piney-sage end note.

T= crisp initial citrus taste with a bready middle tone and finishing with pine and hops.

M= light mouthfeel with consistent carbonation

O= good tasting beer. I like the pine finish. Not my favorite from Epic. But it's a solid beer that I will drink again.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 02:19:34 | More by im4beer

SvenHayden

Texas

4/5  rDev +0.8%

03-15-2013 02:26:32 | More by SvenHayden

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

thanks dak!

pours a cloudy hazy golden yellow. loads of thick creamy fluffy head, tons of sticky lacing. great retention

fresh herb, spicy, funky, malty. a bit complex mix of flavors. sage and funk really shine.

very sage forward with a nice rounded sweetness. mixed in is a light spice and moderate funk. lots of herbal earthy flavors. again, very sage forward.

light and airy, moderate carbonation which adds to the feel.

pretty good, love the sweet herbal flavors. pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 01:05:36 | More by hooliganlife

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Release #4

A: Pours a clear medium to dark golden yellow in color with some light amounts of orange highlights and moderate amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a three finger tall dense foamy off-white head that slowly reduces to thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a big thick cap in the center and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Upfront there is a huge amount of sage with some more moderate notes of bready & biscuit malts. There are lighter amounts of lemon, citrus, and coriander with just a hint of tangerine.

T: There is a strong herbal component to the flavors of this beer with sage, coriander, white pepper, basil, and lemon zest. There is a light to moderate amount of biscuity/bready malt flavors along with moderate flavors of tangerine citrus. Just a touch of barnyard funk and hay. Light amounts of bitterness which fade fairly quickly.

M: Medium bodied with slightly more than moderate amounts of carbonation. Creamy with a light amount of acidity and just a hint of dryness in the finish.

O: This is quite an enjoyable beer but the flavors and aromas are quite intense, making it not the easiest beer that I have ever drank - a small serving is enough for me with this beer and it si definitely one to sip on.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 00:16:52 | More by dbrauneis

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.8%

02-10-2013 04:51:23 | More by thebouch01

dtx00

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

02-09-2013 01:28:19 | More by dtx00

FremontBar

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

02-01-2013 02:38:34 | More by FremontBar

tourdot

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

01-27-2013 20:52:15 | More by tourdot

Jmamay22

New York

4.29/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy straw yellow with a thick foamy white head that leaves gobs of lacing with each sip. The scent is very strongly influenced by the sage and I love it. I would like to see more use of various herbs in beer. It makes sense with this style too. In addition to the sage is a scent of pepper and a musty yeast influence.

The taste is similar to the scent with a strong sage influence. It then progresses briefly to a unique citrus yeast flavor and sharply finishes with cracked pepper dryness. Great progression of flavor that is refreshing and unique. The mouthfeel is very lively with a lighter body. As the first beer I have had from this brewery I was very impressed and enjoyed the herbal qualities.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 20:18:00 | More by Jmamay22

zonker17

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%

12-19-2012 01:59:25 | More by zonker17

MarkyMOD

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

11-28-2012 05:52:12 | More by MarkyMOD

JeffreyJDavis

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

11-23-2012 14:08:57 | More by JeffreyJDavis

boonejag75

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

11-04-2012 23:01:31 | More by boonejag75

srobertson59

Ohio

4/5  rDev +0.8%

11-01-2012 21:45:06 | More by srobertson59

CoryR

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

10-22-2012 04:00:39 | More by CoryR

jtd1969

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Lot's of carbonation, murky orange golden

S - Sage, hops

T - Sage then moves toward orange, with a earthy light hoppy finish. belgian yeast

M - Veyr clean, excellent carbonation. Medium bodied

O: A great saison. Epic really comes thru again. Simply an excellent beer for style. Lot's of Sage!!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 00:10:20 | More by jtd1969

Hanzo

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.8%

10-04-2012 23:52:25 | More by Hanzo

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Release #4

Pours a hazy, bright golden orange color with a frothy two finger white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Very good retention with streaks of soapy lacing left behind.

Very fragrant aroma that's bursting with fresh herbs. Lots of sage and basil character along with subtle earthy hops and farmhouse funk. It's hard to describe but they've managed to pack a ton of herbal character into the nose. It smells like something picked fresh out of an organic garden. Very inviting but the only problem is that it takes away from the other elements associated with the style. There are still hints of pice, funky yeast and light fruit but they ate overpowered by the prominent herbs.

Medium bodied with crisp carbonation and a nice balance of zesty spice, funky yeast, light fruit and fresh herbs. The herbal sage/basil character isn't as strong as the aroma suggests but it still the prominent flavor resulting in a slightly vegetal/garden salad feel. Although, it doesn't overpower like it does in the nose, it doesn't translate as well in the flavor. The sage does, however, add freshness and another level of complexity. Underneath, there's is some peppery spice and subtle farmhouse funk as well as hints of light fruit, bready yeast and alcohol. As my palate adjusts, the herbs begin to mesh with the other flavors creating a complex yet refreshing feel. Very odd but a unique experiment that works pretty well once you get used to the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 08:33:52 | More by corby112

fmccormi

New York

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Straight pour from 22oz pry-off bottle to a 25cl Duvel Single tulip; no clear bottling date here, but “RELEASE #5 7.5%ALC. /VOL” is printed in black ink on near the bottom-right corner of the label, parallel to the edge. According to the Epic website, this was brewed on July 20, 2012, and bottled on August 17, 2012 so this is about six and a half weeks old.

Appearance (5.0): The pour yields a solid 3-4 finger head that takes a very long time to die down, webs and spots of lace evenly-spaced all over the sides of the glass. The head is milk-white and cratery, and pretty much perfect. The body is a hazy yellow gold color. To be honest, I’m not sure the appearance can get much better, this is great.

Smell (4.0): Sage. Sage, sage, sage. Not surprising, quite frankly, and I do enjoy it. There’s some coriander underneath, along with a sweet, citrusy character like tangerine juice. There’s a nice, biscuity / bready malt character like fresh bread.

Taste (4.5): Like with the nose, the sage sticks out pretty clearly here, giving a light, earthy character along with a moderately bitter herbal flavor. The hops add a nice dimension here, with a moderate, pithy bitterness and moderate grapefruit note. The malt body fleshes it out, with more of that biscuity, fresh bread character. It finishes with a mild to moderate but long-lasting herbal bitterness; this is very nicely balanced, and just lovely.

Mouthfeel (3.5): A little subdued on the carbonation, tingling near the end but mostly just subtle for the duration. It’s just on the light side of medium and finishes slighty dry; no sign of any alcohol. Not a bad feel, but not as effervescent as it should be.

Overall (4.5): I love saisons, and I love sage. This does both very well, and the product is nicely balanced and drinks very well for a saison at 7.5% ABV. I’d love it if something like this was available in 12oz packages, this is too good to be a limited release in my opinion. The only thing I’d love to change with this is to bump up the citrusy hop flavor, especially considering this was hopped with Centennial, Citra, and Calypso, and dry-hopped with Citra. But this is great, and I enjoy it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 01:37:42 | More by fmccormi