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Saison Extra
Brouwerij West
- From:
- Brouwerij West
- California, United States
- Style:
- Saison
Ranked #654 - ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 82
Ranked #24,679 - Avg:
- 3.61 | pDev: 10.25%
- Reviews:
- 32
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 29, 2024
- Added:
- Jun 02, 2012
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 10
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by colforbin73:
Reviewed by colforbin73 from California
3.3/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.3/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
never heard of this brewery before... the label is cool and it is a saison from northern california.... so i had to try it.
the pour is a hazy yellow with a little foam. it retains a little and you get some nice sticky bubbles on the side of the glass as you drink.
i am getting very little aroma here, though i don't expect a lot from a saison... mild grassy malt smell, pleasant but that is all.
the taste is very dry, almost a little burnt.... and i get a pilsner taste, maybe there is some pilsner malt mixed in....? no real live yeast sensation which i associate with a good european saison. the finish is clean and dry which is positive. zero hop presence... again... i get pilsner type hops, saaz or other typical varieties.
this is a quality beer, but nothing really exciting -- i get no floral or citrus/fuity quality. i would cite a hint of banana if anything.
all things being said, this beer is brewed to style, and for that i applaud. it tastes like a saison should taste.... with a few tweeks this could turn into a CONTENDA!
Dec 30, 2012the pour is a hazy yellow with a little foam. it retains a little and you get some nice sticky bubbles on the side of the glass as you drink.
i am getting very little aroma here, though i don't expect a lot from a saison... mild grassy malt smell, pleasant but that is all.
the taste is very dry, almost a little burnt.... and i get a pilsner taste, maybe there is some pilsner malt mixed in....? no real live yeast sensation which i associate with a good european saison. the finish is clean and dry which is positive. zero hop presence... again... i get pilsner type hops, saaz or other typical varieties.
this is a quality beer, but nothing really exciting -- i get no floral or citrus/fuity quality. i would cite a hint of banana if anything.
all things being said, this beer is brewed to style, and for that i applaud. it tastes like a saison should taste.... with a few tweeks this could turn into a CONTENDA!
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts
3.84/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.84/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a can dated 228 2019 into the test glass .
A - Golden straw color aggressive carbonation huge white rocky head. Aggressive carbonation feeds the surface through the entire experience .
S - White pepper East some nice grain quality, earthy hops
T - follows the nose quite well add a touch of spice maybe from the yeast.
M - Well carbonated, prickly, adds a nice touch, semi sweet, with a dry finish
O - A nice offering , leans more toward Pale Ale with Belgian yeast. That said a nice beer
Aug 25, 2019A - Golden straw color aggressive carbonation huge white rocky head. Aggressive carbonation feeds the surface through the entire experience .
S - White pepper East some nice grain quality, earthy hops
T - follows the nose quite well add a touch of spice maybe from the yeast.
M - Well carbonated, prickly, adds a nice touch, semi sweet, with a dry finish
O - A nice offering , leans more toward Pale Ale with Belgian yeast. That said a nice beer
Reviewed by malrubius from Vermont
3.77/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Can. Golden and mostly clear. When it warms up it has a nice sweet aroma of apricot and grass. Medium-heavy sweat but in a nice lively light body. Very peppery finish. Light and lively. More of a golden ale (Duvel Single) than a farmhouse ale. Nevertheless. Excellent.
Mar 10, 2019Reviewed by fmccormi from California
3.97/5 rDev +10%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.97/5 rDev +10%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Straight pour from a 16oz can to a flared pilsner glass—AZ Wilderness’ Wilderpils glass. This has no canning date from what I can tell, but it was purchased from the cooler at the brewery about two and a half weeks ago. It’s reasonably fresh.
Appearance (3.75): This pours three rather eager fingers of fine-grained, fizzly foam capping a nearly clear, light golden-colored body. It’s beautiful, and looks as a saison should. The head dies down at a suitably crackling pace, leaving a thin film and a few, low, scattered arcs of chunky foam lacing here and there around the edge of the glass.
Smell (4.25): In the nose, the beer expresses dried hay, a dusty grain bin, pear tarts, grains of paradise, just a shadow of clove (and a darker shadow of white pepper), a hint of toffee, multigrain country bread, a bit of fresh grass, and green herbs. It sure as hell smells like a saison, of the “clean” variety. It leans mostly into dusty hay and light orchard fruit aromas.
Taste (3.75): On the palate, it displays brighter spice notes, generally in the same vein as what was observed in the nose: grains of paradise, pepper, clove, y’know. But it also comes forward with a surprisingly full, fruity toffee-like sweetness at the same time, while remaining deceptively dry. The fruit on the palate shows baked pears, a light orange sweetness, and an unexpected vanilla cream note. It’s … weirdly smooth and malty—but again, still quite dry. The citrus note pops up a bit more on the back end, offering a gentle navel orange flesh and pith kind of flavor. The overall effect is like a light, drinkable fruitcake with grassy, dusty, typical farmhouse flavors and aromas It’s surprisingly lovely as such. No sign of booze, no sign of phenols, just a nice array of esters, malt, and gentle hops.
Mouthfeel (4.25): Somewhat full-feeling but medium-weight, the body is smooth and creamy without being heavy. The carbonation rolls in with a healthy, fizzly layer of carbonation that tingles thoroughly before washing out with a very nice, fluffy flourish. It remains dry nearly the whole time, though, and finishes off-dry, but clean and crisp. Eminently drinkable.
Overall (4.0): I previously had a can of this a week or so ago, and that experience was somewhat divergent from tonight. If you’re dissecting this beer, it drinks as smooth and malty; if you’re just tossing it back like it's best enjoyed, it feels crisper, brighter, and more quaffable. This isn’t funky, or bone-dry, or testing your phenolic threshold like a lot of saisons, but rather it’s drinkable and creamy in a way that would complement but also stand up to a lot of food pairings. It’s not my favorite “clean” saison, but it’s very solid, and it’s clear that Brouwerij West knows their fundamentals. Recommended if you’re into that type of clean, fruity saison—especially one that doesn’t display too many phenols.
Oct 26, 2018Appearance (3.75): This pours three rather eager fingers of fine-grained, fizzly foam capping a nearly clear, light golden-colored body. It’s beautiful, and looks as a saison should. The head dies down at a suitably crackling pace, leaving a thin film and a few, low, scattered arcs of chunky foam lacing here and there around the edge of the glass.
Smell (4.25): In the nose, the beer expresses dried hay, a dusty grain bin, pear tarts, grains of paradise, just a shadow of clove (and a darker shadow of white pepper), a hint of toffee, multigrain country bread, a bit of fresh grass, and green herbs. It sure as hell smells like a saison, of the “clean” variety. It leans mostly into dusty hay and light orchard fruit aromas.
Taste (3.75): On the palate, it displays brighter spice notes, generally in the same vein as what was observed in the nose: grains of paradise, pepper, clove, y’know. But it also comes forward with a surprisingly full, fruity toffee-like sweetness at the same time, while remaining deceptively dry. The fruit on the palate shows baked pears, a light orange sweetness, and an unexpected vanilla cream note. It’s … weirdly smooth and malty—but again, still quite dry. The citrus note pops up a bit more on the back end, offering a gentle navel orange flesh and pith kind of flavor. The overall effect is like a light, drinkable fruitcake with grassy, dusty, typical farmhouse flavors and aromas It’s surprisingly lovely as such. No sign of booze, no sign of phenols, just a nice array of esters, malt, and gentle hops.
Mouthfeel (4.25): Somewhat full-feeling but medium-weight, the body is smooth and creamy without being heavy. The carbonation rolls in with a healthy, fizzly layer of carbonation that tingles thoroughly before washing out with a very nice, fluffy flourish. It remains dry nearly the whole time, though, and finishes off-dry, but clean and crisp. Eminently drinkable.
Overall (4.0): I previously had a can of this a week or so ago, and that experience was somewhat divergent from tonight. If you’re dissecting this beer, it drinks as smooth and malty; if you’re just tossing it back like it's best enjoyed, it feels crisper, brighter, and more quaffable. This isn’t funky, or bone-dry, or testing your phenolic threshold like a lot of saisons, but rather it’s drinkable and creamy in a way that would complement but also stand up to a lot of food pairings. It’s not my favorite “clean” saison, but it’s very solid, and it’s clear that Brouwerij West knows their fundamentals. Recommended if you’re into that type of clean, fruity saison—especially one that doesn’t display too many phenols.
Rated by TinFang from California
4.1/5 rDev +13.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.1/5 rDev +13.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Lightly sour funk but clearly a saison. Pallid straw color, frothy head dissipates quickly. Drinkable but not compelling
Jun 17, 2018Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
3.78/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
this almost seems like a hybrid between a saison and a belgian pale, classic in some ways, new school in others, but a well made and highly drinkable beer here. its yeast driven sure, cleaner than a lot of the rustic type saisons out there, very little funk or anything to it, yet also not overly belgian estery, no bubblegum or taffy or green apple, its kind of an understated yeast strain, or at least in this context, and i did that, it sets up a very flavorful beer in a particularly subtle way, which is cool. there is some earthy spice to it which stands out over the very simple and dry grain base, which is as basic as it gets to my palate, its neat because the subtle yeast still comes through it really brightly. this is also uniquely hoppy for a saison, tastes like old world varietals, grassy with a little lime zest and green tea notes, bitter in the finish but still rather delicate. excellent carbonation and an absurd dryness, really refreshing and drinkable. it hits the right part of both the saison and the belgian pale styles for me, and despite its relatively simple make up, i think its a great beer. i wish these guys were still sending beer to colorado!
Nov 07, 2017Reviewed by cbutova from Massachusetts
3.13/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
3.13/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
No date on the bottle. Purchased a few months ago and kept in the fridge ever since. Full notes taken to phone; reviewed May 22nd.
A- Golden, clear pour from the 500ml into two tulips. Whispy foam rises at the sides of the glass without a real head. Lacing is rare.
S- Pale fruits and a sweet caramel note that seems rather out of place in this style. Apple, pear, pepper, lemon peel and general herbal spiciness.
T- Again, sweeter than any Saison I can think of off the top of my head and the obvious caramelized sugar flavors is out of place. Apple, white grape, lemon zest, peppercorn, cooking herbs, bread and wheat notes.
MF- Silky and somewhat slick medium bodied for a Saison. Carbonation at a medium level with a light herbal bitter finish.
Could be an older bottle but I have no way to know and other tasting notes are similar. Pleasant drinker but for a Saison it leaves a lot to be desired.
May 26, 2015A- Golden, clear pour from the 500ml into two tulips. Whispy foam rises at the sides of the glass without a real head. Lacing is rare.
S- Pale fruits and a sweet caramel note that seems rather out of place in this style. Apple, pear, pepper, lemon peel and general herbal spiciness.
T- Again, sweeter than any Saison I can think of off the top of my head and the obvious caramelized sugar flavors is out of place. Apple, white grape, lemon zest, peppercorn, cooking herbs, bread and wheat notes.
MF- Silky and somewhat slick medium bodied for a Saison. Carbonation at a medium level with a light herbal bitter finish.
Could be an older bottle but I have no way to know and other tasting notes are similar. Pleasant drinker but for a Saison it leaves a lot to be desired.
Saison Extra from Brouwerij West
Beer rating:
82 out of
100 with
94 ratings
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