Saison - Mystic Brewery

sommersb

Tennessee

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Tasted On: 04-30-2013
Freshness: Batch 008
Packaging: 750ml brown bottle, corked and caged with gold foil
Glassware: Tulip
Purchased: Received in a trade

Pours with a huge white head on a beer that is clear, bright and golden in color. The last pour from the bottle shows some cloudy yeast sediment from the bottle conditioning. Head retention is very good but there seems to be no Belgian lace as I'd expect.

The smells are fruity at first, with grape notes. I then get aromas of Belgian yeast spiciness, with some mustiness. Finally there is also the aroma of grassy hops.

The taste is especially dry with some amount of tartness, as well as spicy with a hint of white pepper. I'm not a wine guy, but this tastes a lot like I'd describe as a dry, white wine flavor.

The mouthfeel has a very high carbonation level on a medium body. The finish is much like the taste, with spiciness and a little sourness, wrapped up in a very dry package.

Overall a pretty good saison, although I think it lacked flavor complexity and seemed too dry for my liking.

Thanks to DrewShal9 for this one!

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 03:17:59 | More by sommersb

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

batch 005 picked up from julios last summer

the beer rockets the cork into the ceiling as soon as the cage comes off and pours a slightly hazy golden with a huge white head. the nose is very pungent, reminiscent of pear, lemon, and yeast. there is an adequate amount of sweetness in the taste, but it still finishes relatively dry. the mouthfeel is medium, effervescent, and aromatic. I enjoy the beer and would like to try the wine barreled versions in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 02:12:32 | More by ThePorterSorter

u2carew

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle.
A) Pours with a big frothy head that sticks around. Golden orange in color. Some chill haze. Sticky lacing on the drink down.
S) Earthy. Musky. Yeasty.
T) Pleasant malty sweetness. Subtle spiciness. A well balanced flavor profile - not pungent or astringent.
M) Crisp. Medium light body. Dry.
O) A great saison. I'd definitely have another.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 01:18:56 | More by u2carew

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml was poured into a large Duvel snifter.

Appearance: The beer poured a huge two finger puffy white head that has reduced to a puffy layer and left some clumpy lacing on the glass. It is a pale orage yellow color with some haziness and vision of bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: vanilla, spiciness, bready and sweet malts, apples, pears, golden raisins, some booze on the nose, and yeasty esters. Smells more like a tripel than a saison. Very strange.

Taste: everything mentioned above with some strange tartness to the beer. Almost makes me pucker up. Sour apples and spiciness are the most noticeable.

Mouthfeel: medium to high carbonation, tingly feeling in the mouth, a bit dry, still tingling, and medium bodied.

Overall: A mediocre saison at best. Being there first batch, there is still room to move up. I will revisit these guys again and again because of there upcoming styles and barrel usage.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 03:47:30 | More by Flounder57

oline73

Maryland

3.1/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Batch 001, poured from the bottle into a Chimay goblet.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber with a golden tint. There is a super thick off white two finger head that leaves a nice layer on top of the pour.

Smell: Just a bit sweet. It is reminding me of champagne. I'm getting some mild herbs and a fruity characteristic.

Taste: Light and slightly herbal, but less so than I would expect from the style. There is a noticeable alcohol presence and some fruity notes. Those facts combine to make me think of champagne here as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with way too much carbonation. The finish is quite dry.

Overall: Not my favorite saison. Too much alcohol and not delicate enough if you ask me. I think I would pass in the future.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 00:31:43 | More by oline73

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on tap at the Driftwood Tavern Plymouth, MA

Appearance: one inch head, gold in color, clear, moderate carbonation

Smell: wheat and light flower

Taste: wheat, hay, light flower, slight lemon

Mouthfeel: high carbonation, light bodied, slightly bitter

Overall: An ok, slightly above average saison. Not a bad beer, but it really did not stick out too much in a style I really like. I would get this again if offered to me, but would not go out of my way for it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2012 12:58:15 | More by tigg924

chugalug06

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Massive five-finger foamy white head. Brew is clouded yellow with some nice orange tint. Head lingers awhile and leave nice lacing.

Peach, lemon, and spice stand out in the scent. The white barrels are also quite prevalent.

Very light, but kinda spicy kick. Very nice without having over done sauvignon barrel. Nice oakyness. Dry, crisp, refreshing and heavy carbonation.

Very solid Saison! Thanks Andy for sharing this one, awesome extra! Highly recommended as an easy hot summer day drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 04:56:12 | More by chugalug06

jmerloni

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Golden amber with a hazy tornado spinning through the center vertical. Solid white head with good retention and decent lacing.

S - Aroma is sour and tart smelling. Pear, green apple, cranberry, pomegranate, citrus. I pick up no malt here, though.

T - Green apple, pear, citrus, hops. Malt is absent. Entirely. I can only taste it faintly after swallowing a sip and it's on the very cliffedge of my tastebuds. Also, an unappealing vinegar taste. Ehh.

M - I don't know whether this was old on the shelf or what but this mouthfeel isn't very appealing. Each sip totally comes apart and there is almost no carbonation.

D - A poor showing. Not impressed by any means. The aromas and tastes are sour and anti-fulfilling. For this brewery (and this is the first beer I've tried from them) to call this a saison is just sacrilege to the style. For them to call this a saison is nonsense. There is no saison here. Nothing even approaching it. They could change five things about this beer in an effort to make it a saison and it still wouldn't trigger. This is, frankly, a beer gone wrong.

This is the first beer I've had from Mystic and, though Im disappointed by their first offering, I'll try two more to be faithful to a democratic spirit. I have a couple friends who have attested to Mystic's talent (and they're people whose taste I have faith in) and I'll be indulging them again soon.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 02:08:53 | More by jmerloni

pisano

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

poured cold out of a 750 ml bottle into a pint glass

a: pours a hazy deep copper color with a massive four finger creamy head that slowly dissipates down to about half finger

s: malt sweetness, light citrus notes, belgian yeast, slight oxidation

t: sweet up front with strong hop bitterness and spice notes, banana, belgian yeast, a hint of alcohol, strong lingering bitterness; also getting some slight oxidation

m: medium body, lots of carbonation that gives a nice tingling sensation, no alcohol burn, refreshing

o: overall it's OK but i found it to be a bit too sweet and it had a strange aftertaste

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 21:36:30 | More by pisano

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle bought somewhere localish. Corked and caged, Batch 004.

Poured into a CCB pub glass, formed a 1 3/4" off-white head over the slightly cloudy golden copper brew. Meringuey head sno-cones above the rim, then collapses oh-so slowly, with sporadic chunky lacing. Aroma is sweet, effervescent, and lightly tart.

Taste starts with spicy sweetness, citrus tart in the middle, light prickly hops through the close, with pronounced lemon. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is nice. This one comes together great.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 19:00:05 | More by ppoitras

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very cloudy yellow pour with a giant bubbly off-white head. Fermented citrus, lemongrass, bananas, clove spice with hints of hay bales and earthy hops on the aroma; very hefeweizen-like. Heavily carbonated hit of sour fermented citrus fruits, bananas and white bread on the first sip. Thick yeast and bready malts compose most of the overall body with fermented citrus that lingers across the palate, into a sour, dry finish. Light to medium bodied with heavy carbonation. Not dramatically impressive, just about average in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 23:54:29 | More by YouSkeete

drabmuh

Maryland

2.3/5  rDev -39.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Thanks Thorpe, bottle served in a snifter.

Beer is brownish and hazy with a nice white head of small and medium bubbles, some lacing, moderate retention, some carbonation.

Aroma is odd, fusel, sweet, odd.

Beer is close to non-drinkable. I've heard a lot about our bottle of this, mislabeled, wrong batch, whatever the problem is this beer is not good, it is oddly bitter, has other alcohols not ethanol in it, lots of esters and aldehydes carrying through, phenolic and medicinal. Not a repeat. Fortunately the BA versions were vastly superior.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 18:51:05 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.1/5  rDev -44.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottle courtesy of Reagan1984. Served in a Mystic saison glass.

Pours a clear medium golden color with a nice white head and a good bit of lacing on the way down. Nice retention.

The nose carries some grainy pilsner malt plus a bit of oxidized malt. Light cardboard character and some fairly-heavy phenols. The flavor carries along the same lines and was a bit too much to handle. Harsh character with a bit of solvent. Hard to get through.

I hope this was a bad batch, as I really enjoyed the Sauv Blanc version of this, and the Cabernet version we had alongside this bottle was much better.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 12:49:52 | More by Thorpe429

yourefragile

District of Columbia

2.68/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750 mL bottle shared by Thorpe.

Pours a clear light copper with a quickly fading fizzy white head with dots of lace. Head quickly fades to a thin collar. Grainy aroma, with some yeast and a nasty rubbing alcohol finish. Semi sweet, fruity body with an unbalanced grain finish. Slightly syrupy, low carbonation body with strong alcohol presence again. Not sure I would have blindly guessed this was a saison.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 21:30:29 | More by yourefragile

afrokaze

California

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to mt4080 for this one!

Pours a hazy amber orange with a huge 3 finger head that sticks around and strong lacing.

Smell is bready yeast and banana & clove phenols, apple and pear, some light hay-like funk, honey, with some herbal and earthy hops.

Light citrus from pear & green apple gives way to bready yeast mixed with malt sweetness, although it lingers a bit too long. Clove and banana, spicy peppery notes, earthy/spicy hops are very nice and impart a bit of woodiness with some hay and funk/tart in the finish.

Thin-medium body with prickly carbonation, semi-dry long finish with a bit of tannins. Alcohol is almost nonexistant until the end of the glass but never intrudes.

A good saison but it feels like it's caught between classic balance or bigger standout characteristic. There are definitely more hops as typical of US styles, but they come across a bit too herbal for my taste when mixed with the strong yeast character. The ABV could stand up to more citrus-forward hops to give it a more distinctive flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 05:43:05 | More by afrokaze

mdaschaf

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes. Thanks to johnnnniee for this one!

A: Pours a hazy golden color with a massive, fluffy head with very long retention and sticky lacing left behind.

S: Very fruity, plenty of apple and pear with some pepper and clove spice mixed in.

T: More apple along with some orange and apricot, nice level of spice with pepper and cloves. Some bread/bicsuit malt on the back end.

M: Medium bodied with high carbonation, slight alcohol presence.

O: A solid saison. The carbonation was a bit high, but not more so than other saisons I have had from corked bottles.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 02:45:49 | More by mdaschaf

DanK4

Maine

3.03/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked this up at Bauer W&S in Boston, the clerk was promoting this brewery pretty hard so I figured I'd pick one up.

A: Into a flute- huge carbonation streaming from the bottom, big 4 finger head that diminished slow leaving nice lacing and a golden-orange color.

S: Its got some funk, but it almost reminds me of champagne. Nothing crazy awesome about the smell but it was pleasant. Had a nice funk to it, subtle though.

T: The sauvignon blanc notes stand out here big time, along with a decent farmhouse funk to it. The carbonation is kind of overkill causing a lot of the flavors to be masked. Not fantastic, but not terrible.

M: A lighter-medium bodied beer that has fantastic potential. A good drink, but I would love to see more taste from this beer and maybe a little less carb. Semi-dry finish, nice easy drink that leaves a nice white aftertaste.

O: A decent find, nothing remarkable by any means but I enjoyed it. Could be better but none the less its a nice one-time beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 15:56:38 | More by DanK4

Khazadum

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- Way over carbonated. This 2011 bottle is nearly impossible to pour, and presents a aquarium like appearance visible through the golden honey body.

S- Smells really nice though. Peppery opening with a sharp clove middle. I'm talking super pepper like I sprinkled it all over the head. Beyond that a bit of fruity esters but they are really really hard to get beyond the pepper and banana nature.

T- Lots of fruity esters assault my taste buds. What presents through the intensely bright carbonation is bubble gum with banana flavor. Lots of bubble gum actually with fruit esters. Some tartness of citrus and a phenolic finish. Bit of leather or band-aid character with sprinkled pepper. Its complex but too jumbled and sweet. Juicy even.

M- Bright carbonation but not dry enough. Very sweet, malty even. Full bodied, the carbonation gives it a thick flavor. Lingering flavors of pepper and lemon grass on the back end help bring up the score a bit.

Its nice.. just not what I want at all in a saison. In fact, I'm not even sure I could call this a saison.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 20:30:23 | More by Khazadum

jneiswender

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a mug.

Thick fluffy white head and a somewhat cloudy red/yellow body. Smells grassy up front. Some lemon and pepper. Some anise flavor. Lemon. Sugar. Herbs. Faint bubblegum. Complex but in a good way. Well carbonated. Dry.

I had this beer as an earlier batch and was not feeling it. Upon trying it a second time around I noticed how pleasant it is. Not the yeast bomb or carbonation nightmare as compared to the first time I tried it.

Try this beer with food, you will appreciate it more. Might save some of these for turkey day.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 23:32:16 | More by jneiswender

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared with BeerLady2. Served in a standard pint glass.
Pours a hazy yellow gold with a HUGE frothy/foamy head and a substantial amount of lacing.
The aromas are mix of horse stable, dried malt, meadow flowers, cut word, orange peel, limes and a faint whiff of gin.
The flavors are fairly complex and changing as it goes down. Caramel malt, floral and resinous hops, citrus peel, spices, herbs and gin.
This is an edgy Saison with competing smells and flavors. A slight sweetness checks in and mellows things out late in the glass.
Fine brew with a hearty stew or sharp cheeses and salamis.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 00:11:06 | More by BeerResearcher

Pahn

New York

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into Duvel tulip. Batch 1, bottled 8/13/11.

Appearance: Very careful pour (of a cold bottle) yields a glass of foam. Dissipates slowly, leaving thick walls of lacing. Head is nice, but this is a bit of a pain in the ass.

Pours a slightly hazy gold, once the foam turns into beer.

Smell: Fruity and yeasty, with a little pepper. Faint mineral and lemon. Effervescent. Not much spice besides pepper. Gives an impression of a few different fruits, but kind of a not-fleshed-out suggestion. Smells bright and refreshing, but ultimately a little dull.

Taste: I sometimes pan should-be-complex beers for tasting the same every sip... no worry of that with this beer.

The first sip has lots of yeasty flavor, with interesting savory undertones that appear well into the sip. Dry finish devoid of aftertaste. Subsequent sips tone down considerably with the yeast flavor, but reveal some undercooked bread and lemon rind. No clove or harsh phenols, just slightly fruity, subtle Belgian yeast flavor, almost-solvent-like-alcohol, and a little pear on the back end.

After I pour the next glass (not even halfway through the bottle; this thing seems to fill my Duvel tulip with foam for every 6th of the bottle I pour), the flavor gets notably more powerful. It's suddenly sweet and fruity, with a prominent mineraly note. Less watery, more creamy.

All told, most sips don't really rise above 3 to 3.5 territory for taste... they never have off notes, but they're not overwhelmingly interesting on their own, nor more palatable than the average saison. I'm bumping the score to a 4.0 because there's a lot going on without clashing, and the only consistent aspect of the flavor is its softness.

Hard to explain "softness", but everything that happens (mild funk, fruity or herbal hops, fruity esters, yeasty flavors) is subdued without being bland. Given the good mouthfeel, it makes for a refreshing beer, and experiencing all these different flavors is ultimately quite enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Light side of medium bodied, high side of moderately carbonated (despite the pouring difficulties). Dry finish. No alcohol heat.

Overall: Tasty, and a strong start for this new brewery, but not in the same league as Captain Lawrence Saison, or Fantome, or Saison Dupont, or other readily available beers from across the stylistic spectrum called 'saison'. I enjoyed it, but too often I found myself taking a sip and being left wanting more from the beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 02:58:50 | More by Pahn

aorloski

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a corked and caged bottle. Batch 002

Appearance: A beautiful golden, hazy slightly orange beer. I am kind of upset at how carbonated this one is. Poured slowly into a glass yielded me a good 4 fingers head of really tight white bubbles. Why do i have to wait 5 minutes to drink this?

Smell - Quintessential, lemon zest, barnyard, funky yeast and breads with a light light hop character. Dont forget the oak, its there! Smells good.

Taste - Despite the carbonation level of this beer this thing tastes incredibly good. Honestly one of the better saisons I've ever drank. Lemon zest, funky yeast, grass all up front and ending on a faint hop note, tastes really good. Awesome oak character in this one.

mouthfeel - i can't believe how this feels in the mouth based on the pour. I thought it would be much more carved but it is nice and smooth actually. You just have to wait for the bubbles to die down.

Overall - Despite the carb levels this beer is awesome. I am not a fan of waiting a long time to pour/wait for the brew to calm down based on these types of problems but once it calms down this is a top notch beer!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 04:07:39 | More by aorloski

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Huge, frothy white head. It recedes in a rocky fashion. Quite cloudy as expected. Yellow-gold color.

Lots of sour aroma featuring lemon. Mild yeast nose. Some pepper.

The flavor is more pronounced than the smell and very traditional (predictable). Starts with a fluffy, pale malt flavor which gradually turns sour. The swallow has some pepper but it doesn't last in the aftertaste. Good body and carbonation for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 00:38:19 | More by smcolw

elNopalero

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on my birthday while visiting Boston. Wish I had another one!

This was from Batch 002.

This has a nice golden hue with a good head retention as its poured. A funky, floral aroma comes through. Delicately flavored with a dry finish and some lingering funk. Very effervescent, light and flavorful. Glad I was able to share this one with someone special.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 21:23:18 | More by elNopalero

Jason

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml brown corked and caged bottle.

LOOK: Clear brassy hue, chunky semi-dense off-white head sticks well to the glass.

SMELL: Peppercorn, chalky yeast, ripe persimmons, faint pineapple, slightly medicinal, dusty cellar, biscuit dough, crackers.

TASTE: Smooth, moderate body, bitty snap, golden raisins, ripe pears, faint honey, floury grain, subtle hop flavor, peppery, papaya, yeast, faint broth, bitter herbs, alcohol, dry yeasty finish.

Very interesting, perhaps that is a loaded way to start my notes and yes it is an interesting beer. The yeast forward aspect drags this beer down a bit for me, not to the point of being undrinkable but it clearly leaves a note that my palate can't shake. Love the dryness and use of hop but I expected a bit more malt character to back all of this up. Glad I tried this again, batch #1 that I shared at Bukowski's seemed like a yeast bomb. Looking forward to trying future batches if there are variances.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 02:27:19 | More by Jason