Saison Renaud - Mystic Brewery

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle.

Pours sparkling clear gold with an inch-plus of crackling, porous white head. The spongy foam quickly falls to reveal a placid surface and a few errant dots of lacing.

Aromatics lead off with spicy, grassy, honey-drizzeled malt, and fresh biscuits. Peppery hops and flower petals follow through.

Light bodied with a crisp mouthfeel.

Honey-drizzeled biscuits with wet straw and peppery spice lead off the palate. Honey overtones with sweet malt and a drying bitterness follow through.

Finishes with spicy, floral hops, grassy yeast, and honey-drizzeled biscuits.

Nice beer, but please ramp up the funk. A bit refined for my taste in Saisons.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 01:01:34 | More by brewandbbq

Maxwell

Massachusetts

4.31/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The beer pours a pale yellow with a cloudy body full of floating chunks. The beer pours with a mammoth head of tiny egg-shell white bubbles that stay there and do not leave, creating a bump out of my glass. They are still there and it has been ten minutes… There is also a maelstrom of bubbles pumping up to the head like a swarm of bees to honey. On the nose, the beer smells lightly of sweet funk with big grassy and spicy hop notes. The sweet fruit esters in the nose move from light citric orange into more pineapple-like notes. Very light bread funk sits below the other smells and gives the beer a faint lemon-butter touch. Though this may be because I just had mimosas this morning, my initial whiff of the beer keeps reminding me of the orange citrus and yeast funk of a mimosa, from that initial sniff this beer then blossoms into awesome complexity. On the tongue, the beer tastes nicely balanced with a light sweet funk that quickly dries into grassy bitters and a light citric and funky acidity. In flavor the beer begins as crisp light bread malt but then blossoms with grassy bitters and funky saison touches of lemon bread, hay, and even a touch of pineapple and orange juice. The finish is lemon-buttered bread with a touch of hay, and the aftertaste is soft with lovely bitter hay and light bread notes. On the mouth, the beer feels on the light side of medium with an effervescent carbonation that keeps the beer in check, and a lovely creaminess is also felt in the carbonation. The mouth is left slightly tingly from the carbonation, with a nice dryness. Overall, this is a great saison, and a terrific example of what a yeast can do to a beer. I love the complexity of the esters and the lovely drinkability of this beer. This is a great summer beer. It’s a little too heavy to knock back, but that is fine by me. This beer is fantastic and you should try it. Another success by Mystic, the Wizards of Yeast!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 17:14:43 | More by Maxwell

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle served in a snifter.

L - clear (I kept the sediment in the bottle) bright yellow with a white head that was fueled by a constant rise of tiny bubbles that left a few trails of lacing.

S - earthy, white wine aroma.

T - light and fuity with tart lemon zest finishing things off.

F - lighter bodied with good carbonation.

O - a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 20:17:22 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

meghmmm

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-11-2013 19:42:44 | More by meghmmm

dunix

Vermont

4/5  rDev +1%

05-07-2013 14:15:37 | More by dunix

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.76/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance: 1/2 inch head, cloudy, bright yellow in color, high carbonation

Smell: lemon, funk, and hay

Taste: follows the nose with light Belgian spices, lemon, funk, and hay

Mouthfeel: sweet and funky, light bodied with high carbonation

Overall: A solid easy drinking saison that for me just misses the good mark. Accurate according to style and clean but just no wow factor. That said, I would certainly not pass this up if offered to me.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 14:11:05 | More by tigg924

TripelMark

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-02-2013 19:49:49 | More by TripelMark

fmccormi

New York

4.24/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Straight pour from a 375ml/12.68oz cork-and-cage bottle to my nice Tired Hands stempiece; no freshness or other dating information that I can see, except for “BATCH# 005” printed on the label (with 005 hand-written).

Appearance (4.25): This pours with an active, fluffy, three-finger head that’s bone white and fluffy like a damn down pillow. The head recedes slowly, leaving an uneven, slightly cratered surface. The body is a gorgeous, very very hazy orange-amber. Glowing. Gorgeous, all around. The head shows good retention, taking its sweet time to die down, and leaves surprising lacing—a few spots and suds on the near and far sides, but to the right and left it leaves wide, fat, splotchy arches and sheets.

Smell (4.5): Lovely juicy and musty fruit tones in the nose, little bursts of peach and pear with a slightly vinous character mixing very evenly with a musty, dank, wet hay kind of earthiness. Besides that, there are some nice coriander- and white pepper-like spicy phenolic notes, but very balanced. And, lots of floral and spicy hop character—the Saaz is very evident. Damn good nose. It’s generally very subtle, but very well put-together.

Taste (4.0): Very interesting mix of bright, light fruit tones like apple juice with lemon accents, some slightly phenolic, chalky spice / medicinal backdrop, and some very floral notes. Delicious, and unexpectedly much less spicy than in the nose. The malt body is plain, crisp, lightly sweet, bready, blonde, oatmeal-y, crackery, and a perfect complement to everything else going on. But it releases more musty, vinous character as it warms: subtly tart white grapes, a bit of lemon juice acidity, a flourish of coriander, and all of it slightly damp and musty. For how evident the hops were in the nose, they’re subtle here: a floral character more than anything. The beer develops a very strong, bitter / tart grapefruit character towards the end, as it warms.

Mouthfeel (4.75): Excellent—very light, active carbonation that’s just so smooth and fluffy—bottle conditioning at its finest. The body is a full medium-weight, creamy and smooth. The carbonation foams easily and fully, and tingles very lightly afterwards but never prickles. And the head lasts long enough to tangibly pass by your lips. Really, really great feel. A dry finish, slightly chalky.

Overall (4.25): This is definitely an above-average saison, no question there. It’s very subtle at many turns, but still full in character—which is especially evident in the nose and feel. It’s maybe most subtle, in a lot of ways, on the palate. Not for lack of flavor or character, but in the very understated interplay of its different elements. Overall, very well done.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 03:01:08 | More by fmccormi

JordanPhraczek

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Served in a 22 oz sniffer glass out of a Mystic 25.4 oz bottle at 40 degrees.

A - Light tangerine orange hue with a foamy white head with light retention, pale unfiltered body with sediment suspended in the drink rather than sinking to the bottom.

S - Smells delicious with an immediate hit of fruity yeast followed by a strong scent of chardonnay. Follows up with a flowery saison and pilsner malt smell.

T - Strong pilsner taste up front that changes into a plum-filled belgian farmhouse saison before you even take your lips off the glass. The bubbles in this one guide the smells and transform them into flavors like ginger and plum. Easy drinker, you could imagine it would be less than it's 6.5% alcohol. Exhaling the beer you get a strong hop taste in the back of your mouth with pleasant light bitterness.

M - Renaud is refermented in the bottle so it is very bubbly, and the bubbles make this beer swish around your mouth without effort. It is a bit light, but because of the bubbles and non-filtration it doesn't come across as watery.

O - This is an easy drinking, bubbly saison that works for any time of day. It is a farmhouse beer but the yeast is mild and fruity and doesn't care a harsh Belgian taste/odor.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 19:14:43 | More by JordanPhraczek

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours medium gold with a fizzy white head that never dissipates. Some splashy lace.

Popped the cork and I got a nice floral perfume. Nose in the glass reveals herbal notes, some yeast and peppery woody malt.

Dry bitter malt up front. Strong bitterness with malty funk and some yeast. Dry and bitter brew. Bitter grass, some straw-like notes. Yeast cake, grain.

Astringent. Drying pucker to the beer.

Solid brew, aggressively bitter and a little coarse. As it warms it mellows a bit, but this one is a sipper. Raw bitterness makes this one good for 12 oz, but the big bottle might be too much.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 03:27:38 | More by OtherShoe2

concealed

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1%

04-12-2013 01:53:03 | More by concealed

e30todamax

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-05-2013 07:15:00 | More by e30todamax

DelicateDelirium

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

03-31-2013 23:25:06 | More by DelicateDelirium

aorloski

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-31-2013 13:44:54 | More by aorloski

jkermitj

Mississippi

4/5  rDev +1%

03-25-2013 23:37:11 | More by jkermitj

ScottP

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +1%

03-23-2013 23:02:27 | More by ScottP

DrLaFollette

Kansas

4/5  rDev +1%

03-23-2013 13:37:34 | More by DrLaFollette

BBQSteve

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip glass. Big fluffy head.

Great aromas...lime and lemon citrus and florals stand out.

Cloudy appearance...small suspended matter.

Pine taste and slightly sour. Crisp and refreshing.

Light mouthfeel and quick on the palate.

A well put together brew by a brewmaster seeking perfection.

Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 01:11:57 | More by BBQSteve

b2hogan

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1%

03-04-2013 15:19:30 | More by b2hogan

Dburke

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-02-2013 00:07:58 | More by Dburke

Janeinma

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

02-16-2013 22:02:39 | More by Janeinma

Thomas_Picton

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

02-14-2013 03:05:42 | More by Thomas_Picton

judkinst

Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

02-12-2013 01:13:26 | More by judkinst

Sailracer

3/5  rDev -24.2%

02-10-2013 21:16:02 | More by Sailracer

smcnulty1981

Rhode Island

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: spot on for the style pours a clear golden orange color with a lot of carbonation bubbles streaming up the glass formed about 3 fingers of bright white head not much lacing but the head after a bit went down to about half a finger of head

S: yeast at the front with some malt following after that some sugar sweetness not very complex though didn't get the farmhouse smells associated with saison no alcohol detected

T: up front there was a slight hint of alcohol followed by a again a yeast and malt

M: very dry and highly carbonated

O: a good saison and it does do what mystic describes and showcases the yeast on this beer

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 17:00:10 | More by smcnulty1981