J. Marie Saison - River North Brewery

GilGarp

Colorado

3.05/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bomber served cold into a goblet. I picked this one up in Boulder for $8.99

J. Marie is a redish amber color with a slight haze. It barely forms a head even on an intentionally vigorous pour.

Aroma is sweet and funky, which is good, but also a bit musky. Not so good.

Flavor is much the same in that it has some positives but also some unfortunate negatives. It goes from sweet, almost cloying, to bready and yeasty.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, a little too think and syrupy for the style.

Overall a real disappointment. I don't normally knock a beer but this is kind of a mess. Too sweet, too thick, too rich. A saison should really be more light, dry, crisp and should highlight the yeast. This seems to be under attenuated and maybe a bit oxidized. Hopefully the other bottle of Belgian IPA I bought is much better.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 00:01:29 | More by GilGarp

srhoadsy

Florida

3.56/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured chilled into a fluted tulip.

Pours a hazy dirty blonde color with about an inch of airy white head that quickly recedes leaving a light surface layer and moderate lacing.

Typical saison aromas. Musty, peppery with that barnyard funk.

Flavors of sweet pears, peppery spice and a musty earthiness common to the style.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and a sweet finish with a mild aftertaste.

Overall a decent saison. I prefer mine with a little more funk and a little on the drier side, but not bad for an intro to the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 21:05:28 | More by srhoadsy

jjcote

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +18.7%

03-16-2013 20:20:38 | More by jjcote

ucsbmullet

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +18.7%

03-15-2013 01:03:18 | More by ucsbmullet

katan

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

22oz into a pint

A - Pours a bright golden color. Little bit hazy and thick. White head formation - not much lacing.

S- A nice belgian saison profile, light amounts of citrus and spiciness - coriander, white pepper. Hints of pilsner malts sneak through the yeast.

T- Starts off smooth and sweet, mostly a pilsner malt profile. The light graininess seems to give it away. Mid-stream more spicy flavors appear, citrus and some clove.. maybe even cardamom. Finishes clean and sweet. Not much of a farmhouse funk here, but it has the nice sweetness and smoothness of a tripel.

M - Full bodied, thick and sweet. Sticky. Not much for alcohol warmth.

O/D - A good beer. I think it shows how hard it is to do a modern replicable saison. THe funk is nearly impossible to do in a repeatable fashion, so we end up with these nice clean almost tripels.
Worth a try regardless of the opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 01:19:05 | More by katan

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -9.2%

02-07-2013 00:01:05 | More by Haybeerman

MarkyMOD

Colorado

4/5  rDev +11.7%

12-22-2012 05:41:42 | More by MarkyMOD

Twal

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

11-03-2012 02:55:04 | More by Twal

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a very full and very bready saison. Quite sweet and thick on the flavor profile. This is a heavier saison. Gotta be ready for it. It seems like a lot of the saisons produced in the U.S. are along this line: heavier and much thicker than their European counterparts. This follows suit. Some filtration might allow more subtle points to shine through?

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2012 02:39:43 | More by RblWthACoz

mfield14

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%

09-30-2012 23:05:23 | More by mfield14

Jason

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +18.7%

08-13-2012 03:16:05 | More by Jason

savagepm

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%

07-19-2012 08:28:29 | More by savagepm

GRG1313

California

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%

06-30-2012 21:28:20 | More by GRG1313

hiphopj5

Colorado

3/5  rDev -16.2%

06-19-2012 21:24:32 | More by hiphopj5

carteravebrew

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -9.2%

06-15-2012 21:58:13 | More by carteravebrew

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A new beer from a new brewery in Denver. Keep the new stuff coming! I love it.

Pours a light golden, clean and clear. Minimal head, but it was a bit too cold methinks. That's on me.
Light hefe aroma. Floral and citrus. Some light tropical. Semi sweet, semi dry.

A Saison that is a good start. A light biscuity malty base and a floral undertone. Light spices and tropics. Refreshing with a small zip at the end.

Feels a bit filmy. Maybe needs some more carbonation? Not sure. Nothing bad here and is a good place to start. Excited by all the new and good stuff coming out of CO and Denver these days

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 06:52:55 | More by Mebuzzard

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

its a good beer, but its not a good saison. pours a glowing gold color with just minimal haze to it and a one inch white head that leaves some nice lacing. smell is very belgian yeasty, a touch of floral honey, and an interesting muffiny malt profile. flavor is similar, yeast is on center stage, fruity and sweet, robust. there is none of that farmhouse wild funky stuff at all that i like to see happening in my saisons, and there isnt nearly enough carbonation to carry the beer along where its trying to go. medium body is fine. overall this is a fine belgian golden ale, but as a saison its lacking in the funk department, as well as in feel. i heard rumors of barrel aging this beer, so that could be something to look for. all up not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2012 17:31:36 | More by StonedTrippin

Lincoln

3/5  rDev -16.2%

05-10-2012 15:10:42 | More by Lincoln

Kirby

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%

04-23-2012 15:31:50 | More by Kirby

hopfacebrew

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at the brewery the beer is served in a 10oz tulip glass. According to the chalkboard the beer has ~23 IBUs at 7.5%ABV. The beer arrives a hazy yellow straw color with a small 1/2 white head, some retention and lacing. The nose is dominated by pilsner malt supplemented with hints of belgian yeast, light fruit (mangos, citrus), and earthy hops. The flavor follows about the same. Pilsner malt base from which a grassy earthy flavor builds. Mildly bitter. Peppery spice in the middle. Finishes crisp and smooth. Dry. Well carbonated and lighter side of medium bodied. Overall, this really isn't what I expected in a saison. My business partner really enjoyed it, but it wasn't for me. I would have prefered more yeast character to get that wild flavor found in excellent siasons. The pilsner was too pronounced for my liking.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2012 13:41:50 | More by hopfacebrew