SPF 45 Saison - Port Brewing Company / Pizza Port

Gobzilla

California

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a golden orange with yellow highlights that had a half finger of head and left good bubbly lacing sticking to the glass. The nose was quite citrusy with honey, bready malty notes, spices, and coarinder notes. Upfront I got some applesauce character with lemon zest, orange, spice, grains, and malt notes but also had coriander coming through to accent the overall flavor. it also had a little underlying brett and cinamon as well. The brew was mediumbody with a nice amount of carbonation which had a sweet, spice, fruity, and malty finish. It drank really good and was glad to have tried it at least once.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 01:13:20 | More by Gobzilla

womencantsail

California

3.83/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing this one Gil.

A: The pour is a goldenrod sort of color with a large white head that displays some pretty good retention.

S: The nose offers up some good spice notes/yeast esters along with bready malts and a moderate sweetness. The citrus notes are pretty much gone on this one, but there is a hint of lemon and lemon zest.

T: A fair amount of spice notes opens up the palate: pepper, ginger, and citrus rind. Mildly sweet and bready malts round things out.

M: The body is medium with a lively carbonation to it and a really long finish.

D: This beer does show some signs of decay, but it has actually held up quite well. That said, I wouldn't necessarily advise hanging on to this much longer.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 01:51:52 | More by womencantsail

rallison

California

4.47/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Chris Quiroga for bringing this to the Sea Of Floydster tasting - one of the standouts of the night!

Spicy, chamomile, light menthol, coconut in the aroma and the taste. Highly carbonated, but some wheat sort of body notes once the carbonation settled down.

Tasted incredibly good - this beer has aged very well. Awesome. Oh, and yeah, really bad cork.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 07:25:11 | More by rallison

Floydster

California

4.55/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle brought to the SeaO'Floydster tasting by cquiroga, thank you very much for bringing this Chris, had been wanting to try this for years, reviewed from notes, poured into my Stone sampling glass

A-Golden orange color with some yellow highlights, 1/2 inch foamy white head that stayed around a while, great retention, good lacing too, you can tell this was unflitered by just looking at it
S-Lemons, toasted bread, caramel, honey, oranges, other citrus, flowers, white pepper, whole grains, and coriander
T-Lots of ginger at the beginning, fades into a grainy and malty middle, honey and orange peel in the finish, pepper and other spices come out more and more as it warms, nice mix of citrusy fruit, malts, and spices at the end, an incredibly complex farmhouse ale
M-Spicy, sweet, citrusy, fruity, and malty mouthfeel, high level of carbonation, medium bodied, taste lingers a long time
D-Could drink this whole big bottle, no booze present, light and refreshing, still crisply carbonated, goes down easy and would be great on a hot day, enjoyed the lightness while still being very flavorful

The cork on this one was brutal and Dr. Bill had to take a knife to it for about ten minutes before getting out, even then some still landed in the beer, it was great to try an early Pizza Port brew, this saison surprised the heck out of me and was even better than expected, for a 2003 bottle it has aged incredibly without having that high of an ABV, would like to drink again, recommended

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

04-01-2009 19:45:10 | More by Floydster

seaoflament

California

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Chris Quiroga for bringing this bottle to the SeaofFloydster Tasting which took place on March 28th. I've been wanting to try this beer for a while now.

The color was dark golden with about a quarter in of foam that settled to a thin ring which lasted till the end.

The aroma was very good and interesting, it has such a soft and mellow floral aroma. Chamomile, sweet lemons, soft citrus fruits, spices, toast and caramel malts, and ginger bread in the background.

Spicy yeast flavors, chamomile, lemon, honey malts, and sweet toast. Tasty beer. Had a sharp and almost aggressive carbonation which smoothed out as it warmed up.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

03-31-2009 00:41:12 | More by seaoflament

illidurit

California

4.7/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

05 vintage bottle shared by cquiroga at the RBSG 08 Grand Tasting. Thanks! Poured into my La Chouffe goblet. Gold with a small but sticky white head. Aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg, with some apple notes. Flavor is similar, straight-up applie pie, spices and all. A little lemony tartness as well. Smooth as can be, easy to drink. Probably the best saison there is.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

08-07-2008 18:17:26 | More by illidurit

JDV

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by miketd, once again. Thanks dude.
Pours orange with a big lasting whitish head. Smell is lightly sweet, bright orange, and spices. Taste is spiced, with oranges again. Fairly dry, despite hints of sweetness. I must be a douche, because I don't seem to have liked this nearly as much as anybody else. What's new...

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

07-01-2008 18:40:29 | More by JDV

francisweizen

Australia

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Vintage bottle, 2006. Dark golden, peach like, hazy head of white soapy foam, dies quickly, slight cheese aroma in the air mixed with cork and blood. Aromas are fresh and funky, like an aged saison should be. Bread, earth, spices, a certain funky fruitiness. Taste follows suit, bitter on the back palate, light and fruity in the front with a great mid palate spiciness and spicy earth hop kick. Mouthfeel is medium bodied>light and very good, drinkability is stillg reat.

Like an aged DuPont or Avec. not quite there in terms of the overall product, but certainly heading in the right direction as far as worthy Saisons.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

04-02-2008 19:20:23 | More by francisweizen

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ML bottle purchased at Ledgers Liquors in Berkeley, CA for $15.99 about 2 years ago.

Upon opening, SPF 45 immediately clocks in as an herbal/spicy saison in the vein of Strange Ghost or Avery 13. These are usually not my style of saison as I find the spice overwhelms any interesting yeast character that ought to be going on. SPF 45, however, ain’t half bad.

Appearance wise, SPF 45 is a winner. The beer pores a golden apricot with a health dollop of white fluff. Next comes an aroma intense with spice. Surprisingly the herbal and spice qualities (ginger, coriander, lemon, and poppy seed mostly) play synchronisticly with each other and SPF’s yeast aromas. Perhaps this is how the beer was crafted or perhaps it is a product of cellaring. In any case I appreciate it.

Flavor follows aroma closely in SPF 45. Lemon and coriander are large elements here too. To the beer’s credit, chamomile does not play a large roll, although I do pick up on some generic flower notes. Mouthfeel is crisp, spicy, and bone dry. Drinkability is good considering the spice, but overall it’s just average.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

01-04-2008 16:05:05 | More by DaPeculierDane

bennetj17

Arizona

3.7/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to fartingdog who sent me this almost a year ago. 750ml bottle with 9-6 written on the side with a silver paint pen.

Brilliant, glowing copper/deep gold. Strong carbonation, medium thick head that settles quickly. Tart and spicy aroma, with mint-like or pepper notes. There is definitely some ginger in there and perhaps cinnamon also, plus an apple fruitiness.

The taste is somewhat tart with a citrus like fruit character. The ginger spice seems strong and carries along throughout the finish becoming a bit distracting. Where are the earthy, yeasty notes I would typically expect for a saison? The mouthfeel is soft with fine tingling carbonation leaving a touch of foam. Nice.

I think the spices/additives were too much for this beer and really hurt its drinkability. To me this was not very reminiscent of a Saison. Worth a try if you can even find some...

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

09-24-2007 20:43:56 | More by bennetj17

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle bought from Ledgers Liquors in Berkeley about 1 year ago and stored carefully. Pours a cloudy orange golden with a white fluffy head that quickly fades to a thin rim. Aromas of orange juice, ginger, coriander, maybe some light honey, and grains of paradise. Very dry and slightly peppery from the grains of paradise. The taste is also quite dry, and maybe too much so on the finish- a little more fruit at the end might make it a little more thirst quenching. As it is, its still delicious with similar flavors to the aroma, but with more restrained orange, better balance, and a creamy vanilla flavor as the base. The very dry citrus and spice is mostly prsent on the finish. The mouthfeel is pretty good, but it could be a tad crisper, Ditto on the drinkability, with some more sweetness or tanginess needed as well.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

04-27-2007 22:44:15 | More by Georgiabeer

CharlesDarwin

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Originally reviewed on May 29, 2006. 750 mL Bottle. Intriguing aroma of mingled fruits and perplexing spices with apricot, some ginger, light sweet fruitcake, touches of almonds and wheat, a hint of spicy yeast and all around peculiar fruitiness. Indescribable and unique. Could be a little stronger. Pour of mildly clouded fuming tangerine hued lemon gold, with a foamy white head, lacing gently. Flavor continues along the line of the aroma, with the acute sweet fruits, maybe in asian pear and light soured lemon. The ginger really glows here and adds a beautiful spicy quality to the beer. After the fruit and ginger fades, a warming tooth of grain and freshly baked artisan breads from a wood-fired oven with rosemary release on the tongue, with hints of juniper berries and tawny honey. Rich and sweet, but maintaing an inexplicable drinkability. Truly the best hot summer day beer. Smacks of those fruits loss to the ages, along with rich black cardamon and coriander. Maintains clean sweetness at the end, but could use some drying effects.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

12-10-2006 03:45:06 | More by CharlesDarwin

watermelonman

California

3.6/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This poured to a clear gold and orange color with a medium head that quickly faded. It left a minor amount of lace.

The smell has plenty of spices and some light fruit. A bit of sourness comes through as well. In the taste, all of the flavors blend together into one big green apple with black pepper. A sour yeast funk takes over the finish. The mouthfeel is medium while drinkability is good.

This is almost more like a wild ale.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

10-31-2006 02:10:26 | More by watermelonman

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to kmpitz2 for the trade...
Appears a glowing gold with a small white head that slowly fades away. Nice amounts of scattered lacing left all around the glass.
Smell is of pepper, coriander, flowers, orange peel, citrus, yeasty bread, shredded wheat, and mild notes of chamomile with ginger.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas mixed in a gently spiced brew with subtleties coming together for an Americanized Saison.
Mouthfeel is smooth, yeasty, spicy, along with the orange peel, & ginger leading up to a semi-dry finish.
Pretty tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

10-23-2006 17:48:00 | More by weeare138

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle reads: "Let's Party!" - ok, we shall.
Clouded orange, very dusty in colour. Ample head which faded slowly. Appearence is completely murky. Aroma consist of a lot of tangerine and orange peel (both are individually detectable) as well as some distinctly Belgian notes, most likely the yeast. Interesting because the rest of the makeup is not so Belgian at all. Carbonation is very high with a harsh mouthfeel. This beer finds itself somewhere between sweet and sour. The small influence of spices contributes greatly to the flavour. The quantity of spices actually rather generous however, but not overbearing. (Only after reading the bottle) could I detect the black pepper, which then seemed so obvious. No funk but a very robust profile, bold in the American way of brewing. A truly world class saison! Thanks Sammy.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

09-16-2006 14:38:25 | More by biegaman

crwills

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled as part of a large tasting with biegaman, grub, and northyorksammy.

This was one of my favourite of the evening. Poured a pleasant orangey-amber, with a small head. Aroma is very 'Belgian' - mildly spicy, unique yeasty notes, and sourish, almost Gueuze-like elements.

Flavour is clove, orange peel, and black pepper. Lots of farmy, funky smells in there -- hay, dry grass, old wood, 'horseblanket'. Great mouthfeel, muted aftertaste. Drinkability belies the high ABV.

Hennepin is the only other saison I've had in any quanitity, and I've never understood the appeal of it (and therefore the appeal of the style). I much prefer this one, and I'd really like to sample some other beers from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

09-15-2006 19:50:12 | More by crwills

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

tasting party sept 11/06 with northyorksammy, crwills, biegaman and me (grub). everyone threw in a few bottles and we had an interesting mix of beer and mead. not sure of exactly who contributed what, so i'll just thank everyone.

pours a slightly cloudy deep golden colour with a nice off-white head.

aroma is great. tangerine. orange peel and clove. spicy too. maybe some clove.

taste is excellent. tangerine and sweet orange peel. clove. a bit of funky sourness to it too. really nice. peppery spice. maybe some ginger too.

mouthfeel is ok. high carbonation and nice body.

drinkability on this one is good. a really unique and interesting beer that i'd be more than happy to have again. extra thanks to sammy for this one.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

09-14-2006 17:54:50 | More by grub

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very good effort. smells and tastes like a very good fruit beer, and most noticeably an orange liquor. Sweet orange peel, tangerene,corriander, ginger. Yeast in aroma too. Cloves, cherry, black pepper. Orange colour and some head. A herbal tead component as well, and all well hopped. Thanks awaisanen from California.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

09-14-2006 12:17:22 | More by northyorksammy

UnionMade

Colorado

4.55/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to GoodbyeOhio for sharing!
Beautifully clear pale orange. A big puff of white head upon pouring, settling into a tight mist. Blobby lace, with good retention. Smelling this, it immediately brought to mind herbal tea with lemon and honey. The scent is almost dead on. One of the more unusual noses on a beer I've come across. The flavor is much the same, with a sweet, lemon infused tea taste. Yeasty earthiness, with a spicy, floral, modestly hopped finish. The honey flavor is really nice, spot on for real clover honey, lingering throughout the sip. Modest, though present estery fruitiness. I can't get over how similar it is to a mug of honey sweetened tea. Lighter body, with charged, though stable, small bubbled carbonation. Punchy, lively and bright on the palate. It's like drinking summer. Very credible, a nice artisanal product from the boys at Pizza Port. Unusual, but definitely in the saison family. On par with the best Fantome has to offer. I'd jump at the chance to get a taste of this again.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

03-19-2006 07:55:51 | More by UnionMade

goodbyeohio

Oregon

4.58/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, a bit different from the one pictured but the theme and the artwork style remains the same

pours perfectly, clear, concise orange glow with bubble streams. resilient head manages to linger without much diminishing. solid, layered walls of crusty lace remind me of ocean waves on a calm day.

nice tart, yeasty aroma cut through the center by an odor of fresh baked lemon poppy muffins. some complex, charred sugars linger in the nose as well. the overall scent profile is mouthwatering.

tastes is no letdown.. perfectly crisp and light while maintaining a complex bevy of strange, interesting flavors. lemony pucker is noticeable, as is a buttery caramel underscore. dirty, woody elements balance nicely with a smooth, honey and candied ginger finish. this beer manages to rank up with big boys like fantome, establishing equal balance in its craftsmanship yet presenting itself with entirely new flavors and combinations. warmth brings edible flowers to the mix and some fresh cut grass.

simply excellent. recommended.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

02-11-2006 05:41:41 | More by goodbyeohio

mzwolinski

California

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Wayyyy overcarbonated. Fizzed out the bottle for 30 minutes or so.. This leads to a huge f’ing head, needless to say. Cloudy tangerine in color.

Fruity but not too sweet in aroma, lightly spicy, with hints of ginger and orange.

Delightful flavor! Perfectly balanced and very refreshing.
Refreshing orange citric flavors blend nicely with warming ginger (this latter aspect is pretty noticeable, though I wouldn’t have guessed it had it not been on the label). Hops are flowery, and a decent peppery character finishes off the sip. The finish develops just a tiny bit of funk as the beer warms.

Perfect for sipping on the patio on a warm san diego summer day, though the overcarbonation distracts from mouthfeel a bit, rendering the beer a bit fizzy.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

01-22-2006 16:26:38 | More by mzwolinski

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First off, nice Rack on the label. Even if it is a cartoon.

Hazed orange/amber appearance. (The beer, not the Rack.) Fluffy eggshell white head. It's bountiful. (The lace and the Rack.) Nice aroma. Floral, flowery, herbal, fragrant, musty, lemony and sweet. Lots of things going on here on the nose.

After first tasting, I had to recheck my bottle. (And not for the Rack either.) I had to make sure I hadn't opened a Fantome by mistake. It's similar in that it has a lot of "weird" types of things going on and I guess rightfully so after looking at the ingredient's list ( which includes organic ginger, corriander, sweet orange peel, black pepper, grains of paradise and chamomile flowers). The first sensation I get on the buds is that of quenching lime. Not real tart though...just quenching. And also lemony notes. Lots of spicy things going on as well. It's like a botanical experiment on the palate. Cracked black pepper spiciness with the sweet corriander and flowery chamomile tones. Malts give enough of a foundation for all of the botanicals to do their thing. And in regards to the hops, it's hard to discern certain properties from them, if they are there, from the multitudes of spices and fruit tones. This is quite good. And I can see how it could be considered an "essential" on the beaches of California.

Gotta give props to TheLongBeachBum for giving me a little taste of summertime in the middle of a Minnesotan winter.

I remember enjoying an SPF 8 from Pizza Port in May of 2002 at the pub itself. It happened to use Rosemary in the recipe. I have the fondest memories of that beer. This SPF45 is very good, but I'd have to say the 8 was probabaly the best Saison I've had.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

01-11-2006 03:49:34 | More by Bighuge

clvand0

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours an orange color with a small head that falls quickly and leaves plenty of lacing on the glass. The aroma is complex with ginger, citrus, and chamomile. Flavor is great, but I'd call it a spice beer as opposed to a saison. Lots of the chamomile and ginger in there to make a very flavorful taste. The body is moderate and the drinkability is very good.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

12-29-2005 20:00:15 | More by clvand0

SteveO1231

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a dark green 750ml bottle from Pizza Port C-Bad.

Pours a beautiful, bright honey yellow color. A very nice head of white fizzy bubles. Tons of carbonation and some nice tiny little bubbles of lacing.

Aroma is spicy as hell! Full of giger, coriander, citrus fruit and yeast. Something about the smell reminds me of cinnamon toast crunch cereal.

Complex! Very big spicy punch of pepper, ginger, coriander initially, fades into a yeast/citrus fruit tartnessof orange zest. Nice white wine dryness in the finish that really makes me want to sip more. Some nice burps as a result of all the tiny bubbles.

Very nice beer, sweet, spicy and fruity.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

12-26-2005 05:18:41 | More by SteveO1231

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml. Pours a solid orange color with a finger of head that falls to a healthy coat over top. Solid looking brew. Nose is most intriguing. I get notes of lime, pepper (black), and chamomile. Most interesting in a saison. I'm excited to taste it. Flavor is very nice. Definate barnyardy/musty/light tart flavors in the foreground. Playing behind these I find lime (must be the grains of paradise) and chamomile to be the dominant supporters. There is a zing in there that I can't place for certain, but I would bet it is from the ginger. I'm really digging this brew. A tartness hangs on the finish, but doesn't linger. A very interesting take on a saison. I do enjoy this brew. Feel is moderate with a light-moderate carbonation. This one is having no troube finding its way out of my glass. I am not sure this is the best representation of a saison, but it is a really damn good beer.

Serving type: bottle
@ Pizza Port Solana Beach, 135 North Highway 101, Solana Beach

12-22-2005 01:29:24 | More by kmpitz2