Avril - Brasserie Dupont sprl

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.78/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2008 Cork Date; Sampled June 2008
A fairly soft pour produces a five finger thick, pale tan colored head that includes a full two-finger or more that is above the rim of my glass. The head is just about perfect, forming a structural mesa as it subsides as well as leaving lots of frothy lace on the sides of my glass. The beer is a lightly hazed, honey-gold color that shows an orange tinted, lighter gold color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite expressive, noticeable as I pour it and visually inspect it, I get a vibrant hop character (lemon zest and herbs) as well as a soft fruity backdrop. Very aromatic, insanely so for a beer of this strength; vibrant malt aromatics of crushed saltine crackers, wild-flower honey, fresh crushed wheat, grassy grain and hay are all initially noticeable. Other notes of orange zest (which really comes into its own as the beer warms), soft ginger, white pepper, green apples, clove, lots of herbal notes and wild-flower aromas are noticeable. The aroma on this is just so vibrant, so fresh and so incredible, regardless of this beers strength; the fact that this is so low in alcohol just makes it all that much more remarkable.

Very light feeling as it hits my tongue, the carbonation has subsided some as I spent so much time with the aroma, but it still provides a substantial tickle and texture to this beer. Lightly sweet tasting, this accentuates notes of orange zest and melon, but this is nicely balanced by notes of fresh dried hay, soft yet expressive herbal notes and a light lingering bitterness in the finish. This has a light peppery note to it, some soft spicy phenols, and lots of underlying fruity esters that provides lots of soft, subtle notes of spice and fruit. There is a nice pale malt / grain character here, that plays a secondary role, but is quite noticeable; in addition to the aforementioned honey-malt sweetness there is a dry, cracker like grain character, a touch of grassiness and just a wonderful, chewy malt character that is especially noticeable in the finish.

Down right quaffable, I could drink liters of this at a time, it is so easy to take large sips of this beer. The 750ml bottle of this disappears a lot faster than usual. My second pour is much like the first. It picks up a little bit more fullness on the palate, but is still eminently quaffable. A touch of yeast adds a boost to the grain character by accentuating a sort of dough-like character. One of the biggest components of the flavor here are the orange zest notes; these are either from the hops chosen or from actual orange zest, though I don't know which.

Both the head and the aroma are huge for a beer of this strength. The staying power & lofty structure of the head, despite the reduced amount of malt in this is quite impressive and I can't say enough about how vibrant the aroma is. It is almost jarring to take a sip for the first time and find out how light this beer is; visually and aromatically it makes you think that this is a big beer. The flavor though is no slouch either, once it starts to open up it shows a deep complexity and savoriness that just can't be beat. I highly recommend this beer, I know it is not strong in alcohol, and I am a sucker for characterful lower alcohol beers, but I really like this. I am fantastically excited about this beer, I almost wish I had gotten more than two bottles, but I totally need to brew something like this (perhaps a split batch with some Brettanomyces fermentation).

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2008 02:57:42 | More by Gueuzedude

Patrick999

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2008 bottle. Why does this seem to be a little more difficult to come by, considering the relative availability of the other Dupont beers?

Poured into a tulip. It looks farmhouse-like, with a slightly hazed gold and a lot of active bubbles. Not as much retention as the bigger Duponts, though.

A little honeycomb in the nose, reminding me of Biere de Miel from this brewery. Pepper, little mustiness, sourdough bread, and....some mushroom? Really quite good!

The taste is very similar to Saison Dupont, which of course makes sense. I wouldn't simply call it Dupont Lite, though - for a beer of true session strength, it's packed with flavor. I get a lot of earthy mineral character, wildflowers, lemon, sour bread, black pepper and hints of the mushroom I was smelling. Some honey, but it's more suggested than actually tasted - this beer is nothing if not dry. It comes to an extremely dry mineral finish. Very pleasant. Not a lot of hop to speak of, but I bet it had more of a hop bite fresh. No matter - the regular Dupont can still be good over a couple years, and apparently so can this. Very tasty, refreshing, sustaining.

Feel is spritzy as you would expect, but it manages to bring a bit more robust a feel than you'd expect for 3.5%. Some pleasing mineral astringency.

Drinkability? I'd give it a 10 if I could. I swear there's a market for beers like this, if brewers would just make more of them. I can imagine that this would indeed be an outstanding "table beer," suitable for sharing at enlightened dinner tables even with the kids. Rated purely as a session beer, I'd have to give it a near-perfect score. Yet when scored as a saison, as is my intent, it still holds its own and then some. Really, the only thing that stopped this from being an A+ beer in my book was the lazy head retention. Please, more of this! Very exciting beer, I love it!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 17:09:14 | More by Patrick999

TSJ4000

Iowa

4.65/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Some local bartender talked me into this one. I was looking to try some good beers and I was hesitant. I thought it sounded a little weak because of the low alcohol but I stand corrected. The beer is really a full flavored saison. I kinda liked the low alcohol because I tasted more of the hops and malt. I think the high alcohol beers may be just a fad. I wish this beer was a little cheaper but I'm kinda addicted to it now.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2012 23:16:09 | More by TSJ4000

SacoDeToro

California

4.58/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a slightly hazy yellow with a foamy white head that falls quickly.

The aroma is of farmhouse funk, floral hops, and a light wheatiness. Very inviting.

The flavor of the beer is bright and funky. A spicy and assertive floral hoppiness is followed by some mild barnyard funk. Finishes with a clean and wheatiness that refreshes. Notes of crushed minerals are there as well.

The body and mouthfeel are both light. The carbonation is prickly and spritzy, which brings tremendous life to such a small beer.

Avril is remarkably drinkable and endlessly flavorful for a 3.5% beer. There is remarkable complexity for such a seemingly stripped down style. Unfortunately, I think this is a style that is misunderstood by many drinkers. I'm not sure what they expect in a 3.5% beer, but I was frankly amazed. This was one of the top 10 new beers I sampled in 2008. Outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2009 02:38:05 | More by SacoDeToro

cpolking

Iowa

4.58/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a hazy and cloudy light golden yellow, looking somewhat bleached, yet glowing. There is a massive head of billowing and bubbling white foam.

The aroma is like the implanted seed in my brain of the essence of beer itself. There is lots of golden grain, lagerish funkiness, straw, earthy, floral, grassy, all in perfect harmony.

The taste is rich, dry, malty and golden grain, just a touch of honey, fresh and clean straw, with herbs and flowers, with a refreshingly bitter and dry finish.

You must go out immediately and find this beer and drink it, it is amazingly good.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 21:08:19 | More by cpolking

MaltyGoodness

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

750ml bottle - 2008 cork

Pours a slightly hazy golden straw color with a creamy white head that maintains. Nice lacing on the glass.

Huge bready and yeasty aroma. Very spicy smelling, plenty of black pepper. Some citrusy and lemony hints along with a definite earthy/grassy character. Amazing, complex combination of olfactory delights.

Flavor is a less intense interpretation of the smell. Bready and yeasty with black pepper and citrus. Very earthy and grassy. Dry, clean finish.

Light body, light carbonation.

This is labeled as a table beer, and it's drinkable and complex enough to compliment and wash down many meals. Really demonstrates that a complex beer can indeed also be low ABV.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2008 01:27:36 | More by MaltyGoodness

timtim

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

another winner from this world-class farmhouse brewery and it's pioneering importers. tons of flavor in this little beer... bright gold with a white head that holds and leaves lace. bright aromatics. nose is lemony (zest?) to me at first, but gives way to signature dupont skunkiness and grassy, herbal, lemongrassy notes wrapped up with a touch of pepper and a bit of musty barn for good measure. very much like saison dupont, but not like saison dupont divided by two. taste is fantastic. one of the most flavorful low abv beers i've ever tasted. full of pepper and lemongrass, with even a touch of bready/crackery malt peeking it's head through. as full-bodied as a light-body beer can be with a soft feel and snappy carbonation that has just the slightest tingle to it. a refreshing and extremely tasty brew from one of my all-time favorite breweries. i wish this beer was standard practice, not a special delicacy.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 10:32:04 | More by timtim

edbeered

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from the bottle, this pours a cloudy yellow color, with an ample white head and substantial lacing on the glass. The smell is fruity, with pear and tart apple predominating. The tasteis predominately like the smell, with the aforementioned pear and tart apple notes. Unexpectedly, there is a strongly grassy flavorl, as well as a bready yeasty flavor. The disparate flavors blend together smoothly and the mouthfeel is light and lively(fitting for a Summer beer). I could drink this all night. It combines the flavors of a lager with those of a Belgian wheat beer, and at 3.5% ABV is a perfect Summer drinker. Very refreshing!

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2008 02:07:23 | More by edbeered

bonbini26

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap @ monks cafe 8/16/08

A-golden hazy yeast appearance, with a lacing that lays all over the inside of the glass.

S- Amazing earthy, lemon, farmhouse aroma, not too overpowering

T- Wow such a refreshing beer, im usually into high alcohol hop bombs, but his saison is so balanced with a depth of flavor despite the low-ABV,(3.5% i believe)

M- again so refreshing and quenching, warm light peppery spice, perhaps a toned down veision of saison dupont

D- i could drink this all day, esp with the low ABV, just a great summer beer to have on a hot day or drink with a salad or some mussels & fries, like i did while @ monks

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2008 14:59:42 | More by bonbini26

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sun-bleached daffodil with nearly colorless edges. The snow white crown is a wonderful looking collection of sticky bubbles that can be seen slowly pop-pop-popping, leaving plenty of Swiss cheese-like lace all over the upper reaches of the glass. Subsequent pours add a gorgeous yeasty haziness, effectively increasing the appearance score.

Thankfully, the hint of skunk on cap cracking is now gone, making me wonder if was ever really there. Avril smells tremendous, as does pretty much all Brasserie Dupont beer. This brewery has one of the world's best saison yeast strains, no doubt about it. There's loads of lemon zest, meadow grass (and flowers), and maybe even a light dusting of cardamom.

This is an excellent light saison and might be the best low-ABV beer that I have ever had. I don't care what anyone says, when the ABV is this low, depth of flavor (and to some extent complexity) is usually lacking. That makes it all the more impressive that this is such an incredibly delicious, insanely drinkable biere de table.

To a considerable extent, this offering tastes like a lighter version of Saison Dupont, one of the world's best farmhouse ales. The flavors are as described above. Freshly zested lemons lead the way, followed by bitter grasses (that's a good thing) and just enough warm, peppery spice to add another layer of contrast. Avril is becoming even more complex as it warms.

The mouthfeel is both light and lightly creamy. The bubbles could be more lively, but that would probably lead to significant burpage in a beer whose 750 ml are a cinch to consume in a single sitting. The mouthfeel is built for speed, even if gulping isn't recommended. This one deserves to be savored, even as it quenches and refreshes.

I was stunned to discover that I have now had four saisons and one BSPA from Brasserie Dupont and not one has received a flavor or drinkability score less than 4.5. I guess that makes this one of my favorite breweries. Avril (April) is well worth the asking price and is a beer that I'll be sure to look for again.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2008 21:50:23 | More by BuckeyeNation

Gavage

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: clear golden yellow in color with a 1" head. Nice lacing develops during the session.

Smell: yeast, bit of funk, and some floral hop bitterness is detectable.

Taste: mild malt level with some yeast, grass, bits of earthiness and funk, green grapes, lemon zest, and a hint of pepper spice late.

Mouthfeel: crisp to start, lightly crisp and dry at the finish. Pretty short aftertaste. Medium bodied beer.

Drinkability: at the low alcohol levels, this is one flavorful beer. Easy to quaff - a definite session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2009 16:44:14 | More by Gavage

MerkinMan

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +12%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Medium gold with a billowy and persistent white head that retains like a champ and marks the glass on the way down

S - Lemony phenols up front, honeysuckle and other small spring wildflowers, some wheat grainy sweetness behind that. Just a hint of floral hops along with more peppery phenols

T - Wheat, lemon phenols and spicy hop flavors join together gently up front with some bitterness and lemon flavors lingering into the finish. No agressive flavors. A touch of acidity adds to the refreshing nature of this beer.

MF - Medium-light bodied and effervescent. High carbonation, now astringency or warmth. Mouth-filling

O: Very enjoyable and refreshing. A nice alternative to the super-saisons that have become fashionable. Tart acidity makes for a great summer time refresher. I will buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 21:44:23 | More by MerkinMan

ToasterChef

Maine

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served at Novare Res' Belgian Beer Fest, poured into my 24 oz Uprising Chalice. This beer pours a golden yellow color with a large thick head. After a few minutes the head reduces to a thin layer of bubbles. There's plenty of lace evident on the sides of the glass are the beer is consumed. The significant head is due to the large amount of carbonation, but I don't see that as a negative aspect of the Avril; here, it works. The strong scent of this beer is of citrus flavors. The taste is very dry and crisp, almost like a pilsner. There is no syrupy mouthfeel, it leaves you wanting to take another sip. All in all, an easy drinking beer; you could enjoy many of these in a night.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2009 20:44:04 | More by ToasterChef

philipquarles

Louisiana

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

75cl bottle; 2008 vintage. Pours a lightly hazy straw gold with a towering, rocky white head. Smells strongly floral/herbal with plenty of citric notes and a bit of yeasty spice. Tart and sweet. Floral yet earthy taste with some lemon and just a hint of hop bitterness. What one would imagine the archetypal farmhouse ale should taste like. Light body with plenty of carbonation. Though it doesn't quite stand up to its big brother, it's a revelation at only 3.5%. Really crisp and refreshing; one could easily drink this all day long.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 22:30:42 | More by philipquarles

brentk56

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Pours a hazy lemon color with a fluffy head that sticks nicely and leaves a film of lace

Smell: Farmhouse funk, with lemon, grassy hops and wheatbread

Taste: Opens with a lemony wheatbread character that adds the farmhouse funk and grassy hop flavors by mid-palate; after the swallow, the lemon flavors raise it up a notch with the finish providing a lingering element of funk

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderately high carbonation

Drinkability: Love the low abv level on this beer and it proves out the point that a lot of flavor can be packed into a session beer - we need more examples of this

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 00:54:20 | More by brentk56

Billolick

New York

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Large green bottle, caged and corked w/o freshness indication, except the "2.008" on the cork. Pours cloudy, yellowy, under a frothy white head, long lasting and melting down to a wild looking merainge, then leaving thick copious lacing. Yeast, spice and a slight soapiness on the nose. Light, effervescent, fruity, spicy, a delight in a bottle. Notes of pepper, yeast, fresh fruits. lots of lemon, herbal, a again a hint of soap. Perfect for a warm weather meal. Classy, tasty Belgian "lawn mower" beer. Hope this goes into wide distribution. Glad to find this one, a great addition to the Dupont line.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2008 22:46:54 | More by Billolick

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Avirl pours an almost neon yellow/light orange with that signature fluffy as hell dupont white head. Nose is balls out farm funk horse blanket skunk. Taste follows with funk and skunk and some peppery notes. A nice crisp light flavor that is very slammable. Mouthfeel is thicker than expected but quite good. Drinkability is extremely good. Overall a nice slammable lunch brew that goes down easy, yet imparts a nice farmhouse flavor. Another good one from dupont, masters of the saison.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2008 02:23:26 | More by AKBelgianBeast

gory4d

New York

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a deep hazy golden into an oversized wine glass; not much of a head, but there's a thin but resilient skein of white foam that leaves lacing down the glass. The smell is loquat, moss, grass, and something savory. The taste is grass, citrus, currants, with a finish at once savory and bitter. It's mildly carbonated and medium in body, more viscous than you'd expect. With an alcohol content this low, it's delightfully easy to down.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 23:38:13 | More by gory4d

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Sampled with JLindros while trying to figure our pairings for our beer dinner. Poured into a Kate the Great tulip.

A - Nice hazy citrusy yellow pour with a huge fluffy pillowy head fades semi slowly to leave lots of lacing.

S - Aromas of lightly floral and earthy hops along with some light spice notes. Faint, but nice, citrus and lemon with faint saison funk.

T - Taste is pretty darn solid. Light almost pilsner qualities with faint citrus notes as well. Some subtle earthy saison qualities along with some light dry spice notes with a good slightly bitter hoppy/dry finish with nice floral/citrus notes.

M - Mouthfeel is solid, good medium bodied saison with nice almost prickly carbonation.

O - Overall this was a solid beer from Dupont. This is actually what we ended up going with for one of our pairings.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 18:37:26 | More by rudzud

GClarkage

California

4.28/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

07/08/08- Shared with BA member Talisker.

Presentation- 750ml bottle. Did not look for freshness info. Poured into a Duvel tulip.

Appearance- Clouded white-yellow colored pour. Clouded from yeast sediment as well. Head forms to about a 1/2 inch and fades fairly quickly. Light lace streaks and trails reamin.

Smell- Such a powerful smell for such a light abv beer. Remeniscent of Fantome and Saison Dupont. It brings the funk. Lots of barnyard nose with mild urine, lots of wet hay, some hops and lemon rind.

Taste- All the flavors that are in the nose, but not quite as strong. Grainy hay-like flavor with a pleasant fresh hop taste. White pepper and lots of lemon peel make the major taste of the beer.

Mouthfeel- Mid range carbonation, a light hoppy aftertatse with a drying mouthfeel.

Drinkability- Very drinkable, quenching and drying beer. Perfect for a hot outside day. Great flavors and overall beer for a beer of such a low alcohol content.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2008 23:54:11 | More by GClarkage

marcpal

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Monk's with pour into a tulip glass.

A: Cloudy gold with an ever lasting off white foam head. Good looking pour.

N: Lemon, grass, and lemongrass. You'll see a theme here, but it packs in the aromas of a full fledged saison into this small-strength package.

T: The flavor of the first sip would make you think it was twice the alcohol, a good trait. It has the flavor of a grassy, earthy lemon stricken saison. The citrus juice flavor was crammed into this saison.

M: Lots of carbonation, not much bitterness, and cleansing to the tongue. 10.0 on style points from the Russian judge.

D: The 3.5% would lead you to believe lesser of flavor in a saison but this was really nice and affords you a good amount if you so choose. Terrific with a monstrous veggie burger and mussels.

Not a bad beer, more character than expected for the low abv. However, I do think it may be fresher from the bottle and would do this one more justice.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2008 00:32:07 | More by marcpal

glid02

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had this on-tap at Brick Store in Atlanta - I saw a Saison with a 3.5% ABV and had to give it a shot.

Pours a lemon-yellow color with a one-finger white head. The head dissipates into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of lemon zest with good amounts of grassy notes and leafy hops.

Tastes similar to how it smells. There's a good malt backbone with grassy flavors and leafy, almost herbal hops joining in before the lemon zest reasserts itself. The ending is very crisp and lightly bitter.

Mouthfeel is great for a beer with such a low ABV. A very nice thickness with active carbonation.

Drinkability is great. I could literally drink this all day.

Overall this is a hard beer to review. On one hand it's not a great saison, but it's a great beer for what it's trying to accomplish. I would love to have a keg of this at home to sip on for weeks at a time. Definitely worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2009 23:26:02 | More by glid02

cvstrickland

North Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750-ml Champagne-style cork-in-cage bottle, opened with a little hissy pop and poured into my Duvel glass yields a lightly-hazy golden lemonade body with a huge foamy white head. The cap persists at a thick sheet and leaves puffy rings of lacing on the glass.

The smell is a perfume of citrus and earthy spice with a bit of musky curry and a note of cool, wet red oak firewood. Grassy notes lurk around and increase to prominence in both the smell and flavor profiles as the drink warms a bit.

The taste is mild, crisp and a bit funky with notes of wet hay and tangy citrus on a dry, earthy, earthy backbone. A twist of lemon rises in the profile as the drink progresses, as does a curry-spice note and a bit of green, dry, grassy bitterness.

The net yield is a dry, somewhat spicy drink that refreshes and satisfies without drowning the drinker in alcohol. Avril is very effectively carbonated, and drinks a little like a crisp soda pop.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2008 23:40:51 | More by cvstrickland

rtepiak

Poland

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

a nearly clear yellow color. would like to see more cloudiness. light foam that turns to ring quickly. although does exist when agitated leaving some hopes of lace. smell is light. no trace of alcohol. grassy, citrus lemon. not lemon grass. some honey notes. taste is very floral and crisp. somewhere between a dupont and a Bière De Miel, clean with dry tingle on the tongue. hops blend with pollen leaving a perfuming essence. lavender, chrysanthemum, and grass. mixed with hop and almost soapy astringency. great texture throughout. table beer? i got the idea that this as a style would be adopted by the American drinking mentality. wish i had a 12 pack of this to shotgun to get drunk the American way.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2008 05:51:29 | More by rtepiak

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Served at Max's this past Friday.

A: Another saison to sample. The ale is a hazy golden orange melange of a beer. A decent head, nearly a finger, blanketed the top of the glass.

S: The aroma was surprisingly hoppy, a dirty earthen bitterness that leaves an herbal taste in my mouth.

T: More funk emerges in the taste, confirming that this is a saison. The funk is dry and paired with the aforementioned decent hop profile. The hops have an earthy floral taste, bitter and dominating. A light spice flavor also permeates but doesn't compare to the hops.

M: The ale is well carbonated, it's little bubbles scrubbing the tastebuds with each sip. The hops are very lively.

D: Drinkability? Are you kidding? This weighs in at 3.5%, I could drink it in place of water.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2009 02:06:54 | More by akorsak