W'12 Dark Saison - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Blargimus

Colorado

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into tulip. Bottled on 12/14/2011.

Pours about how you would expect an amber ale to look, maybe slightly darker. 2 fingers of fluffy white head. Not bad looking.

Smells eerily like a saison. It's the same cognitive dissonance you get when you smell a black IPA. A little yeasty, a little malty, a touch of sourness. Quite pleasant.

Taste is a little disappointing. There's a yeastiness to start off, followed by a bit of roasted flavor near the end, but there's not a lot of depth. The aftertaste, however, is quite bad. Stale, almost. Blech.

Mouthfeel is fairly dry and thin, but it is a saison, after all. No complaints.

Overall, this is something I'd happily drink if given to me, but wouldn't buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 22:59:11 | More by Blargimus

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%

05-19-2013 17:19:39 | More by Whiskeydeez

pcsnyder

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

05-09-2013 02:23:02 | More by pcsnyder

leftoverburrito

Oregon

2.75/5  rDev -19.4%

05-09-2013 01:24:40 | More by leftoverburrito

Bernard_Lettuce

New York

3.74/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: Cloudy copper with minimal head retention.

S: Warm and chocolatey with underlying citrus notes.

T: Crisp, prominent chocolate/caramel flavor; aftertaste of lemon and yeast.

M: Light, mild carbonation.

O: Pleasant and refreshing, nothing too bold, good for a warm afternoon but really not much of a saison.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:15:40 | More by Bernard_Lettuce

gpogo

California

3.19/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A- Clear amber body with white head that dissipates to white foam ring.

A- Sweet caramel syrup. Cloves and belgian spice.

T- Light sweet belgian flavor. Light stale caramel malt flavor with a slightly sour finish.

M- Medium light body and moderate carbonation.

D- Meh. Alright, but I was hoping for better.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 07:18:55 | More by gpogo

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle > Pint Glass
A - Pours a darker copper hue, very little head, no lacing, This is an older bottle, but I've had it many times in 2012.
S - Nice complex smell, lots of belgian scents coming out of this, bubblegum oddly, some roasted coffee beans, spices and herbs, a light grapefruit peel smell.
T - You kinda feel the spices pop in this, a mild tart flavor of citrus, some nutty malts, and a little yeast.
M - I dont remember it having that bubble gum flavor linger, but now it certainly is, still gets a sourness and complex spice flavor.
O - I thought this was a pretty good beer, I know a lot thought it was garbage, but I enjoyed it, its a different kind of saison, one that was easily drinkable and had lots of unique qualities.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 01:12:23 | More by Omnium

Lare453

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

03-22-2013 12:38:22 | More by Lare453

nzerbe

New York

3/5  rDev -12%

03-18-2013 00:49:54 | More by nzerbe

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -19.4%

03-09-2013 23:53:32 | More by ejimhof

Gschaf

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +10%

02-14-2013 22:55:08 | More by Gschaf

Pensfan0782

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +10%

02-14-2013 03:09:57 | More by Pensfan0782

Snarf103

4/5  rDev +17.3%

02-12-2013 05:26:59 | More by Snarf103

CAcker

Colorado

4/5  rDev +17.3%

02-03-2013 14:01:04 | More by CAcker

Azteceinstein

2.75/5  rDev -19.4%

01-20-2013 17:57:40 | More by Azteceinstein

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Appearance: Perfectly clear. A rich copper with dark golden hues. Small off-white head has ok retention. Sticky lacing. Creamy and rich.

Smell: Caramel malt sweetness. Tons of Belgian yeast. Clove, banana, touches of bubblegum even. Big sweetness. So much clove. Candi sugar. Peppercorns. Vaguely breast. Very yeast and spice heavy. A bit of roasted malt adds character.

Taste: Big yeast and sweetness. Clove and ripe banana. So much clove. Sweet caramel malt presence. Cooked and caramelized malts. Bready in small amounts. Underlying earthiness coupled with some floral and citrus notes. Mild hopping. So very Belgian. Almost cola-like sweetness. Caramel and something akin to honey in the back. Vaguely spicy outside of clove.

Mouthfeel: Body runs on the lighter side of medium with a moderate carbonation. Minor dryness on the finish.

Overall: I think I missed the part where they made a saison.

A Belgian dark ale of sorts. Missed a saison in character and practice. Actually decent as a Belgian dark but a mess as a saison.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 02:12:29 | More by Goblinmunkey7

cliff1066

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

01-01-2013 22:51:04 | More by cliff1066

CoolGuy42

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +10%

12-27-2012 15:51:34 | More by CoolGuy42

nmann08

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

12-27-2012 03:37:57 | More by nmann08

AHood

Texas

3.58/5  rDev +5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I drank this from an over sized wine glass which allowed the aroma to impact me at 6 inches from my face. Head retention was weak, but the colour was a brilliant oxidized orange I would categorize as copper. While I was impressed by the aroma of meyer lemons, subtle floral hops of delicate white flowers and low to mild sourness, I was slightly less impressed by what was exposed on my palate. Relatively simple, a nice fruity citrus with a light balance of hop flavour in the expression of nutmeg (fitting for the season, as it is the end of November). I suppose I was expecting a bigger bang on the palate. I did taste a nice brown buttered malt that I rather enjoyed which lingered a bit on the finish with a touch of bitterness. Mouthfeel was surprisingly light, but coated my mouth well, adding a subtle tartness.

My overall impression of this beer is that, while it isn't life-changing, I would drink it again. Very easy to drink as a refreshing aperitif to get you going for the rest of the night. I would drink it alone or with a sandwich, because I like sandwiches. But seriously, a mellow smoked gouda; panini with ham, caramelized onions, the aforementioned cheese, spinach and tomatoes; or even a grilled chicken thigh with a reduced mushroom broth/sauce and wild rice.

I would buy a 6 pack of this to serve to my friends to get them ready for the big boys!

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 02:37:43 | More by AHood

irishgreensoda

Washington

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%

11-20-2012 22:42:34 | More by irishgreensoda

bgramels

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%

11-17-2012 01:53:23 | More by bgramels

russwbeck

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The color really surprised me as I was expecting it to be black. It actually rests in my glass a deep, clear amber color with around a finger of off white head. The head doesn't last at all and I also don't see many bubbles raising up through the beer, which both hurt its score in this category.

S: The aroma is much like a saison with some underlying roast and malt. Light spice, lemon, wheat, and what I'm equating to roast. Basically, I'm getting saison and a nice, new underlying aroma I can't quite place.

T: The taste is right on par with a saison with the malt lingering on the backend. The lemon and sweetness is up front, with the spices (as they were on the aroma) being very light. The malt provides a nice balance and sits at the very backend.

MF: The beer has a crisp and clean finish. Overall it has a thin to medium body with lower than average carbonation. I found the beer to be really drinkable.

O: I liked this take on the style, which is one that could be hit or miss for me. I didn't think it was great, but I've certainly had worse.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 22:41:03 | More by russwbeck

tlazaroff

Virginia

2.7/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A bit sweet on the nose, like caramel and brown sugar. Quite different than what I expected, it does not smell like a typical Saison.

Really nice brown and ruby in color, especially when held to the light. Few carbonation bubbles passing by and no speakable head.

This is very off-putting, it really gives me the impression of being a sour beer, without being sour. It has that really light apple taste, with a tad of funk on the back-end. Highly carbonated and light in body makes this one moderately easy to drink. I probably wouldn't be seeking this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 06:13:13 | More by tlazaroff

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +17.3%

10-21-2012 19:58:08 | More by Molson2000