Saison De Pipaix
Brasserie à Vapeur

Saison De PipaixSaison De Pipaix
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From:
Brasserie à Vapeur
 
Belgium
Style:
Saison
Ranked #643
ABV:
6%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,866
Avg:
3.71 | pDev: 15.09%
Reviews:
171
Ratings:
267
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 09, 2022
Added:
Apr 16, 2002
Wants:
  27
Gots:
  18
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.06/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Cloudy orange body, giant white foam head, sporadic patches lacing. Apple, big estery lemon, light dinner roll, floral nose. Taste more focused on orange and apple esters, yeast is sweeter but moreso bready, esters finish too. Light and delicate, carb higher but not sharp, soft even.
Dec 09, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by mmilyko from Nevada

Jul 07, 2022
Photo of 4DAloveofSTOUT
Reviewed by 4DAloveofSTOUT from Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle poured into HF Durobor Charente glass.

This is one intriguing saison. Unique for sure.

Appearance: Light copper body with a bone white head. Slightly less than 2 fingers head that drops down to ring around the glass with spotty lace clinging to many places on the glass.

Smell- smells like a rustic saison got blended with lambic here.

Taste: Gently fruity. Lightly spicy & floral. Apple cider / sparkling apple juice, pears, white grapes, light white peppery yeast, mildly earthy funk are the main flavors here. Very subtle tartness, but the nose made me think it might be a significantly tart saison. Surprisingly it’s not. Also tastes like well water that does not have that heavy hard water minerality. I guess soft mineral water flavor is what I am trying to say here. Light finish that tastes of seltzer water.

Mouthfeel: light body. Moderate to high carbonation levels in the beer with really soft bubbles. Finish is quite clean and does not leave any heavy lingering aftertaste flavors at all. Incredibly drinkable. No perceived ABV whatsoever.

Overall: Complex, very delicately balanced saison. This is almost like a someone blended a draft pour of Cantillion Classic Gueuze with a bottle of Saison DuPont Avril. It’s also a beer that kept be guessing because the nose made me think this beer would be tart, but it wasn’t & this soft minerality is something that you just don’t find very often in Saisons. Usually it’s a strong mineral content with that signature well water flavor...this is completely different from the crowd. So much apple flavors are here too.
Sep 09, 2021
Photo of Wanderingspider
Reviewed by Wanderingspider

3.49/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I didn't love this. Definitely more on the sour side. It had a mild metallic note on the palate which I can never get around. Pretty straightforward otherwise.
Apr 21, 2021
Photo of OlaB
Reviewed by OlaB from Norway

3.96/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a murky light brown color with a medium top off white head that dissolves quickly.
Aroma is of tart, apples, citrus, cherry, wine, yeast and spices.
The taste is fruity with tart and acidic notes allong with some malt notes in the background. That is followed with some floral and spicy notes in the finish. Strange flavour for a saison, but it does work.
Mouthfeel is smooth and refreshing with a prickly carbonation and a medium body.
A well done saison, but kind of different og what i am used to.
Jan 09, 2021
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

2.92/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.25
Opens by prying off the cap with a resounding pop! There's a little plastic gasket thing on the underside which might give a more reliable seal. Lots of foam but no gush. Not much tingle on the tongue. Color is mid-amber, clear, in the Strubbe tall tulip. Peculiar musty smell with the cider press on a hot day.

Really odd oxidized taste, though nothing wold indicate this is old. Tastes like red wine with beer and a dose of pineapple juice. Not quite revolting, but it doesn't get any better after repeated sips. The label says "Ale brewed with spices," which I wish they wouldn't have. I can't imagine what those spices might be. From the 750 ml bottle.
Sep 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.99 by arzt from Germany

Aug 30, 2020
 
Rated: 3.76 by emerge077 from Illinois

May 30, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by paulish from New York

Mar 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by steverx8 from England

Sep 23, 2018
 
Rated: 2.72 by desint from Belgium

Aug 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.73 by shelby415 from Oregon

Jun 23, 2018
Photo of bobv
Reviewed by bobv from Vermont

4.24/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Label states: Brewed in 2002!
Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch white head over a medium amber body with scant lacing. Nose of grapefruit, zero hops, hay, straw, very slight funk, and old wet oak. As it warms a bit, some barnyard rears its funky head. Taste of citrus, that wonderful oak, barnyard, cellar floor, and all kinds of spice. This is so complex while going through so many changes as it warms. As I poured the 3rd (and last) glass, a bit of schmegma falls into my glass. No biggie: this beer is old! Real nice feel and overall, I may have waited too long to open this but it really is an experience and so glad for the opportunity. Cheers!
Dec 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.49 by siebevl from Belgium

Apr 29, 2017
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

4.18/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A lot of Belgian producers use their heritage as a marketing ploy but Brasserie à Vapeur still actually operates the traditional way; they've preserved the same logo since 1785 and their flagship ale which sports it on its label, Saison De Pipaix, still looks like a product of that time. Unfiltered, the ale has a muddied tangerine complexion and healthy, natural carbonation.

The nose is exactly as funky as you'd expect from a farmhouse recipe that dates back to the 18th century and is still brewed using steam power ("Brasserie à Vapeur" translates to "Steam Powered Brewery"). Fermentation is said to take place in three stages, the last being quite warm and, this is just my guess here, very inviting to additional yeasts and critters...

Cider vinegar notes and musty, vanillin impressions of oak are delicate but really come through on the palate (despite that this is neither sour nor does it ever see the inside of a barrel). Apple skin tartness, leather and 'farmhouse floor' are prominent features, each complimentary and/or extensions of the ripe orchard fruit, dry straw and feed grain flavours.

How have we not talked about spices yet? Unlike other Belgian producers (*cough*, Fantôme, *cough* Trappist monks) these guys are happy to share their secret ingredients: pepper, ginger, curacao, sweet orange peels, coriander and roast chicory. You'd have to be an idiot savant to note any of those outright but the amalgam, however mild, is hugely gainful.

Long, long - a little over 200 years - before Brettanomyces were deemed "cool" and sour farmhouse ales became the flavour 'du jour' there was Saison De Pipaix. This iconic Belgian ale might not have the same status as Cantillon, Dupont or Fantôme but it has all the great elements of each - funk, farm and spice respectively - and belongs right next to them on the shelf.
Nov 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by SpAiReArGsEonNE from New Jersey

Sep 10, 2016
Photo of sjccmd
Reviewed by sjccmd from Minnesota

4.24/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bruised apples in the aroma. Ripe pear, wet wood, white pepper, very herbal. A touch of honey and crackery malts. Perfume like. A hint of funk. If you dig for it, you can find anise.

Pours hazy light orange with a frothy white head. Lots of bubbles. Great head retention and lacing.

Juicy apples, oranges, and pears. Tons of fruit upfront followed with earthy tea, finishing with balancing bitter hops. A touch of acidity, not fully sour. Very earthy and rustic. Solidly dry finish.

Juicy mouthfeel. Medium light body with heavy carbonation. Fruit and wood linger on the palate.

Very fruity but with balancing earthiness. Rustic and a little strange. Somewhere between DuPont and Fantome.
Aug 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.31 by Euroglot from Belgium

May 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.35 by eric5bellies from Australia

May 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.97 by dcmchew from Romania

May 20, 2016
Saison De Pipaix from Brasserie à Vapeur
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 267 ratings