Black Oak Summer Saison - Black Oak Brewing Co.

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from the Black Oak Brewery, purchased as part of a 6-pack and one bottle was mysteriously left unconsumed in my fridge. Been sitting there since last May or so, so it seems I've 'aged' this to a degree? Regardless, a 341ml bottle into a tulip.

Poured a filtered, orange yellow with some floaties hanging around in suspension (that I don't recall seeing when I consumed these last summer, Black Oak filters all their stuff). A finger of medium density head appears, with some mild retention. Nose holds some bright citrus, and orange, some light "zestiness," toasted wheat notes and a somewhat dry feel to it. Taste has a lot of dry fruits, more indiscriminate citrus and a whole lot of the toasted wheat. More zest is evident in a relatively dry finish, which lasts quite long. Dryness leaves one wanting more. 'twas a good drink, albeit more suited to a summer evening than a cold winter afternoon. Enjoyable, as it seems to have held up to its original flavour quite well.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 15:15:05 | More by liamt07

kinguy

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -23.3%

11-10-2012 16:26:32 | More by kinguy

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased at the brewery earlier this summer, so still reasonably fresh. A crisp and refreshing beer, perhaps even a transition beer that would appeal to a wide variety of palates.

Pours a beautifully hazy, golden amber with a dense white head that lingers. A wheaty and spicy Belgian yeast aroma that I believe to be very true to this style. Flavour starts sweet and fruity - orange and coriander - before ending on a pleasantly dry note with an underlying yeast tang.

Not a style that I personally choose very often, but think this is a good representative of it!

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 23:05:54 | More by hopsolutely

DaveJanssen

British Columbia (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

09-08-2012 17:30:10 | More by DaveJanssen

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap @ WVRST. Served in pint glass.

A - Straw yellow, slightly hazy with a small layer of white head.

S - A crisp floral hop presence compliments Belgian yeast, clove, spice and some citrus.

T - Crisp floral hop aroma, Belgian yeast, clove,
light citrus, spice. Clean and refreshing.

M - Light to medium body with moderate carbonation.

O - This is an extremely refreshing and sessionable saison. I find many saisons to be overly spiced to the point that the drinkability as a summer session beer suffers, but this one hits the mark. A great combination of depth of flavour and sessionability.

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2012 12:20:25 | More by TheSevenDuffs

chickenm

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

08-12-2012 15:54:00 | More by chickenm

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Masterski for this.

Poured from a 341ml. bottle.

Appearance: A hazy peach colored body with thick foam and a nice ring of lacing all around.

Smell: Pears, citrus, banana and a good wheat profile.

Taste: Pears, mild hops, banana, very mild spicing and ends with a twinge of sweet fruit, like tropical fruit. Very vague tartness.

Mouthfeel: Airy, ever so light bitterness and a nice lingering after taste.

Overall: Refreshing, tasty and could easily convert a light beer drinker.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 00:19:31 | More by papat444

WeedKing4

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Gigs in London. Pours a golden orange. Tastes slightly spicey with some hops and a bready like finish. A very nice treat overall and drinks down very smooth. I'm getting impressed with the improvement in this Province for craft beer. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2012 00:48:37 | More by WeedKing4

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer is a fairly clear golden. Small white head. Good lacing.

Smell contains yeast, dry cereal, lemon. A bit tart. Some light fruit. Smells like a berliner weisse to me.

Taste contains yeast, dry cereal. and an odd flavour that reminds me of Asian rice crackers- bizarre but I can't be more precise and the resemblance was startling. Lemon and other light fruit are present as well- perhaps papaya?

Light bodied, strongly carbonated. Too fizzy.

Overall. pretty good, but not exciting. Not what I hoped for.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2012 22:41:49 | More by jrenihan

dgilks

Australia

3.3/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy pale gold colour with a big, fluffy off-white head. Good head retention.

Bright yeasty fruit notes up front which fade to an earthy, nutty aroma. Interesting.

Earthy and a touch spicy with just a hint of yeast fruitiness. I get a big hit of chestnut flavour as well which is odd. This just doesn’t quite hit all the Saison notes I expected.

Medium light body with moderate carbonation. Fine but a little more fizz would help this beer.

This is an interesting beer. I normally love Saisons but the odd chestnut note is a little off-putting.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2011 07:40:19 | More by dgilks

3.28/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Gambrinus in London, Ontario.

Appearance - Hazy bright orange with a perfect inch of persistent creamy white head. Leaves beautiful lacing as it recedes. This is a really good-looking beer.

Smell - Fruity and citrusy with a little yeast and grass. Fairly mild aroma for a saison.

Taste and Mouthfeel - Very light bodied with medium carbonation. Taste is a bit on the thin side; dry and fruity with a bit of orange, grass, and wheat.

This beer is light in body and flavour, and goes down very easy, but it's still flavourful and satsifying. It would make an excellent session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 00:05:54 | More by

cyrenaica

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml draught
4.5% ABV
I tried this beer on June 24, 2011 at "The Beerbistro" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The beer poured a hazy golden orange colour with a 1" creamy white head. The aroma was musk, earth, and grains. The mouthfeel was weak bodied with mild carbonation. The flavour was slightly sweet, earthy, a little spice, and grass.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2011 21:52:29 | More by cyrenaica

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy golden straw colour with a thick whit head with decent amount of lacing. Has a nice aroma full of bread and yeast with a little malt presence to tie everything together. Very refreshing full of citrus and yeast would be perfect on a nice warm day. Light mouthfeel but suits the taste well. Very high drinkability, its a nice treat when it pops up.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 00:57:52 | More by peensteen

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

341ml bottle poured into pint glass nov1 2010

A hazy pale orange with lots tiny particles and plenty of carbonation that keeps a off white head there for a few minuets before it falls to a thin film leaving a few patches of lace

S yeasty orange peel with plenty of spice and even some faint bubble gum

T peppery flavors come through quite well on top of the yeast and citrus

M light and refreshing with lots of bubbles and a zesty aftertaste that slowly fades

D lots of flavor for a light beer, I could slam back a case of this if I had some summer heat to go with it

pretty happy with this one it would have been in my summer rotation for sure if I had this in my beer store. something you could drink a number of on a patio and still walk straight after, thanks liamt07 for sending this one my way

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 20:14:16 | More by wordemupg

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Kickoff in Waterloo. A fitting brew for the last day of summer.

Poured into a nonic glass. A lovely bright orange-golden brew, with loads of creamy lacing, which left solid sheets of lacing. Visible carbonation right up to the end. Looks terrific.

Nose is light citrus, peach, grain husks, musk, pepper, and that right amount of yeast that reminds me of Belgian blonde ales.

Smooth, crisp, refreshing - a terrific summer brew. Tons of flavor here - chewy grains, peach, orange peel, lemon, spices. Would that I could have had this all summer long.

Creamy, with adequate carbonation. About the right body for a brew such as this - on the thin side for big quaffing.

Great stuff again from Black Oak. A fresh, flavorful brew, perfect for a hot day. Would love to see this in bottles out in KW. I will be back for more until the summer warmth dies off...

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2010 23:35:35 | More by JohnnyBarman

spointon

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this one on-tap at Cafe Volo in Toronto. Served in an Imperial nonic pint glass.

A= This ale poured a slightly hazy yellow/gold color with a 1/2" white head. The head settled to a thin skim but left behind a lot of beautiful Belgian lace. Carbonation release was very active.

S= Very saison-like in the nose. I picked up sweet pilsner malt, yeasty funk, a hint of wheat, and a mix of citrus and peppery spice.

T= Much like the nose, with the yeast character really stealing the show. I really loved the flavors of orange, lemon, hay, and barnyard all combined into a classic, lightly tart summer time beer. Finished nice and dry. Made me feel like a farmhand in Wallonia!

MF= Thin body with a spritzy carbonation.

D= I really loved this beer and wish I could get it all summer long at my local. Tons of flavor packed into a sessionable abv!!!

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2010 04:43:09 | More by spointon

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Somehow, I think I have never had this beer until now. It is a hazy, pale yellow colour with a thin white head. It has a spicy Belgian yeast smell. Taste has lots of orange, black pepper and yeast. There is some sour and bitterness to it. The carbonation was a bit prickly on my tonge. I love how much flavour is packed into a small abv. Nicely done by Black Oak.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2010 19:40:24 | More by kwjd

strangemusic

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer came in a very tall glass, pale gold with a limited head. Average, pleasant.

The smell was primarily apple, pear, rosemary, and honey. Not very pungent, but again pleasant.

The taste had a lovely balance and a lot of dimension: tartness, sweetness, rosemary, pepper, bitterness, honey, zesty orange, wheat, floral yeast and earthy flavours.

The mouthfeel is also earthy, light/medium in body and a bit tart with soft carbonation.

It's refreshingly drinkable and seems to shift in nuance and character from sip to sip.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2010 04:44:58 | More by strangemusic

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for the bottle Doug! Much appreciated. Thick bubbly of white head sits on top of a heavily carbonated orange coloured body. Lots of sediment here too! Nice! Aroma is of orange peel, spices, sour notes, and sweet malt. Complex! Taste is orange peels, spices, sweet and sour bitterness, and some grassy notes. Long lasting aftertaste that is bitter and sour. Well balanced!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 22:04:03 | More by mrmanning

Seanstoppable

Nova Scotia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Recently received from MeisterBurger. I enjoyed Black Oak's Nut Brown last time I was in Ontario, so I had to give this one a try.

Pours a hazy yellow/orage color with a finger of solid head.

Fantastic nose. Some fruity scent that reminds me of apricots is dominant. Layered under that is some yeast and wheat scents.

Taste continues to remind me of apricots, specifically dried apricots given the dry finish and slightly fuzzy feel. Some yeasty/wheaty flavoring in the middle, which reminds me of a weizen. A kick of peppery spice at the end draws things to a close.

A fantastic beverage and a top notch example of what Black Oak is capable of. Technically under the traditional ABV for a saison, this only makes it more drinkable for extended durations. My only regret is that there is just the one bottle for me to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 00:36:57 | More by Seanstoppable

stagger

Alberta (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

An astonishingly good session saison, not as complex or hoppy as many in the style, but somehow the more perfect for all that - I'd drink this every day if it were available.

Taste is extremely reminiscent of Driftwood's excellent Farmhand Ale, but without the Farmhand's sometimes overweening black pepper finish.

Hoping I can get my hands on more down the road.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 02:51:00 | More by stagger

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled at Chancey Smith's in London, ON, along with the Nut Brown and Pale Ale. First time I tried this was on tap at C'est What? I like the bottled version better.

Pours a glowing, hazy, marmalade orange/yellow with a bubbly white head that retains nicely. Lots of sticky lace on the glass. Smell is strong spice (grains of paradise, lemon zest) with prominent yeast aromas and some wheat malt in the background. Taste is quite similar: yeast and wheat malt upfront, along with orange peel, lemon, coriander, and faint hops. Lightly nutty flavours impart a peanut butter essence. Very citrusy and refreshing. Mildly astringent bitterness in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is smooth, tangy and well-carbonated. I didn't expect to like this beer so much, but it's really flavourful. Another winner from Black Oak!

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2009 17:46:54 | More by cratez

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Bobsy for this beer. Tasted on September 20, 2009.

A: Golden yellow, hazy with a nice little head that sticks well to the glass.

S: Fruity, some coriander. Typical Belgium smell... spicy but not too much.

T: Wow, bitter... I get some woody flavor here. Not my type of taste unfortunately. I think the woody stuff is too harsh however, this beer it is tone down a little bit.

M: I feel the carbonation.

D: One per session is enough for me.

That woody taste I have to get through... I guess my palates are not accustomed to this. Maybe with more experience I would like it more. If you like the wood taste, this is one beer for you, however it is not strong. Maybe a good introductory to this taste...

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2009 01:48:38 | More by ZorPrime

Nickls

District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(From notes- share from a kind RB)

A - Light yellowy gold; fairly clear; nice foamy eggshell head

S - Lightly spicy; yeasty and bready

T - Grainy; light spice; citric; touch sweet

M - Light MF; and bubbly carbonation

D - Nice drinking; interesting enough and tasty; refreshing

Overall, a really nice drinking saison and tasty. Worth a look.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2009 02:34:40 | More by Nickls

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Contrary to what you might expect, Summer Saison's tone is not all that sunny or bright; in fact, it is a frosty and almost cloudy looking shade of marmalade. A filmy blanket of haze replete with the suspension of microscopic-sized proteins makes the complexion most foggy. Still, it is attractive - especially with its pearl white head bountifully plopped on top (Although not up to Belgian standards, this level of capping is acceptable).

The beer is brewed with orange zest, coriander and an especially fragrant strain of yeast and wouldn't you know it, you can discernibly smell each one of those things. The orange zest has a very marmalade-like, general citrusy character while the coriander imparts an underlying peppery kind of spice you could expect to find in most Middle Eastern or North African cuisines. And this yeast, surely of farmhouse ancestry, is distinctively perfumy.

This years' batch seems a little scaled back on the wheat and a little more abundant in the malt. The result seems to be more (and more vivid) biscuity flavour than I recall from previous releases. This cookie-dough like taste seems at odd with a saison and isn't all that complimentary to the other flavours of grassy chamomile, straw, wheat, silk road spicing and orange-concentrated citrus zest. Nevertheless, it remains scrumptiously tasty.

I remember the summer (late spring, actually) when this beer was first released. I have very fond memories of the entire afternoon (and evening) we spent on a downtown patio, sun-beating down on us, a waitress' legs tiring from fetching the continuous rounds of pints and her apologetic (but truthfully relieved) tone of voice after informing us the keg had run dry. Of course, I don't have such fond memories of the morning after...

This Canadian saison could likely pass for an authentic Belgian one. Although their year-round releases (Pale Ale and Nut Brown) are both fantastic examples of their respective styles, it is arguably Black Oak's seasonals, like Summer Saison, that really showcase this brewer's craftsmanship. Every year I look forward to this beer; for many of us beer geeks in Toronto, summer doesn't begin until the first drop of Saison is poured.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2009 16:38:12 | More by biegaman