Beef's Brewery

Showing posts with label Saison. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 January 2015 Abbey, Ale, beefsbrewery, beer, blanc, California, czech, Geek, Lost, republic, Saison, san Marcos 0 comments

The Lost Abbey Saison Blanc

The Lost Abbey Saison Blanc

Style: Saison

Alcohol Content: 5.5%

From: San Marcos, California, USA

Purchased from: Beer Geek, Prague, Czech Republic

http://lostabbey.com/

Some men dream, whilst others just brew.

A few years ago Vince Marsaglia (co founder of Pizza Port) dreamt of a brewery producing a range of authentic abbey style beers. That dream became a reality when Tomme Arthur was hired to brew a Belgian Dubbel called Overhead Abbey ale.

After many years of small scale brewing at Pizza port, the dynamic duo began formulating a plan to bring abbey style beers to the masses. As luck would have it, Stone Brewing Company announced that it was moving away from its old facility in San Marcos, California to a larger premises. Taking this as a sign from a higher power, the newly formed Port Brewing Company moved into this facility and split production between Port and the Belgium beer specialist Lost Abbey. The brewery finally opened its doors to the public in 2006 and now produce a range of six core beers and a plethora of seasonal specials including the subject of this review; Saison Blanc.

Colour: Pours a bright, straw yellow with a thin white head which lingers for the duration of the beer. As with many Saisons, a heft lump of yeast is present in the bottle. Feeling darling, I added some into my glass. The yeast not only helps to cloud the beer, but in my opinion it helps to lift the flavours of the beer onto a higher plane.

Aroma: What a bobby dazzler of a nose. Big bold notes of yeast and straw are promptly followed by notes of plums, grapes and perhaps a little pineapple. Very fruity and not what I have come to expect from a Saison.

Body: The additional yeast really helps to fill out the body because I fear that without the yeast, this beer would actually taste rather thin and lifeless. The yeast adds a slight creamy sensation that mixes very playfully with the incredibly complex flavour profile.

Taste: As I eluded to above, this beer has a complex flavour profile which I will now attempt to summarise. Rather like a glass of Chardonnay, this beer drinks dry from beginning to the end. Notes of straw, coriander, pepper and sweet raisins shine though before the alcohol rains on their parade. This strong alcohol taste is rather surprising given the low ABV. As the beer warms, hints of fresh lemons appear to add a real zing to the finish which remains warming and dry complimented with a slight hint of hop bitterness. A very well rounded package that needs a little more body thickness in order to be truly exceptional.

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/anchor-brewing-old-foghorn.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Tuesday, 17 December 2013 Ale, Arbor, beer, Bristol, camra, camrgb, craft beer, drinkcraftbeer, Flu, IRS, Man Flu, Monsoon, Richmond, Saison, Season, Uk 0 comments

Arbor Ale Monsoon Saison

Arbor Ale's Monsoon Saison
Style: Saison

Alcohol Content: 6.4%

From: Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Purchased From: Purchased from: Real Ale Shop, Richmond-Upon-Thames

http://www.arborales.co.uk/

So last week i had the dreaded man flu and IRS in my right hand, so unfortunately i was unable to blog. Doctor/Emma's orders! However, I'm now full fit and ready to taste some beer.

Arbor Ales began brewing in March 2007 on a 2.5 BBL plant in a small outbuilding at the back of the Old Tavern in Stapleton. When the pub closed in June 2008 they moved to a unit in Kingswood and upgraded to a 5.5 BBL plant. Arbor moved again in early 2012 to their current location in Lawrence Hill and upgraded to a 12 BBL plant. They are now producing around 25-30 BBLs a week. In March 2009 Arbor took on their first pub, the Old Stillage in Redfield, which they purchased from Punch Taverns a year later. In October 2010 Arbor signed the lease on their second pub, the Three Tuns in Hotwells.

So here we have a review of their Monsoon Saison. This beer was created on a freestyle Friday, were the brewers stop making their traditional lines and start experimenting with recipes and ingredients. So lets see what they have for us?

Colour: On the pour, you will presented with a straw yellow liquid with a bright, bubbly white head. There is plenty of carbonation in the bottle to keep this head going throughout the life cycle of this drink. As you slowly pour, you will notice that he drink is clear. To create an authentic Saison, stop the pour near the top and swish the remaining liquid around the bottle to pick up the yeast. Drop this into the glass to create a beautiful Saison fit for a king.

Aroma: There is a heady mix of freshly cut hay and rich autumn plums on the nose. As the drink matures, you will be able to pick out the hints of coriander and cardamom which have been added during the brewing process.

Body: Without the yeast the drink is quite light to drink. The carbonation can be hard to handle at first so I would recommend adding the yeast into your glass, as this helps to take this beer to another level. The drink will become thicker, almost like a Weiss beer and leave a rich creamy coating on the back of your throat. Divine!

Taste: On the first sip you will taste notes of straw and steeped summer fruits such as plums and strawberries. Then suddenly the added cardamom and coriander will burst though and play with your tongue. This leads to a bitterly, crisp and dry after taste that reminds me that Christmas is just around the corner and my bank account is already empty. I am rather new to this style of beer and I am shocked I never came across it sooner. For me, Arbour Ales Monsoon Saison can give the French and Belgium’s a run for their money any day of the week. An excellent beer!

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/stone-brewing-company-levitation-ale.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Wednesday, 20 November 2013 Ale, beer, Belgium, camra, camrgb, coopertown, craft beer, drinkcraftbeer, duvel, Game of Thrones, GOT, HBO, hennepin, New York, ommegang, Saison, Usa 0 comments

Ommegang Hennepin

Ommegang Hennepin

Style: Saison

Alcohol Content: 7.7%

From: Cooperstown, New York, USA

Purchased From: Real Ale Shop, Richmond Upon Thames, London, England
http://www.ommegang.com/

Brewery Ommegang is a Belgian brewery located near Cooperstown, New York that specializes in Belgian-style ales. Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. Founded by Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, owners of Vanberg & DeWulf beer import company, and three family owned Belgian breweries including Duvel Moortgat. Ommegang started up in a purpose-built building based on a traditional Belgian farmhouse, set on a former 136-acre (0.55 km2) hopfarm in the Susqehanna River Valley, four miles (6 km) south of Cooperstown, New York in the Town of Milford.

Since its opening, Ommegang has grown rapidly — in early 2005, its owner said they have been unable to meet demand for their ales and as a result would add 40 percent to their production capacity over the next year.

By 2003, the Belgian breweries had all been absorbed into large corporations. Feinberg and Littlefield sold their share of Ommegang in 2003 to Belgian brewer Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, brewers of the world-renowned Duvel Golden Ale. Duvel Moortgat brewed limited amounts of beer for Brewery Ommegang in 2006 to help meet demand, but has not brewed any since then. Ommegang have also started to brew a series of special editions based on the successful HBO series, Game of Thrones. The latest in in this series is the Take the Black Stout. However this review focuses on Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

Colour: Pours a straw yellow with a luxuriously thick white head. This head clings to the glass like its life depends on it and stays with you throughout the drink. Another point of note is that the drink is opaque. Looks like a treat to drink.

Aroma: The label calls this this drink a farmhouse Saison and you can certainly smell why. Big, bold aromas of hay and the farm yard will rise from the glass. There are notes of cracked black pepper mixed and a warm spiciness which will fire you up.

Body: This drink is actually thicker than it looks. The body is very reminiscent of a Belgium wheat beer, nice and creamy. This sensation will cover your throat making you think your drinking a pint of milk. In the glass there is a low level of carbonation which helps to add to the smoothness of this drink.

Taste: The interesting element to this drink comes from the taste. All the flavours a very well balanced which helps to create a very pleasurable and smooth drinking experience. Notes of spicy ginger, peppery coriander and zingy orange peel present themselves straight away. At 7.7 ABV, this drink hides the alcohol very well by introducing a sherbet lemon finish. I will certainly be getting another bottle of this when I pop into the real ale shop this week.

Must learn how to use a flash!

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/moor-beer-company-old-freddy-walker.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Wednesday, 6 November 2013 Ale, beefsbrewerey, beer, beertourism, Belgium, brewery, Bruges, Brugges, camra, camrgb, Dupont, Eurostar, Half Man, Hoilday, Kwak, Red Rose, Saison, travel, trip, Zot 0 comments

Bruges By Beers

Bruges By Beers

So a slight change from the norm here at Beefsbrewery. Earlier in October me and my girlfriend Emma visited the gorgeous city of Bruges. As im sure most you are aware, Belgium is famous for its amazing selection of beers. Ranging from Blonde to Saison, Bruges had it all. So sit back, relax and have a butchers at my beer photos of Bruges.