Cerveja Musa Saison O’Connor

Posted on by Evan

From Lisbon, Portugal, Saison O’Conner is a Farmhouse Saison-style beer from Cerveja Musa. It weighs in at 5.8% ABV, which is lower than most Saisons. Musa gives their beer puns names like ”Saison O’Conner. I got this beer though a past exchange student who came back to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday. Musa is not imported into the US, as far as I know. I have more from Musa still yet to review. Those will be up soon. This Saison pours an orange color and a finger white fizzy head. The aroma is bitter, dry, and yeasty. The taste has a little orange dry flavor with bitterness and some light spices. The mouthfeel is medium with a little extra carbonation. Then this Saison finishes dry and a little yeasty. Then you get a dry bitter aftertaste that dances on the tongue for just a few seconds before fading away. I have had better Saison, but this is not too bad. Saison O’Conner gets a C. It’s average for a Saison beer. Nothing stands out, and nothing is terrible. I would recommend this. The bitterness is not strong. It is just enough bitterness. I thought that was an interesting flavor for a Saison. This beer is easy to drink for the Saison style. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Amor Artis Brewing Tiger Loves Hibiscus

Posted on by Evan

I bought Amor Artis Brewing Tiger Loves Hibiscus A Saison Style Ale, 5.0% ABV from Total Wine. This beer is hopped with Noble Saaz and brewed with Hibiscus Flowers, Tamarind, and Sea Salt. It pours a darker cherry red color with a semi-pink one finger head. The aroma is fruity, floral, and sweet. The flavor is tart, fruity, faintly sweet with flowery spice notes. Then comes a tart floral finish and a tart fruity like finish. The mouthfeel is light. Tiger Loves Hibiscus has a faint medicinal quality to it. This beer is not that great, and I give it a C-. It is not terrible, but it not great. After drank this beer, I have realized that maybe I am not into hibiscus flavored beers. I won’t recommend this, and I don’t see myself rushing back to this Saison anytime soon. Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Haw River Farmhouse Ale Cultural Divide Farmstand Pickle Kettled-Sour Saison

Posted on by Evan

A purchase from the Butcher’s Market, Haw River Farmhouse Ales Cultural Divide Farmstand Pickle Kettled-Sour Saison, 6.2% ABV is part of a series of beers called Cultural Divide and is brewed with Carolina Culture yogurt fresh from cow’s milk infused with fresh North Carolina cucumbers, fresh dill & pickling spices. Farmstand Pickle pours a orange-y yellow color with a big three finger quick white head with sour pickle brine/juicy aromas and light cucumber. Taste is much like the name of this beer, tart yet semi sour dill pickle with some pickle juice that mixes with light cucumber with nice amount of effervescent to give Farmstand Pickle a medium mouthfeel with a nice tart and sour pickle finish and a similar aftertaste with little of of saison notes following the pickled flavor that lingers for a bit. Haw River Farmhouse Ales Cultural Divide Farmstand Pickle Kettled-Sour Saison is a beer that slowly grows on you and gets a B-. The Saison base does help with the dill pickle flavors otherwise this beer wouldn’t be very good, I mean most people don’t usually drink straight pickle juice. I would say to try this just as a curiosity, it is an interesting beer that isn’t that bad. Please stay safe and enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Stillwater Artisanal Classique Post Modern Beer

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on August 2nd, 2015.

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I have received another beer from Brewpublik (www.brewpublik.com). This canned beer comes from Stillwater Artisanal in Stratford Connecticut. This is Classique Post Modern Beer, 4.5% ABV. Classique is a Farmhouse Ale/Saison. Stillwater uses corn and rice in this beer along with pilsner malts, old school American hops and farmhouse ale yeast. I really couldn’t find out what types of American hops were used here. Classique pours a light yellow color that is a bit hazy with a two-finger head that somewhat slow to dissipate and does leave behind some decent lacing. I found little amounts of light coming through the glass around nice carbonation. The aroma is nice with a mild yeast scent with hints of very faint funky lemon. I would say the aroma is not over the top but nice. Now the taste is smooth and funky with a slight faint tartness that comes in upfront and is gone soon as it comes in. There is a bit of a slight yeast flavor in the middle of the mouth and more funkiness on the back. The mouthfeel is light and refreshing with a cleaner/smoother finish that starts and aftertaste of a yeasty and funky lemon flavor that lingers for just a second or two then becomes faintly tart. I found Classique to be refreshing and sessionable. I give this beer an A. It is not overly flavorful but it has just enough flavors to make it enjoyable. Some farmhouse ales have too many funky flavors and tend to overwhelm one’s taste buds. But Classique is just right. I do recommend try Stillwater Artisanal Classique Post Modern Beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Burial Beer Co. An Abstract Reverie

Posted on by Evan

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I purchased a Crowler of Burial Beer Co. An Abstract Reverie, 4.6% ABV from Pop The Top Craft Beer Shop locally in Charlotte, North Carolina. An Abstract Reverie is a Saison/Farmhouse Ale that is inspired by the base beer for Thresher Coffee Saison and is brewed with citrus and Mandarina Bavaria. An Abstract Reverie pours a copper color with an almost one finger quickly fleeting thin white head giving off crisp citrus apple notes with a slight twinge of an acidic bitter/sour white wine note. Taste comes to you with a citrus flavor on the front that then becomes a bit acidic, almost become apple-like in the middle of your mouth with a little dry sour white wine flavor on the back coming to an acidic dry finish with a bit of faint citrus feel and an acidic citrus/apple white wine like after taste all with a light mouthfeel. Burial Beer Co. An Abstract Reverie wasn’t really something I was expecting it to be for a Saison and the finish hold it back to give it a C+. The rest of the beer is just above average and I could even say it is easy to drink and slightly refreshing. But just the acidic nature of An Abstract Reverie finish doesn’t pull the whole Ale together for something great. But on the other hand, I am not saying that Burial Beer Co. An Abstract Reverie is bad, and maybe worth a try. Please stay safe at home and please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!        

Throwback Thursday: Stillwater Artisanal Classique Post Modern Beer

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted August 2nd, 2015

I have received another beer from Brewpublik (www.brewpublik.com). This canned beer comes from Stillwater Artisanal in Stratford Connecticut. This is Classique Post Modern Beer, 4.5% ABV. Classique is a Farmhouse Ale/Saison. Stillwater uses corn and rice in this beer along with pilsner malts, old school American hops and farmhouse ale yeast. I really couldn’t find out what types of American hops were used here. Classique pours a light yellow color that is a bit hazy with a two finger head that somewhat slow to dissipate and does leave behind some decent lacing. I found little amounts of light coming through the glass around nice carbonation. The aroma is nice with a mild yeast scent with hints of very faint funky lemon. I would say the aroma is not over the top but nice. Now the taste is smooth and funky with a slight faint tartness that comes in up front and is gone soon as it comes in. There is a bit of a slight yeast flavor in the middle of the mouth and more funkiness on the back. The mouthfeel is light and refreshing with a cleaner/smoother finish that starts and aftertaste of a yeasty and funky lemon flavor that lingers for just a second or two then becomes faintly tart. I found Classique to be refreshing and sessionable. I give this beer an A. It is not overly flavorful but it has just enough flavors to make it enjoyable. Some farmhouse ales have too many funky flavors and tend to overwhelm ones taste buds. But Classique is just right. I do recommend try Stillwater Artisanal Classique Post Modern Beer. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Fullsteam Brewery Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted August 15th, 2015

Not too recently I’ve seen the number of Saison or farmhouse ale grow and appear on the store shelves. This tells me that this is style of beer is growing in popularity. Brewers are experimenting with different ingredients in these Saisons. Some brewers are keeping their Saisons more traditional to the style than others. Fullsteam in Durham North Carolina brews a Saison Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale, 5.0% ABV and with an IBU of 32. This is a canned Saison with fresh basil. Summer Basil pours a pale yellow that is almost white with a four finger bright white head that slowly dissipates into bight thin lacing. I could see very minimal light coming through as well as little carbonation, but its there. The aroma is faint with a funky aroma and full of a light basil scent that gets a bit stronger as this ale warms with a nice perfume scent. The taste is like what drinking a bouquet of flowers would taste like. There is a nice mellow basil flavor with small hints of faint lemon tartness and slight funk. The mouthfeel is light with a nice smother refreshing finish, Now the after taste has nice basil finish the is a bit more lemony but not too much to make it sour. It’s just the right amount. This is an interesting take on a popular and yet growing style of beer. This Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale from Fullsteam Brewery is an A. The basil works with the saison and doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors and drag this beer down into not so good or bad territory, and it’s surprisingly refreshing and drinkable. I’d say it’s even sessionable. It’s good and I recommend that you try Fullsteam Brewery Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Ponysauras Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison

Posted on by Evan

I first had Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison, 6.0% during my Beer & Chips Pairing a while back well now I am reviewing it. Don’t Be Mean To People pours an amber orange color with an off white two finger head that fizzles down to a half inch giving an aroma similar to a Hefeweizen with sweet banana notes with a traditional Saison yeasted note. Taste is similar to the nose with banana sweetness and a slightly bitter yeast note. Don’t Be Mean To People taste more like a Hefeweizen than Saison. It’s has a sweet clove like finish and a fading sweet yeasty banana aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People is not a bad beer, it just doesn’t taste much like a Saison and it’s getting a C, and it better the beginning of the can but towards the end, it falls off a bit. I don’t think that you could have more than two or two and a half before the flavor starts to become too much on your taste buds. Not a bad beer just a little false flavor. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Beer & Chips Pairing: Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison & Cape Cod Sea Salt & Vinegar

Posted on by Evan

My favorite potato chips are Salt & Vinegar. This is Beer & Chips Pairing: Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison, 6.0% ABV & Cape Cod Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, and a paring of A review of Ponysauras Brewing Don’t be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison, will be coming soon. These Cape Cod chips are light yellow with slight burn crisp edges and have an oily salted vinegar aroma with a nice full vinegar flavor that is complemented by the sea salt. Ponysauras Brewing Don’t be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison does wash out some of the vinegar but compliments the sea salt but the strong mouthfeel of this Ponysauras beer doesn’t help the flavor of these sea salt & vinegar chips. They do pair well with this Saison but I think that a more traditional Saison would have been a better choice, whereas this Ponysauras Saison is not so traditional to the Saison style. I give this is Beer & Chips Pairing: Ponysauras Brewing Don’t Be Mean To People Golden Rule Saison, 6.0% ABV & Cape Cod Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips a C+. It’s just slightly above average. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Hopfly Brewing Co. The Jalapeño Saison Style Ale

Posted on by Evan

I love a good pepper beer, one that is well brewed. I heard about this Hopfly Brewing Co. The Jalapeño Saison Style Ale, 6.5% from the own of Pop The Top Bottle Shop. So I pick up some. The Jalapeño Saison pours an orange hue with a quickly fleeting three finger white head that does fade but sticks around giving off Jalapeño pepper spices with a faint lemon note. Taste follows the nose with a nice hit of Jalapeño heat a little light lemon note with some Belgian yeast flavors flowing in on the back to the tongue that finishes with a little Jalapeño heat and the same Jalapeño on the aftertaste that fades a little but not completely with a medium mouthfeel. Hopfly Brewing Co. The Jalapeño Saison Style Ale has a mild heat to it which tells me that Hopfly takes out some of the Jalapeño seeds but not all. The seeds of the Jalapeño pepper is what has the heat. This beer is good but I think that three of these is enough and I give this a B-. Good but the Jalapeño flavor really masks a lot of the other flavors but it’s good. I really didn’t get much of the the Saison flavors, just the Jalapeño. So if you like Jalapeño beers then try tHopfly Brewing Co. The Jalapeño Saison Style Ale. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!