Hilliard’s Saison

One of the newer Seattle breweries is Hilliard’s. These guys have some nice looking cans. Very retro. The beer features Pilsner malt and Goldings hops, and that seems to be about it.

Stats:
Saison. 6.0% ABV. Washington.

Pale yellow in color with a nice, but loose head.

It’s got some yeast funky-ness going on like you would expect from a saison with quite a bit of lemon coming through.

Mouthfeel is quite light and fairly heavy carbonation.

Fresh squeezed lemon and some nice yeasty-ness. Nice apples on the mid and finishes with a bit of a tart pear and yeast note.

If you like saisons, this may be a go-to beer for you. It’s tasty, fairly simple, and a thirst quenching mother of a beer. Oh and the can is sweet looking. 88 points.

Widmer W’12 Dark Saison

Newest in the “W” Series is the dark saison. I love saisons, so it’s always cool to see a new one, especially a new American interpretation of one. This beer features 2-row Pale, White Wheat, Caramel 120, Vienna, and Dark Chocolate malts with Alchemy and Saaz hops.

Stats:
Saison. 5.5% ABV. 25 IBUs. Oregon. Spring Release.

Nice mohogany color. The head does last long.

Definitely smells like a Belgian saison. It’s got that high yeast characteristic bringing a lot of fruit and a nice black pepper component.

Mouthfeel is light to medium body with heavy carbonation, but you would expect that.

Lots of yeast and fruit hit the palate initially. The flavor really drops off on the mid-palate, but comes back a little bit with that nice black pepper spice and a hint of honey on the finish.

I think this is a solid saison that has a great price point. It’s not the quality of some of the higher priced saisons, but it’s a good introduction to the style. 84 points.

Dogfish Head Noble Rot

If you know anything about wine, then you probably have heard of Noble Rot. It’s a fungus, called Botrytus, that can attack wine grapes, but is prized for it’s ability to concentrate the sugars in the grape. This beer has Viognier must that was infected by noble rot, as well as, Pinot Gris must. Otherwise, it’s basically a saison, brewed with Pils and wheat malts.

Stats:
Saison. 9.0% ABV. 18 IBUs. Delaware. Limited Release.

Very pale yellow color. Actually, it looks a lot like coors light.

The nose is not like coors light. It’s fruity, with a slice of peach and a grape, and just a pinch of black pepper.

Mouthfeel is quite light. Actually very light with high carbonation. Does not present itself as a 9% beer.

The palate is a bit fruity, with a bit tartness. It’s got a saison like characteristic with that black pepper coming through a bit. Nice honey component.

I cannot believe how light this beer is. Firstly, in mouthfeel, but also in taste. It’s a 9% beer that doesn’t even seem like it’s 5%. That’s pretty incredible. It’s fruity, it’s light, and it’s easy drinking. But it’s also fairly light on flavor. It doesn’t wow me, and for $14, I’d like some wow. Again, I applaud Dogfish Head for the gull to make this beer, but it just doesn’t blow me away. 87 points.

Fantome Pissenlit

I picked up 2 new Fantome beers from 99 Bottles. They were in the back room, but I was lucky enough to get my hands on them. They aren’t cheap, but the original Fantome that I had blew me away. I had to have them. This is a beer that’s actually brewed with dandelions. They dry the flowers in the sun, then soak them in water for a few days. That “tea” is then used as the base for the beer. The description does say that you may not detect the dandelions. Another fun fact: Pissenlit means “wet the bed”, and is named for the diuretic effect of uncooked dandelions. You learn something new everyday.

Stats:
Saison. 8.0% ABV. Belgium. Spring Seasonal.

Amber to brown in color. The bottom of the bottle makes for a very hazy beer.

Well…this smells amazing. It’s got a tartness mixed with a heavy yeast aroma, bordering on Champagne. Baked apples and pears mix with a brown sugar component.

Spritzy carbonation but backed by a nice medium body mouthfeel.

Baked apples and Champagne is what comes to mind when I initially drink this beer. It’s not just tart, it’s sour, and it’s amazing. There’s so much tart fruit and yeasty-ness in here. The length is tremendous with a tart apple and cranberry play. I love the little bit of funk on this beer.

I’m not sure I can actually write how I feel about this beer. It might be up there with some of the best that I’ve ever had. Saying that, keep in mind that this is my kind of beer. It’s the perfect saison. It’s a bit funky, a bit sour, crisp, and complex. If I had to choose one beer to drink in my life, this would be on the short list. 95 points.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Prickly Passion Saison

This saison features Pale and C-80 malts with Target and Liberty hops. Oh yeah, it also has passion fruit and prickly pear juices in it. It sounds delicious, let’s see if it is.

Stats:
Saison. 8.5% ABV. Colorado. Limited Release.

Golden orange color. Very little head on this one.

You get some of that yeast and a little bit of fruit. It doesn’t really seem like juices were added. It’s got a bit of a spice component as well, with a little honey drizzled on top.

Mouthfeel is decent. It’s highly carbonated, but it does have a decent body. The carbonation makes it feel light.

It’s actually fairly sweet. It’s got a heavy honey and yeast component with a little bit of tropical fruit and a black pepper spice.

It’s not terrible, but it just doesn’t excite me very much. The added fruit juices don’t come through much. 84 points.

Pelican Saison Du Pelican

I actually had this beer for Thanksgiving…so I’m a bit behind here. This saison includes Pale malt with malted spelt, flaked wheat, beet sugar, and Goldings hops. This is my first beer from this brewery, but I’ve heard good things.

Stats:
Saison. 6.3% ABV. 30 IBUs. Oregon. Spring Seasonal.

Nice golden color with a fluffy white head.

Nice little nose that brings some yeast with a fresh citrus aroma. That black pepper does come through a little bit, with a hint of apricot and peach.

Mouthfeel is very nice. It’s frothy, but it’s actually got some body.

I love that fruit with the yeast. It’s got that hint of black pepper and is an easy-drinking saison. It’s got a little bit of honey and just a hair of sweetness, which then drys out a little.

It’s a very tasty saison, but it lacks some of the funky-ness that you would expect from the style. It’s crisp, clean, and food friendly. 88 points.

Hof Ten Dormaal Dark

I liked the Blond and I really liked the Amber, so now I get to try the dark. I opened this one outside and the cork and cage shot off into my neighbors yard. Let’s see how this one is.

Stats:
Saison. 7.5% ABV. Belgium.

Cocoa brown with a large head. Lots of sediment.

The nose is yeasty with cocoa and caramel. I’m getting a little bit of plum as well.

Mouthfeel is very nice. On the carbonated side, of course, but still has a nice amount of body.

Cocoa and yeast really take over the palate. There’s a nice caramel flavor with some dark fruits also coming through. Long finish that’s on the sweeter side with a little breadyness.

This is the third beer from these guys and it’s just another fantastic brew. It’s complex and delicious with a bit of sweetness. Just a great beer. 93 points.

Hof Ten Dormaal Amber

I wised up and opened this beer outside. As predicted, the cork shot off before the cage was completely unwound. This is the second in the 3 beers I have from this brewery. I liked the Blond quite a bit, so let’s see if this is just as good.

Stats:
Saison. 7.5% ABV. Belgium.

Amber in color, go figure. Lots of sediment with a fantastic head.

The nose has a nice brown sugar and spice component with a little bit of yeast. Fantastic baked apples.

This one is a bit less carbonated than the Blond. Very nice body and very drinkable.

That brown sugar and spice component hits right away followed by a yeasty-ness. It’s balanced with just a little bit of hops and leaves you with a baked green apple.

This is just a delicious beer. It just screams Fall to me and I can’t stop drinking it. 93 points.

Hof Ten Dormaal Blond

I grabbed 3 beers from this brewery for my beer club. We never got to these, so I’m reviewing them now. I guess this brewery grows their own barley and hops. I didn’t know it when I opened the bottle, but apparently these beers are notorious for shooting out the cork. I’m just glad I didn’t break anything.

Stats:
Saison. 8.0% ABV. Belgium.

This cork blew off before I even had the cage completely unwound. Just a ton of carbonation on this one. It’s got a nice unfiltered blond color with just a ridiculous head.

Oh funky goodness. It’s got a big barnyard funk with lemon and a nice little black pepper component.

Mouthfeel is nice after you’ve swirled it a few times to get some of the carbonation out of it.

Nice lemony flavor with some funky, barnyard to follow. Fantastic balance with a long black pepper finish.

I’m really liking this. If you dig the funk, this is for you, just be careful when you open it. 90 points.

Fremont Harvest Ale

Here’s another seasonal from the folks in Fremont. They went with a saison for Fall, which just tickles me pink. You already know I love saisons, but this just shows how versatile they can be. They’re not just thirst quenchers for the Summer. The beer features 2-row, White Wheat and Citra hops.

Stats:
Saison. 6.5% ABV. Washington. Fall Seasonal.

Golden copper color. A bit of head.

The nose is slightly tart with quite a bit of fruit coming through. There’s a prominent baked apple component and a tart pumpkin pie sort of thing.

Mouthfeel is fantastic. Beautiful medium body with nice carbonation levels, just perfect.

Tart and fruity. It’s really tart with this citrus and spice play. It’s got baked green apple, pineapple, pine, guava, black pepper.

This is surprisingly tart, but man is it tasty. It’s got this rich, fruity, citrus play. But it’s also got a spice component, with cracked black pepper coming through. This is the fourth, or so, beer that I’ve had from Fremont. It’s solidified in my mind that Fremont is producing some of the best beer in Washington. 90 points.