On the occasion of the Ducasse Saint-Christophe at Flobecq 21st July 2001), la Brasserie des Géants brought out its second product, Saison Voisin. This beer which was brewed according to the original 1884 recipe (see history) and under the guidance of retired brewer Mr Léon Voisin, brasseur retraité, is amber coloured and has a strength of 5% abv. Refreshing, with a light touch of bitternes and fruitiness, Saison Voisin is produced by top fermentation. It is unfiltered and is refermented in bottle. Saison Voisin was nominated for the Coq de Cristal award at Libramont in July 2002.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/20/2007 10:28:25 PM)
"2007 US release, Sampled December 2007
Not explosively carbonated, but well enough that a reasonably careful pour produces a four-finger thick, crown of amber tinged, light tan colored froth that is structured enough to form a nicely varied surface as it slowly recedes. The beer is a reddish amber color that shows an almost brilliantly clear, slightly washed out, cranberry color when held up to the light. Quite malt focused in the aroma, or at least the caramelized malt and richer fruit notes are a bit atypical of you standard pale Saison, but then this is no where near a pale Saison. Caramel notes, raisin aromatics, and toasty, biscuit like grain notes combine with an earthy spiciness that accentuates notes of clove, a damp mustiness, allspice bark and a certain loam like quality. There is a certain nuttiness here, which would be malt contributed too. I find the aroma quite inviting; the rich bread-like malt notes combine quite well with notes of fruit and yeast spiciness.
A still substantial carbonation causes the beer to foam up as the beer first hits my tongue. The beer is quite dry, though it still has a substantial malt character to it; flavors of lightly browned bread crust, toasty malt notes and lots of maillard by products that make me think of unsweetened, caramelized sugar (if one can imagine such a thing). There is a distinct nuttiness, that is almost woody in character, here in the flavor too and it sort of morphs into a light, dark grain induced, bitterness in the finish. Speaking of which, there is a definite hop character here; mostly noticed in the finish as a herbal, almost menthol like bitterness. Spicy notes of black pepper, hints of clove, perhaps a touch of cardamom, and a touch of fenugreek.
This is quite tasty, and I really like how dry this is; it is perfectly in line with my favorite versions of a the paler Saisons, yet it has a malt depth that adds an interesting extra dimension."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.8)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[2] Review by oh6gdx from Vaasa, Finland who has tried this beer once. (10/23/2007 1:03:00 AM)
"Bottled. Colour is nutbrown with some mild reddish hints, head is white, mediumsized and foamy. Aroma is some flowery hops along with caramel, earth, wood and a bit barnyard. Flavour is earthy, spicy and slightly flowery. Wellbalanced, but a bit watery. "
Aroma:
5/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
5/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(2.8)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by Stoutlover72 from Northern, California, USA who has tried this beer once. (1/18/2007 1:14:09 PM)
"NorCal tasting Jan 07 - An interesting saison for sure. A sweet nose, reminded me of apple juice or apple cider in a sweet sort of way. There was also a little spice and yeast aroma present. Appearance was a hazy amber color, decent head. Taste was suprisingly bitter/hoppy for a saison, some pepper and light fruit. Finish was dry. Sort of a different take on saisons. Interesting."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 11.2oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[4] Review by jonmoore from United Kingdom who has tried this beer once. (7/18/2006 5:43:04 PM)
"Bottle. Amber coloured with a slim off-white head. A fresh yeasty, fruity and caramel aroma. Taste is hops and spices, with some bread, malts and a light bitter finish. Quite dry, light bodied with a foamy mouthfeel. Good saison."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.6)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[5] Review by EyeChartBrew from CA, Liechtenstein who has tried this beer once. (7/27/2005 2:42:52 PM)
"A very odd little Saison..., with very odd little flavors..., that I have a hard time really pin-pointing, let alone enjoying.
Poured well enough into my Eau Benite chalice, with a decent sized head of foam, and a fair amount of lacing as things progressed.
But otherwise? Aint a whole lot of shaking going on with this one, mi amigo. Some basic corriander-ish (Wit-like?) aromas in the nose, which, while not really associated with Saisons, doesn't feel too far out of place with this beer.
But then we get to the flavor -- or, rather, the lack thereof. Kinda reminds me of when I made my very first homebrewed Hefeweizen, and used the wrong yeast -- resulting in a wheat-based, boring-ass beer..., with little to say for itself in the long run.
Doesn't help that the mouthfeel is really too thin for my liking, and that the overall drinkability is pretty weak. Just strikes me as a dull, poorly made Wheat Ale than anything even approaching what I think of when someone gives me a Saison.
Where's the funk? The complexity? The ability to quench a thirst, and put a smile on my face?
A really weak effort, IMO.
//TB"
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
5/10
Flavor:
5/10
Overall:
5/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(2.9)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
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(3.8)
