[1] Review by aracauna from Adairsville, GA, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/18/2006 5:19:49 PM)
"Dark cola brown with a good light khaki head that fades quickly. Bubblegum and pine tree hops in the aroma. The flavor brings in a little lemon zest, slight mocha and toffee. The aroma is a little surprising with that hefty dose of American-smelling hops. I’m really digging this Saison that seems to be in the spirit of Saison if not exactly what you’d expect from the style."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.8)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
[2] Review by EyeChartBrew from CA, Liechtenstein who has tried this beer a couple times. (7/31/2005 3:03:26 PM)
"~ Initial Review, 07-09-2004:
Me and my bud Matt shared a bottle of this at O'Brien's this evening -- when we were both in the mood for something a bit darker and heavier than what O'Brien's normally has on tap (read: IPA's). All I can say is that I'm glad that Richard recommended this, since it is indeed a world-class darker-than-the-average Saison.
Came across as more of a Belgian Dark Strong Ale than a Saison at first..., until you start thinking about some of the more arcane Fantôme offerings.
Complex malt back-bone, to go hand-in-hand with rather sweet yet slightly bitter/complex front and middle. Struck me as something of a Belgian-esqe Barleywine (or Braggot, if it had any honey), but with enough lighter-and-more-refined Saison-ish highlights.
Filling, and worth slowing down to savor, IMO. Quite drinkable, but I think it might suffer from a bit of an identity crisis in the long-run, since this does seem to cross over traditional Saison guidelines here and there.
A worth-while beer, as long as you plan on drinking something that doesn't neccesarily stick to the hard-and-fast rules of what a Saison "should" be. Recommended.
~ Re-Review, 04-24-2005:
Split a pitcher of this with Darren and Erica on a hazy lazy day at the Pizza Port Solana Beach location. I would think that this coming from both the brewery of it's origin, and being pulled fresh off the tap, would give this interesting beer even more zip.
But actually, this wasn't nearly as appealing as what me and Matt split almost a year ago. I've never had a "bad" beer at Pizza Port, but something wasn't quite right with whatever we got off the tap. Took some work from three of us to determine if this was indeed the SPF, and not some off-flavored Brown Ale.
Much darker than the norm -- and with the thick rocky head of foam, there was some discussion as to if we received the wrong beer altogether! But no, the Saison-y highlights showed up as this warmed.
Not terrible, but we didn't exactly rush through this pitcher either.
Oh well, can't win `em all!
Scores a composite of both samplings.
//TB"
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.8)
Sampled: Bottle, Forced Draught
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by E from Spring Mountain, PA, USA who has tried this beer once. (7/12/2005 6:43:34 PM)
"Poured a mahogany red color with a small, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of spices, fuzzy cherries, nuts, roast, smoke, caramel, and lychee(?). Taste of raisins, tart cherries, grapes, bananas, more spices, lots of dried fruits, a tad dusty, and finishing with light roastiness. "
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.1)
Sampled: Forced Draught
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[4] Review by JohnC from Mission Viejo, CA, USA who has tried this beer (6/7/2005 7:47:50 PM)
"on draft, Pizza Port Solana Beach a ’rustic’ saison, in my words, reddish brown, opaque with all sorts of fruity (mostly dried fruit) complexiites. I enjoyed this beer. this saison would be great with a winter meal of roasted meat."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.7)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
[5] Review by heemer77 from Savannah, MO, USA who has tried this beer once. (5/18/2005 8:43:16 PM)
"From a 750. Poured a very dark brown with amber highlights. A thin light tan head on top. The aroma is raisins and toffee with a slight hint of dank moss and wood. There is a little tartness at the edges. The taste is a subtle raisin bread with some hint of soft spices like nutmeg. There are also some sour cherries and smoke in different drinks. There is also an earthy wet wood finish. Certainly interesting."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.6)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
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(3.8)
