The Prickly Passion pours out of the 22 ounce bottle a clear, copper brown/orange color with a quickly dissipating eggshell white head. Funky musty yeast and fruit on the nose with citrus, watermelon and a hint of passion fruit coming through. It’s what I expected from a fruit-forward Saison, but not that well put together.

There are a lot of flavors coming through on the palate – fruit and yeast like in the nose, but added elements of apple and apricot. Some mint finds its way in, which doesn’t work well with the other elements. The finish is yeasty and crisp, giving off the mustiness you would expect in a Saison. The mouth feel is light and nicely carbonated, great for the style.

There are plenty of things to like in this beer, especially the tropical fruit elements. This was also a nice twist on a great style. I do wish that it was put together a bit better, a lot of the flavors don’t work as well as they should. If you are looking for an interesting Saison check this beer out. If not, look into the other beers in the Lips of Faith series.

Rating

75
out of 100

Love Buzz pours with a hazy and cloudy orange/amber colored body. Atop sits a fizzy, tight white head that has some quick dissipation. There’s hardly any lace at all, in fact nothing but a thin ring around the edges after a few sips. Some quick swirls bring it back to life but not for long. It seems the barrels may have adversely affected this.

The nose has lots of brett up front, along with a nicely floral aroma. There’s actually a good amount of hop aromas, sweet and light, white pepper, rose hips, and an astringent oak note. Nothing really in terms of the barrel flavor (Pinot Noir as it claims), though the wood itself certainly shows up. Not overly complex but okay.

On the palate, there’s a bit of a reversal – the dry red wine flavors start things off, mixed with a gritty barnyard brett taste. No tartness or sweetness really, just lots of funk going on. The floral elements in the nose come back; more rose hips, pale citrus fruits, and a sharp peppery note. Still complex enough to keep things interesting. A lot of highly active carbonation is going on. It’s fizzy yet crisp on the palate. For this style, I really like this feel and it manages to feel smooth too, despite being very carbonated.

This is another nice beer from Anchorage but again, these (Philadelphia) prices just aren’t worth it. That’s not to say it’s not a tasty beer because it is, but there’s definitely more wallet-friendly options out there if you want a funky Saison. If I could find this a few bucks less each time, this would be one to cellar and revisit later for me.

Rating

89
out of 100

Poured into my tulip glass, the Space Monkey poured with a light hazy golden colored body and a fizzy, white head. Even with the gentlest of pours, this corked and caged bottle erupted with a towering head which could be a result of the bottle conditioning.

The aroma is packed with overwhelming notes of sweet raspberry up front. After making my own Chocolate Raspberry Witbier, I could sense that this is brewed with real raspberries opposed to extract flavoring. Some fresh raspberry, strawberries and a touch of hay come through after the initial aromas fade. Evidenced upon first sip, a tart rush of raspberries along with extremely active carbonation starts off. There are some nice malt notes although muted mid-palate and finishes a bit dry and stale. The tartness to the beer isn’t overly powerful but it’s just enough to give the flavor profile nice diversity.

The Space Monkey is easily a change of pace for something light, a bit fruity and crisp on a hot summer day. The tartness might be a turn-off for some, but overall it’s another solid beer for the style from Fegley’s Brew Works.

Rating

86
out of 100

The 750 ml bottle opened without much “pop” from the cork, leaving me worry if carbonation would suffer as a result. On the pour, a slightly hazy golden-orange body displays quite vibrantly with a fluffy and creamy white head. A distinct foam ring is left around the glass and as the beer is consumed, leaves some of itself behind in the form of splotchy lacing.

Aromas of peppercorn and Belgian yeast give the direction of this beer to a traditional Belgian style Saison. Some mixed spices, funk and lactic tart citrus fruits liven things up half way through. You can definitely smell the working of the brett in this beer, finishing with a sweet and spicy bubblegum flavor. It’s a very interesting combination of flavors that take a traditional Saison and turn it on its head.

On first sip, barnyard funk and spice are most evident laying a nice, clean and crisp foundation for the other flavors in the beer. Some fruity and sugary citrus notes – apricot and grapefruit – come through mid-palate and are finished off with dry hay elements. All the elements of a standard faire Saison are here but the addition of the brett giving this a funky twist is welcomed and delicious.

To be quite honest, this is probably one of the best Saisons I’ve tasted. It’s not too often I praise Saisons but the complexity exhibited here and the masterful use of brett in this beer deserves nothing but praise. It’s a shame this won’t be brewed again, and according to the label text will mature and develop over time. I guess I’ll have to track down another bottle or two and see if this survives the taste test of time.

Rating

93
out of 100

The 12 ounce Schlafly Saison poured with a hazy copper body and subtle one inch off-white head. The lacing is rather absent although the overall appearance mimics most Farmhouse/Saison-style ales I’ve had. Sweet fruit is evident on the nose and covers a wide variety at that. Aromas of banana, apple and pear blend with a light malt base to create a dominantly fruity and funky flavor. The aroma isn’t necessarily what I expected for the style but it’s a pleasant and unique spin.

The blended fruit flavors from the nose carries over to the taste but is also coupled with strong Belgian sugar notes. More apple, clove and banana are pronounced and ultimately enhanced, in my opinion, by the Belgian yeast characteristics. This is definitely different than other Saisons I’ve tasted, though the fruit-centric flavor profile makes this quite delicious.

If you have the opportunity to find the Schlafly Saison in your area, I strongly recommend picking it up before it’s gone. It’s a great take on the style, and truly a shame it won’t be produced again, in the foreseeable future. I need to give a special thanks to my friend Justin for bringing this one to me, hand delivered from St Louis.

Rating

92
out of 100

The body on this pour reveals a rustic red copper color accompanied by a minimal (less than one finger) off-white head. There’s a modest amount of carbonation that helps the flavor reach the depths of your palate. The aromas exemplify elements of caramel, dry roasted malt and a nice toned-down aroma of hoppy Rye. Also present is a tart citrusy or floral note(s).

The taste echoes the aromas of the beer perfectly, which is somewhat intriguing but leaves little room for diversity. Considering this is a Farmhouse-style Ale, the flavor profile makes use of the quality Rye malt characters blended with a puckering tartness from some citrus accents. This one finishes sweet and spicy, notably from a certain peppery characteristic probably from the Rye.

Overall, this is a nice sessionable beer for myself; it’s low on the ABV and has tolerable flavors for more than one 12 ounce bottle. As far as originality and creativity go, it seems to be a bit lackluster but still a solid example of the style.

Rating

86
out of 100

Each batch, though brewed at each brewery, will use the exact same recipe and come in at ~6% ABV. My bottle is from the batch brewed at Stone and is labeled at 6.8% ABV. The screen-printed bottle displayed each brewery’s logo and has a personal message from Greg Stone on the back, detailing the history and process of the Saison du BUFF.

The pour from this bottle displayed a clean and fluffy, one and a half finger white head. The lacing is splotchy but I’m glad to see some in a Saison-style. The body is crystal clear, minus those occasional carbonation bubbles, and golden orange. It really was bright for a Saison and not as thin as some others appear.

The nose is extremely powerful, and all the herbs used in this beer are up-front in your face. A grassy flower nectar came out first, followed by some intense pine notes and parsley. A hint of lemon zest is hidden in there somewhere it seems, though it’s masked greatly by the herbs. Also, some lingering whiffs of Christmas tree (evergreen coniferous) sap round out the nose.

I was surprised to see the herbs that were dominant in the nose recede a bit in the mouthful. This felt medium-bodied, though a bit thinner than others but was extremely clean and crisp. The rosemary really shines through immediately coupling in a grainy-wheat taste with it. The pine flavor is toned down a bit, though this finishes with a bold sage and sap flavor. I can’t believe how well balanced this is and just how good it actually tastes. From the nose, you’d think you’d be walking into a forest, gathering some plants and biting into them, but Greg, Sam and Bill have managed to keep this tamed and manageable.

When this was announced earlier this year, I was extremely excited to try it. When you have a collaboration of three great brewers from three amazing craft breweries, can you go wrong? Not this time. The Saison du BUFF is well-balanced, and a bit bolder with it’s semi-obscure herbs used in the brewing. Hopefully it hasn’t changed much since Dogfish and Victory have been brewing it because this one I’m sampling is outstanding. Grab this if you can, it’ll be gone this year.

Overall: 9.2/10

Title photo from: Flickr

Packed in a 750ml bottle with the traditional Simply Beer label and writing, this Saison pours a clear, golden-copper color into my 10oz pilsner glass. Coupled with a wild and bubbly carbonated body is a sudsy, white head to complete the appearance profile.

The initial nose is absolutely outstanding. Sweet candied sugar, candy apple shell, sour cherry and granny smith apple dominant up-front. The blast is sweet and sugary but it’s balanced perfectly by the slightly bitter hop character present at the end. As the beer warms, the nose started to smell like lacquer thinner but it didn’t detract from the pleasant aroma one bit.

The mouthful, although not necessarily disappointingly, doesn’t follow suit to the nose. By my description of the nose, I imagined a very tart, sweet and sour mouthful but it’s to the contrary. It’s full of a substantial malt character that’s characterized by some sour mango and pineapple. There was a slight bite from the hops to smooth and separate the flavors on my palate. The body on this was medium, well carbonated and had a noticeable, though muted, alcohol kick in the finish.

This has to be one of my favorites from Peter to date. Amazingly refreshing, delicious and sessionable. I must warn you that this will catch up with you quite quickly. The 8.1% ABV is masked a bit too well, so it may be dangerous for some! If you’re looking for a beer to enjoy on the warm Spring or Summer days, look no further. One of the best Saison-style beers I’ve had.

Overall: 9.1/10

For this review I poured the beer into one of my many pint glasses. Golden hues glisten in the light, similar in complexion to Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch. It reminded me of the color of straw and poured smoothly with a gorgeous two-finger head. There was mild lacing left around the glass as the beer was consumed.

The aroma is mild and reminded me of field with some hints of citrusy hops. It was refreshing; a great brew for a perfect, warm spring day. Also present were mild hints of some very floral notes. The overall aroma of the nose was not very overpowering.

The taste was delicious and similar to the smell. You immediately are hit with an earthy, hop taste. It was mildly bitter for the aftertaste, however, the flavors that hit you initially balance it out well. I tasted a strong wheat flavor as well as some citrus. It’s a very enjoyable brew with a nice balance of flavors.

I would highly recommend the Ground Break from Ithaca Beer Company. It’s a pleasant edition for any beer lover that has a taste for the lighter wheat beers. This brew is perfect for those spring evenings were you just want to sit outside and enjoy the weather.

Overall: 8.5/10