Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry: Poured a deep golden orange color ale with a big foamy head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of funky east with some orange and other spices. Taste is dry with some floral malt and a long yeasty finish with layer of complexity. Body is a bit light but it doesn’t hurt the beer too much overall. I got too admit that I wasn’t expecting so much from this one and was pleasantly surprised.

2004 bottle from a trade with Sammy, thanks man! Consumed on 8/17/2005. Aroma of light vinousness, raspberries, cherries, tart plum juice. Cola and black pepper. Bottle-conditioned fine bubbles. Inky black beer with a ruby-garnet highlight when held to the light. Big, very well-retained yellow-tan head. Pepper, lemongrass and ginger. Yep, ginger, lots of ginger. Flavor begins with black licorice, ginger, deep rooty, chewy herbs and plant roots, maybe some opium-like notes as well. Ginger/anise really stands strong, though not overpoweringly so. Awesome mouthfeel, unfiltered, smooth and lightly tingly. Plenty of lacing. Starts with very dry maltiness, but then ginger and chewy licorice emerge. Retronasal earthy, peppery yeast and figgy notes. Deep traces of coffee. Very fluffy texture on the end. Very dry and attenuated flavor on the end, though, with a bit too much ginger/anise for my liking. Love the mouthfeel though.
I’m a little bit concerned that no one else mentions a deep, dark color and heavy ginger-anise influences. . .

Dark reddish brown with thick moka head. Almost maple toffee aroma. Nice burnt caramel brule, like flan syrup, with notes of raisins. Very sweet but invigorating, especially after shoveling this heavy icy snow. Nice little hops in finish. Bottle. From North York Sammy, thank you sir!

Quenching, full body. Subtle spiciness. Refreshing. At first it was quite bitter but five or six months later this has really ’rounded’ into form.

2004: Not ready yet, but I got some anyway. I’ll ignore the flatness and yeastiness, not bother with numbers and just say that it seems very refined and fruity, only lightly spicy, and definitely sweeter than the 2001 edition. Too bad I won’t be around to try it when it’s ready...or will I? I got a couple bottles in the mail and it’s a totally different animal after nine months. Very dry, yeasty, a little funky...proper saison.