Saison

12 oz. Bottle. Hazy gold with thin white head in the snifter. Aroma is zesty yeast, citrus peel and pepper. Aroma and flavor pair up nicely.

Light crisp mouthfeel with a light effervescent tingle. The lemon zest is a little over the top in the flavor and runs a little rampant in the flavor. Light herbal notes and weak yeast presence. Overall I still enjoyed this but how Stone calls this a saison is a far reach. But it is refreshing with a dry texture.

Stone Saison on tap at the CBB Saison Event. Clear gold, weird nose, the taste is lightly funky & too hoppy - not my cup of tea. An ok beer but not such a good saison...

Definitely a lot of lemon zest in this, and light notes of the herbs show up too, in a more general sense. Light sour finish, some grass. Bottle from the foodery.

12 ounce bottle in to tulip glass, best before 7/30/2014. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy bright gold color with a 1-2 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon zest, orange peel, pear, apple, clove, black pepper, herbal, floral, grass, wheat, bread, lavender, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, spices, and pale malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of lemon zest, orange peel, pear, apple, clove, black pepper, lavender, wheat, bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Moderate earthy bitterness/spiciness and light tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon zest, orange peel, pear, apple, clove, pepper, lavender, wheat, bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Good robustness and complexity of pale malt, fruity/spicy yeast, and spice flavors; with a decent spice/yeast/malt flavor balance and minimal cloying flavors after the finish. Fairly intense on the spices in the taste, but not horrible. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and fairly sticky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a nice spiced saison style. Good complexity and robustness of pale malt, fruity/spicy yeast, and spice flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.

New Beer Distributors, NYC 12oz ($2.25): Pours golden with a white head. Aroma is slight barnyard, with some bubblegum and a bit of hops. Taste is a bit herbal and a bit funky. Lemony citrus and floral flavors in there as well. Low bitterness; quite dry. That said, I wasn’t impressed by Stone’s foray into the saison world.

Keg at Stone Liberty station, SD, 18/04/14. Clear golden with a moderate off white covering that retains well. Nose is spice, ginger, lemon cordial, corriander, lime juice, herbal. Taste comprises lemon rind, lime, herbal pangs, bitter orange, straw, light thyme. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close laced with grass and light herbals. Decent saison.

Pours gold into a snifter. Bright white head with medium retention recedes to skim surface. Summer meadow and citrus aromas. Crisp with sweet yeast and lavender turning to thyme and citrus in the lasting finish.

Bottle - I should have bailed on this the second I read the label ("brewed with spices") - now, I’ve loved plenty of saisons with spices added, but Stone is not exactly known for restraint, nor are they known to have a light touch when using adjuncts - sadly, this is no exception - the lemon zest and thyme are so potent in the aroma and flavor that it is hard to taste anything else - there is also a strong, peppery spiciness - all of these flavors pretty much assault the senses from start to finish and linger on the tongue forever after the swallow - the finish is so spicy it almost tastes like they added peppers to this - light earthy saison yeast character, but also an odd starchiness, like overcooked rice - thank god I only bought a single bottle of this.

12 ounce bottle. Hazy honey gold color with a rocky white head. Yeasty grainy malt nose has a big lemony bouquet. Upfront, flavor has a crisp dry lemony malt flavor with notes of yeast and earthy malt. Citrus hops balance the grainy malt. Very nice and refreshing.

Bottle. Pours with a clear, golden hued body with a moderate to slightly large white head with decent lace and retention. Aromas are floral with moderate isoamyl acetate, black pepper, clove, lavender, citrus zest, mild malt grainy-ness (wheat?), lemon balm. Flavors are herbal and grainy, mildly bitter with thyme, and black pepper, floral, mildly zesty. Lively carbonation, relatively dry. Overall yeast profile favors peppery phenols over esters, with a lot of added spice. Tasty.