Reading an article by Michael Jackson about saison’s I saw this one mentioned. This is one of those rare Belgian saison’s that predates the American–fuelled revival & interest in the style. Which sadly is far bigger than the interest in Belgium, not that many saison’s are being made in Belgium. American brewers make many times more saison’s than Belgian brewers do. Anyway… 25 cl. bottle @ home. Procured from Willems. BBF 30/04/2015. Pours reddish brown(?) amber with almost gone tanned head. Smell is a typical BE profile, very sweet, syrupy, slight molasses, syrupy dark fruits, very thick caramelized sugar and iron, it is pretty sweet smelling. Taste is very sweet iron, herbs, caramel, molasses, more bitter herbs, toffee, slight liquorish, more caramelized sugar & again iron in the finish, very sweet. Oily, sticky, slightly syrupy & less carb. Saison? What saison? This would be more aptly named Silly Dubbel & it is not a very good dubbel at that. Wow hope that this is not what saison’s used to taste like.

Flasche (25 cl). - Rotbraun wie Assamtee. Kräftiges Röstmalz, Karamel, dazu herausstechende Noten von Apfel u.a. herber Frucht, herb-frische Hopfenfruchtigkeit, leicht säuerlich. Nachtrunk ordentlich bitter mit erdigem Hopfen. - Sehr schönes, obwohl untypisches Saison. Bittere, Röstmalz und Frucht in nicht ganz spannungsloser Eintracht.

Dark brown color with sort silky beige head. Aroma is sour, vinegar, brown sugar. Taste is sweet (and slightly sour), wood, wine, molasses, candy, with abrupt finish. Elements of a sour ale, and some Belgian ale notes also.

250 ml bottle from Dalling & Co Kings langley. Caramel orange in colour. Thin head that disapates. aroma is earthy and spicy with a sharp edge like a dirty orange. Body is well rounded a like syrpy. Sweet initially, Tangy hop finish may have some coriander seeds in there.

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours very hazy reddish copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Good soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, biscuit, grape, pepper, apple, toast, clove, earth, herbal, and yeast spiciness. Pretty nice aromas with decent complexity and balance. Taste of caramel, toffee, molasses, grape, apple, earth, herbal, pepper, biscuit, toast, clove, and light yeast spices. Lingering notes of light fruits, caramel, molasses, toffee, toast, and light yeast spices on the finish. Ok balance, but it isn’t the flavors I was expecting at all. Slight cloying sweetness and tang on the finish, but not too bad. Light carbonation and medium body; with a fairly slick and creamy mouthfeel that is ok. No alcohol presence after the finish as expected. Overall this is a solid beer. Certainly not a saison in my experience, but it was still quite enjoyable for what is was. Solid flavor balance and complexity; and very easy to drink.

Bottle at Cambrinus, Brugge - 08/07/12. Pours a slightly reddish copper colour with a good finger of white head that soon dissipates. Malts and green fruit on the nose, a little spice and mustyness. Malt foreward taste, background fruit, straw, grass - a little mineral. Quite light in body and carbonation, finishes slightly sour and bitter. Average.

300th rater. I have wanted to really sit down with this beer for a while. First, the beer has been around for a while and way before the Saison explosion. However, it was never readily available yet their Scotch Ale was and that was a much less common style (Belgian Scotch ale). And of course the name was always appealing... hehe Silly. Apparently, Silly is named for a river and a town and has no relation to the english word. Maybe Sylly would have been a better way to spell the name. I think I may have tried this beer once before and not been terribly impressed but did not have a good amount of time to examine the beer. I also like the old school label and cap. I hope they do not change the look.

330mL bottle capped bottle poured into a 12oz Corsendonk goblet glass. Pours with a small head that leaves some lacing. Color is amber/dark copper tea. It is kind of hazy only allowing for low clarity. Aroma is herbal yeast, dry green berries, dry and not sweet or estery yet definitely yeasty. Flavor is not sugary at all, very well attenuated but I get a little bit of sweetness off the malts (just faint caramel) again a rather clean and slightly herbal yeast. Its a rather neutral yeast for a Belgian beer. There are some slightly spoiled fruits in there as well. Finishes slightly caramel sweet with a dry herbal character. A light body but feels full on the cheeks. Seems like it is filtered, pours with no sediment and a clean bottle at the end.

Its a different saison, darker and some caramel sweet. Yet its small (5%), dry, and full of flavor. Depending on my mood I can see myself scoring this anywhere between 3.4 and 3.8.

@Coleman Publick Tap-on tap-pours gold with an offwhite head. Aroma is apricot, 2nd sweet medium malt. Taste is apricot/pear, 2nd sweet medium malt. Saison? Minmial carbonation.