Saison Dolores
Almanac Beer Company in Alameda, California, United States 🇺🇸
Farmhouse - Saison Regular Out of Production|
Score
6.87
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Dry hopped saison brewed with local rye and wheat.
Introducing Saison Dolores, Almanac’s newest year-round beer. A bright, aromatic brew for all seasons inspired by San Francisco’s Mission District. We combine barley, rye and Sonoran Wheat grown in Mendocino County and ferment the beer with our house Saison yeast. Finally we dry hop it to create a California Saison with flavors of spicy white pepper, fruity melon and a clean food friendly finish.
Enjoy this lively aromatic farmhouse ale with fresh seafood, funky washed rind cheeses and classic french-style charcuterie.
Canned version introduced in 2016 part of the fresh beer series, brewed and canned in San Francisco at Fort Point.
Introducing Saison Dolores, Almanac’s newest year-round beer. A bright, aromatic brew for all seasons inspired by San Francisco’s Mission District. We combine barley, rye and Sonoran Wheat grown in Mendocino County and ferment the beer with our house Saison yeast. Finally we dry hop it to create a California Saison with flavors of spicy white pepper, fruity melon and a clean food friendly finish.
Enjoy this lively aromatic farmhouse ale with fresh seafood, funky washed rind cheeses and classic french-style charcuterie.
Canned version introduced in 2016 part of the fresh beer series, brewed and canned in San Francisco at Fort Point.
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6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Pour is a hazy gold with a large white head. Aroma is a fine estery with some bubble gum and a slight soap. Flavor is tart and kind of bitter. Some chewy wheat malt follows. This needs a bit of work. Kinda missing that green hop and fruity ester your get with most saisons. Too bitter.
Tried
on 14 Feb 2015
at 15:00
6.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Bomber - hazy gold with a thick, frothy lace - looks pretty inviting, really - nose is very sweet, with notes of gum, white frosting/sugar, melon, candied citrus - some vesty hoppiness and peppery phenolics try to offset this, but that sweetness is just too darn powerful - fairly creamy texture - mostly soft carbonation - the flavor is also fairly sweet (the frosting and citrus start things off), but the sweetness isn’t as strong or prevalent as in the aroma, mostly due to an abrasive spiciness (especially in the finish), bitter hops, some alcohol burn (presents as much stronger than 6.8%) - some rustic grain quality and esters are difficult to enjoy that much through the sweet and overly spicy finish - messy, but not without some redeeming qualities.
Tried
from Can
on 13 Feb 2015
at 20:32
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
The beer is a pale yellowish gold. Quite cloudy. Medium white head. Very fine bubbles. Decent retention, lacing. The aroma is pretty much standard fare. Pepper, grass, banana, bubblegum, pale malt sweetness, honey, a little citrus, maybe a little grape. It’s sweeter and simpler than expected but I don’t have any strong complaints. The taste is lightly sweet with a pretty good bitter bite in the finish. Fruity. A little more lingering raisiny Belgian sweetness than I like. Some hay. More rye spice is evident. The sweet, spicy and bitter notes are conflicting a bit for me. A little boring. Some booziness. Mouthfeel is fairly light but the finish doesn’t quite clean up enough and there’s an oily lingering sweetness. It’s ok but not really worth it with so many other good saisons easily available.
Tried
on 18 Jan 2015
at 00:41
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Got in a trade with RaulMondesi. 22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 12/3/2014. Pours hazy bright golden color with a 2-3 finger fairly dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lemon, apricot, honeydew melon, pear, apple, white grape, light banana, clove, pepper, wheat, bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and pale malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big lemon, apricot, honeydew melon, pear, apple, white grape, light banana, clove, pepper, wheat, bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. A fair amount of earthy yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, apricot, honeydew melon, pear, apple white grape, light banana, clove, pepper, wheat, bread, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity and robustness of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and pale malt flavors; with a great malt/yeast balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, crisp, and slightly creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent saison style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and moderate pale malt sweetness; and very smooth and crisp to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2015
at 22:49
8.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
22 oz bottle pour. My patience waiting for this to make an appearance locally has finally paid off. Pours a cloudy golden yellow color with a huge cloud head and a lot of lace. Sweet fruit and mild spice aroma. Heavy yeast flavor with some sweet candy fruit, lemon, pepper spice, bubblegum, and finishes on the spice note. A ton of flavors going on here. Goes full circle. Fun beer. Another great one from my favorite guys.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Dec 2014
at 01:13
7.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottle. Pours hazy golden with a very large puffy white head that dissipates slowly and leaves nice lacing. Aroma is basic hay, pepper, bubblegum, some lemon. Flavor is lightly sweet, light bitter, quite full of Belgian yeast esters, bubblegum and peppercorns, lots of field hay. Medium body, high carbonation, lingering bitterness, perhaps a bit oddly hot. Solid effort. Not sure what happened to previous revewer’s bottle, but that is not the beer I had.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Dec 2014
at 01:14
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draft for the 3rd anniversary at Toroando. Bright hazy gold in the tulip. Aroma is spicy yeast, rye malt and light hints of fruit. The flavor is spicy yeast upfront with fruit in the center. Effervescent tingle finishing with more spice. Huge amounts of spicy yeast.
Tried
from Draft
on 14 Aug 2014
at 06:13
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Tap at Capitol Beer in Sacramento, CA. Pours dark gold with a creamy white head. Aroma is earthy/phenolic. Might be a touch of rye spice. Med body. Flavor is earthy, phenolic, fruit esters, hints of rye and barnyard. There’s a tang - might be tart, sour, acidic, rye? Something that’s just a hit on the tip of the tongue. Seems to develop some rye spice in the finish. Very tasty saison.
Tried
from Draft
on 07 Aug 2014
at 14:23