Mortal Kombat X: Raiden Imperial Saison

Bomber from Capitol Beer in Sacramento, CA. Pours gold with a white head. Aroma is mostly fruit, but there’s some underlying phenolic. Med body or so. Upfront is fruit and light earth, but as that clears rather strong phenolic flavor and tongue sting rolls in. Interesting the way the flavor aspects come and go. There’s an underlying sweetness, might be attached to the fruit aspect, but the phenol part makes this seem dry to me. It’s getting fruitier and earthier with time - maybe my taster is phenol fatigued. It’s not a great beer, but it’s certainly different. I think I’m starting to like it.

22 oz. bottle, pours a hazy light golden with a small white head. Aroma is very hoppy for a saison, with lots of saison yeast, piney hops, and biscuity malt. Flavour is along the same lines, being totally inauthentic, with saison yeast, earthy hops, and a yeasty, grainy finish. Not a real saison, but as a yeasty imperial Belgian beer, it's quite nice. Solid.

Bottle - Earth yeasts and fruity sweetness. Clear gold with a decent white head. Fruity, touch of spice and a long effervescent finish. Solid.

Golden with just a touch of haze. The aroma has some plasticy phenols and a touch of pedio. Similar palate - some burnt stuff, astringent. The phenols are not dialed in here. There is a peppery character, again more pedio. OK, but not particularly accomplished.

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours slightly hazy golden/yellow color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lemon, orange peel, apricot, pear, apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, biscuit dough, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, orange peel, apricot, pear, apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, biscuit dough, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Good amount of herbal bitterness and yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, orange peel, apricot, pear, apple, white grape, peppercorn, clove, banana, bubblegum, wheat, biscuit dough, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitter/spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, and moderately sticky/bready/grainy balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice imperial saison. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.