ISA59 Imperial Saison

Draft @ Brouwbar. Dark blond/amber colour, white foam. Nose of stone fruit, some spices, dry, yeasty, bitter and sweet. ABV is well hidden.

2/VII/21 - 33cl bottle from Brouwbar (Gent), shared @ home, BB: n/a (2021-559)

Clear deep orange beer, big creamy dense yellowish head, stable, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: yeasty, bit malty, caramel, some banana, bit spicy and herbal. MF: lively carbon, medium to full body. Taste: bit sweet, lots of yeast, some banana, good bitterness, alcohol, dry, a bit fruity. Aftertaste: dry, hoppy and spicy finish, some malts coming though, grains, yeasty, banana, little oxidized, slightly sweet, quite an alcohol burn. This one tastes a bit like a very alcoholic Westmalle Tripel clone. Which means the only thing I don’t like about it, is the obvious presence of the alcohol. ;-)

Paired with porcini ravioli, mushrooms, bacon and smoked chicken stock cream sauce. Nice pairing!

30 May 2021. At Brouwbar; cheers to Anke & Ama Deke! Clear dark golden, small, foamy, white head. Aroma of ripe peach, plum, yellow raisin, clove, white pepper, green banana, brioche. Taste has sweet banana peel, plum & pear over a honeyish & doughy malty base, bit yeasty with spicy bitter accents, very slightly wheaty sour. Floral hoppy finish, lingering ripe (yellow) fruits, yeast, spices and warming gin-like alcohol. Medium body, oily texture, average carbonation. Saison 'on steroids' as it were, enjoyable sipper.

The newest Brouwbar beer to date, a strong saison, or indeed a cross between a tripel (or strong blonde in general) and a saison, bottle from Brouwbar shared with Steve. Off-white, irregular, rather loose and thin, quickly dissipating head on a misty orange-blonde robe with brownish-amberish tinge. Aroma of peaches in ‘jenever’, rusk, apricot jam, cognac, red apple slices, dried orange peel, thyme, clove, dry biscuit, pear juice, subtle earthy hints of sawdust, bitter garden weeds and beetroot juice. Sweet onset, cleanly and slenderly fruity, red apple, ripe pear and apricot with a dash of fresh fig, slight sourish undertone, soft carbonation gracing a supple, slender body, definitely feeling lighter than the ABV would suggest; supple rusk- and bit dry cookie-like maltiness, very slight toasty edge, carrying mild phenolic notes (thyme, clove) as well as a florally aromatic hoppiness – providing less bitterness than, in the end, very pronounced, heating, brandy-like alcohol, making for an astringent effect in the finish. Elegantly sweetish, lean, supple and elegantly aromatized, typical Brouwbar house style in most aspects – but unfortunately the alcohol is not well hidden and for me too obtrusive in both nose and mouth; I think a ‘thicker’, more dense malt profile, paired with a more vivid carbonation, could do this beer well. I do think it will improve with age, though – no doubt I had this too young, curious as I was to taste it…