7

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Draught at the outdoor bar, 3 Tides, Summer 2010.
Deep golden with some darker brassy tints about and a medium-high clarity. White head atop is small and shows moderate to low retention.
Dried yellow fruits in the nose combine with light vanilla and honey from the malts to balance out quite nicely in to not really a saison so much as just a golden, Belgian ale. Lots of peppery phenols are welcome, as well as lightly spicy hop notes and a touch of grassiness. No alcohol, nor flaws.
Straightforward Belgian blonde ale with light but evident hopping, a strong carbonation and slick, almost creamy texture; maltiness helping see to that. Thankfully free from banana/clove messiness, and while there’s light clove-like spice on the end, it’s just one small piece of the pie. A bit of sharpness on the finish, especially with some warming, but the fruitiness lingers on nicely as well, keeping things interesting. Had a couple of these that day and always hope for more Belgian golden types of beers from them.