6.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Draught at the brewery, 7/8/16.
Deep canteloupe-golden body is thoroughly hazy but sports a large, well-retained, off-white head.
Vanilla, honey, buttercream, white bread and even a touch of cereal all announce a very malty nose. Peppercorn done pretty restrainedly, and what’s there helps balance the sweeter malt tones. I guess this has actual pear in it as well, though it comes off more melon-like. Not sure what other spices are in this thing but there’s A LOT going on in the nose. I think the saison element definitely gets a little lost in the shuffle, unfortunately. Clean, though, with no alcohol.
Big, dextrinous, malty body shows strong, tight carbonation and medium attenuation. Fruity apple-pear and pink peppercorn attempt to balance the big body, trying to put a dent in some of these sugars. I don’t think they’re quite successful in the end, as a fair amount of vanilla-honey-caramel-like sugariness builds up on the palate. I do like the undercurrents of the saison character, though. Seems pretty legit; peppery, no clove or bubble gum and with light fruit esters and earthiness. Unfortunately it’s just a bit too staunchly malty-sweet. Alcohol catches up with you, as well.