Draught, 7.7% @ Mad Fox Brewing Company - Glover Park Taproom, Washington, DC. Pours cloudy coffee brown with small light tan head. Clear aroma of hops, with notes of malt and touches of citrus. Sweetish, malty and fruity flavour with notes of hops and some citric touches. Malty and slightly acetic afteraste. I don’t recall ever having tasted a black Saison before but this one is pretty nice.

Nice stuff. Florals and some raisin in here – really more like a dubbel than a black saison or whatever that category is supposed to represent. Light sweet finish. Pours dark brown with good head. Soft carbonation. Tap at brewpub.

4 oz draft pour at Mad Fox. Murky brown with light tan head. Aromas of dark fruit, funk. Tastes of funky notes, wine, dark fruit, light spice, moderate bitter notes. Medium body with a dry finish. Decent.

Deep dark brown coloured body with a bit of a tan head and a bit clear at the bottom when held up to a light. Aroma of roasted malt, grass, herbs, yeast and a bit of a caramel note. Light to Medium-bodied; Strong roasted malt flavours in the taste with some lighter spices, yeast and a hint of earth noticeable, all with a good grassy and relatively mild saison flavour profile. Aftertaste shows some good flavours, but a bit lacking in malt, hops and complexity. Overall, a decent beer for a brewpub, but don’t expect an amazing drink - worth it if you like the style and it’s available, but otherwise, there are better options. I sampled this on draught from a growler, purchased at the brewpub in Falls Church, Virginia sampled later in the day on 21-December-2011 at a hockey party.

On draft at the brewery. Pours black with Dan off white head. Sweet malt aroma. Hints of raisins and some bitterness.

Draft at brewery, 10oz served in snifter. Poured a dark black color, not translucent, small white head. Aroma was a touch tart fruits, tartness, malt notes. Flavor was sweet malts, touch of fruit, tart notes. Interesting.

Mad Fox tap ($5.75): Pours a dark brown color with a beige head. Aroma is of saison yeast and fruitiness. Tastes I spotted were cherries (yes, the description was right), something akin to licorice, and yeast. Beer is a little sweet. Roasted or toasted hops don’t really appear too strongly in this. Overall, this was interesting, but I don’t really think it is something that I would want to get again.

Served on cask at the brewpub. Pours a hazy dark brown color with a large creamy, off-white head. Decent head retention. Aroma of sweet and tart fruits, chocolate, bread, anise and other spicy notes. The taste is chocolate, cherries, herbal and spice notes and bread. Medium bodied.