A lightly hazed golden saison with a very thin white head. Pleasant aroma of bananas, cloves light anise and berries. In mouth, a sweet an oily saison, with bananas and strawberries, notes of cloves and herbal mint. A very nice and enticing beer. On tap at Vices et Versa, 6 Feb. 2008.

Sample, savoured at the Oktoberfest des Québécois on September 9 2007; eye: burnt orange, hazy, no effervescence, nice creamy white head; nose: spices, caramelized malt, coriander, pepper; mouth: caramelized malt, citrusy, lots of spices, finale in spices and rather peppery, good carbonation, medium body, savours are powerful, nice freshness; overall: quite liked FRANÇAIS Échantillon, évènement l’Oktoberfest des Québécois, savourée le 9 septembre 2007; oeil : orange brûlé, voilée, pas d’effervescence, belle mousse blanche crémeuse, petite dentelle; nez : épices, malt caramélisé, coriandre, poivre; bouche : malt caramélisé, citrique, beaucoup d’épices, finale en épices et plutôt poivrée, bonne carbonatation, corps moyen, puissance des saveurs, belle fraîcheur; en résumé : bien aimé

Sample, savoured at the Oktoberfest de Mascouche on September 9 2007; eye: orangey, lightly hazy, no head, no effervescence; nose: light acidity, spices (coriander), nice malt, acidity from the strawberry; mouth: soap-gum, a bit of acidity from the strawberry, finale in light coriander then caramel then a bit more coriander, medium body, average carbonation, a bit thin, a bit watery; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Échantillon, évènement l’Oktoberfest de Mascouche et Saveurs, savourée le 9 septembre 2007; oeil : orangée, légèrement voilée, pas de mousse, pas d’effervescence; nez : légère acidité, épices (coriandre), beau malt, acidité de la framboise; bouche : gomme-savon, un peu d’acidité de la framboise, finale en légère coriandre puis caramel puis un peu plus de coriandre, corps moyen, carbonatation moyenne, un peu mince, un peu aqueuse; en résumé : correct

Draught pint at Vices et Versa on 9/29/07
Everyone at the table just got done talking about unfiltered IPAs and the fact that they shouldn’t be hazy. So I was a little tremulous when this pint showed up rather cloudy, with a thin, off-white head atop. Blotchy, wet lacing and moderate to poor retention were the rest of the specs, but I just don’t think a cloudy/muddy IPA is very appealing. A little haze is fine, but this was obviously chalk full of yeast, protein and other break material.
And it would be one thing if it just created a slightly smaller head and poor lacing, but sure enough, the flavor and aroma were definitely dulled. Of course, I’ve never had the beer before, but having their saison in bright condition, before this, I could tell that this was not the way it was intended. I dont know if Vices et Versa just did not let the keg settle long enough, or if this was just a poorly conditioned batch.
Regardless, the aroma was fruity, moderately bitter and a bit doughy/bland. Mostly the bitterness broke through, leaving the lighter, more crisp and lively hop notes muted and wet. Malts were crackery, mostly well-attenuated and didnt seem to interrupt the hop notes.
Similar issues with flavor, with the bitterness far exceeding the flavor, leaving too much citrus acidity and grainy malt texture to throw the beer out of balance. There were no flaws, and I could catch passing notes of light tropical fruits and juicy hop flavors (lime, orange, cherry, sweet resin), but the strong, chewy/doughy blandness and pronounced bitterness severely hindered these flavors. Will have to try again and rerate if/when it is in better condition, as these ratings suggest this is not what I should expect.

Draught tulip at Vices et Versa on 9/29/07
Clear golden-yellow with a slight chill haze; very well-conditioned, with a small, but well-retained white head atop and plentiful carbonation in the liquid. Moderate lacing as well.
A very potent yeast and spice combo in the nose, with a fair amount of acidity and light astringency being downplayed by a supple, honey and sourdough-like maltiness. Pale malt sugars keep things soft, but there is plenty of phenol and ester activity. Spices seem appropriate. Used very tastefully and in low enough amount that they could be mistaken for yeast phenols and spicy hops. A bit of vanillin and some doughiness, with acidity still strong on the finish. Dry and crisp, as a result, and quite inviting in the nose. No wild character, but a more aggressive version of Dupont, probably similar to D’epeautre or Southampton Saison. Medium-high strength of aroma, no alcohol or flaws noticed.
Gentle carbonation allows a blanket of light, bready sugars, with notes of vanilla and candied ginger, to be deposited all over the palate. Coriander and white pepper-like notes, with a brace of yeast acidity, quickly work to clean this up and tip the balance scale to quite dry on the end. There’s still a little near-astringency or "sourdough and/or lemon-rind"-like notes that are slightly unsettling, built up on the finish. But otherwise the malts are soft and very well-extracted, the hops are spicy and not overly bitter, the yeast very assertive and flavorful. Had I not had the Benelux Saison the night before, this may have been more impressive. It’s certainly a true rendition of a Belgian saison (not a pseudo, American-saison in the least). Yeasty, spicy, acidic. Very lovely.

Sample, at the Mondial de la bière 2007, savoured May 31 2007; eye: black, creamy beige head, opaque, no effervescence; nose: aggressive hops, caramelized malt, light smoke; mouth: roasted malt, silky, hops, grainy malt, soya sauce, salty, long finale in hops, creamy, quite bitter, medium body, sticky and lightly grainy texture, average carbonation; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Échantillon, bue au Mondial de la bière 2007, savourée le 31 mai 2007; oeil : noire, mousse crémeuse beige, opaque, pas d’effervescence; nez : houblon agressif, malt caramélisé, légère fumée; bouche : malt torréfié, soyeuse, houblon, malt granuleux, sauce soya, salée, finale longue et houblonnées, crémeuse, assez amère, corps moyen, texture collante et légèrement granuleuse, carbonatation moyenne; en résumé : correct

A hazzy golden amber ale with a thin white head. A pleasant peppery malt aroma with caramel and apple butter notes. In mouth, a nice crisp malt with peppery notes, coriander and warming alcohol. Rich and impressing saison. On tap at Oktoberfest des Québécois, Mascouche, Sept. 8 2007.

A deep dark porter with a thin moka head. Apleasant chocolate and plu aroma, with nice alcohol warmth. In mouth, a rich porter with plums, raisins, vinous qualities, and oak wood/vanilla notes. Rich and smooth. Very well done. On tap at Oktoberfest des Québécois, Mascouche, Sept. 8 2007.

A hazey rosey beer with a thin white head. A very pleasant aroma of berries and pepper, very saison-like. In mouth, light sourness from berries makes this a good quaffer, with nice lactic points. very nice. On tap at Oktoberfest des Québécois, Mascouche, Sept. 8 2007.

Small white head. Hazy fruity yellow body. Citric mealy fruity aroma, quite powerful. Mealy dense citric taste with spicy fruity background. Dryish mealy aftertaste. Nice. (0.12l draft at St. Bock, Montreal.)