Bottled on 4/30/2005, consumed on 9/1/2005. First sniff: Fantome saison clone, but not nearly as funky, no real dusty bacteria or limey bite to it. Very wheaty, with lots of lemon sponge cake. Some lovely spicy hops. The more it breathes, the more clean it gets. Light perfuminess from the hops. Notes of an abbey trippel without the intense yeast or sugariness/alcohol. . . . So actually not really anything like an abbey trippel. Very generic smelling, in a good way, meaning at least it has all the base characteristics I would look for in a real Belgian saison.

Quite light in color. A cloudy, hay-yellow, dulled with an almost greenish tint. Slight copper hues on the edges. Huge, pillowy, intense head is pure white. Very well retained. Tiny bubbles rise. So far so good!
First sip has sugary cotton candy and peaches, transitioning in to a light tangerine/nectarine flavor, lightly bitter and finally ending on the bitter hops note AND a high amount of acidity (high relative to style). With more sips, the sugary pils malt, quite thick and blanketing gives way (or actually, the palate just becomes acclimated) and the hops really come forth. Very hoppy, with light honey behind it. Then a clean yeast finalé. I like the hops but I can’t help wondering if this was hopped at this high a level from pressure by the distributor to appease the American market. Anyways, where is the funky character?? Maybe it will develop in time? Seems way too clean though. But on the other hand. It’s very well-made and flavorful. Great mouthfeel (though you kind of come to expect that as given from a high-quality Belgian ale). It has moments where I catch a glimpse of greatness. Fantome Saison, Vervifontaine Blonde. . .glimpses. Fresh hops and light vanilla on the end, some lingering acidity. Will it stand the test of time? That’s the question.

Bottled, by De Proef. Very dark ruby. Vinous plum aroma. Sweet and very fruity with notes of candy, sugar and brandy. The soft mouthfeel can partly be explained by the low carbonation. The sweetness is balanced by the almost acidic fruitiness. Interesting!

(Bottle 75 cl) Lovely golden colour, slightly hazy with a tall, thick head that never vanishes completely but laces my glass beautifully. Very dry in the mouth with a surprisingly light body and a light bitter finish. Some diacetyl. Incredibly fresh, crisp and quenching and a very typical Saison - the only one made in Flanders. 310505

Bottled, brewed by De Proef, according to Akkurat. Lightly hazy golden, small head. Estery yeasty banana aroma. Sweet and lively with balanced sweetness. The intense estery nose is followed by a clean, rounded body, and there’s a mere hint of grassy hops. Fresh and with obvious wheat malt character.

White head, gone in secs; fully hazy yellow beer. Coriander (with the sackfull), perfumed, bit citrussy, and indeed, wheaty nose. Perfumed and fruity taste, coriander very obvious, but not all-conquering - though it isn’t far off. It’s balanced sour-sweet which is a good point. Medium bodied, very refreshing. The balance saves it. Still, next time, guys: 1/2 the amount of coriander, PLEASE. No, make that 1/3 for safety’s sake...

Bottle, probably infected. Cloudy dark brown color, medium off-white head. Aroma is bit sour and milky, but upon carefully shaking aroma is more roasted malty, some chocolate, bit fruity. I think it’s supposed to be that way. Taste is slight sweet and malty, but also quite sour and creamy.

Hoppy aroma. Unclear, light yellow colour. Small white head. Bitter and aromatic hoppiness. Nice bitter finish. 5 3 6 3 13

Bottle at ZBF08. Good sweet maltiness. Creamy mouthfeel. Hazy yellow colour. Good stable white head. 6 3 7 3 13

Bottle at ZBF09. Weak yeasty aroma, some coriander. Cloudy yellow colour. Nice creamy stable white head. The flavour is dusty, chalky, light malty, slightly sweet, hint of clove. 6 3 6 3 16

At ZBF 2005 White head, good lace. Sparkling, blond body. Aroma of hops and yeast (dough). Lightly acidic, moderately bitter initial flavour. Lightly bitter, lightly acidic finish.

Bottle Blond, clear body. Large, white, rocky head. Ok lace. Aroma if hops, flowers, citrus, grass: nicely balanced with some complexity. Moderately bitter initial flavour. Lightly bitter, lightly sweet finish. Some bitterness pops up in the end. Well balanced with some (but not very much) complexity. Nice, decent saison.

Slightly hazy pale yellow; very firm, irregular head. Frites and mayonnaise nose. No, sorry, that’s the woman next to me. Very restrainted nose, rather a bit o’ grain, bit o’ grass, bit herbal. Hops taste - good. Slight lemony taste, and, less interesting, something chlorine-like. Very strangely, hops keep coming out more and more markedly. Beer finishes much drier than starting. Light, refreshing despite the dryness and the alcohol. Very - dangerously- drinkable, but in itself a bit unremarkable. Reasonably true to the style in taste, however.