Monday, April 21, 2014

Beer Review: Saison Du Fermier

Reviewing the Saison Du Fermier from Side Project Brewing out of St. Louis, Missouri. This bottle conditioned saison is aged and fermented in Chardonnay oak barrels.

Score: 94

September 2013 release bottle served in a Surly Darkness chalice and enjoyed on 11/28/13 (Thanksgiving dinner). Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Pours a murky orange-ish golden color with a half finger layer of fizzy white head. Leaves a line of lacing with good retention. 3.75/5

Smell: Orange peels, white wine, oak and light/young Bretty funk. There is a dandelion-like grassy aroma too. Nice citrus undertones. Most of the aromatic complexities hit upfront, while the Brett notes and a subdued "strawiness" make up the back end of the whiff. 4.5/5

Taste: A nice citrus/tropical fruit flavor and mild tartness hit upfront, with the citrusy flavor lasting and acting as a nice backbone for the beer. Overlaid is a white wine spriztiness, oak and a lighter amount of earthy Brett than the nose led on. A little musty, with zesty lemon rind notes too -- reminisce of a fresher Cantillon Classic Gueuze in this regard. The Brett and citrusy flavor linger nicely, with the citrus outlasting the funk. The Brett/funk growls slightly as the beer warms up and breaths. The oak and white wine come across stronger when the bottle is colder, akin to how The Bruery Confessions tastes, but the taste opens up nicely from there. Everything integrates well, making it hard to really single out any flavors. Quite pleasant. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Has a good dryness, with a light tartness to it -- more so than most saisons. 4.25/5

Overall: Whatever yeast and bacteria Cory is using in his saisons is pure money. I love how citrusy/fruit his saisons come across, despite there being no fruit being added to them. It is no wonder why Fuzzy and Blueberry Flanders are so delicious. Saison Du Fermier is probably my favorite of Cory's bottle releases to date, but that is only because Fuzzy and Blueberry Flanders have not been released in bottles...yet...

Cost: $15 for a 750 ml bottle.

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