Review: Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping (2013)

Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping (2013)

6.5% ABV

Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium

25.4 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass

No date on bottle
Reviewed on 9/20/13

This farmhouse ale pours a hazy gold color with a thick, frothy, bubbly white head with great retention. Moderate lacing.

Smell has hops, spices, some malt, citrus, floral and herbal notes.

Taste has hops, citrus, pepper, floral, malt, touch of dry champagne, wheat, slight yeast.

Mouthfeel is quite dry on the palate with a touch of a bitter kick.

Overall, this is a quite dry farmhouse ale that has a decent profile of flavors. Hops, citrus, and peppery spices are dominant here, and it's backed up by some solid floral and wheat flavors. The dryness comes across like a champagne.  The dryness gives it uniqueness.

My score: 90

Review: Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night

Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night
7.5% ABV

Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

12 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Best by 12/2013

Reviewed on 9/7/13

This saison pours a quite clear gold with a thin white head that dissipates somewhat quickly. Mild lacing. Moderate carbonation.

Smell has malt, wheat, hops, floral/herbal notes, pepper, mild fruity syrup, mild citrus.

Taste has malt, wheat, hops, light breadiness, peppery candy-like sweetness, fruity syrup, floral/herbal notes, touches of berry.  Much more defined taste than smell.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with perhaps a touch or two of bitterness and dryness.

Overall, this is a somewhat decent tasting saison that reveals more in its taste than its smell.  Malt, wheat, and candyish fruity syrup are the main flavors here, with some decent backing accents. It's fairly drinkable and mostly refreshing, though as saisons go, it's average.

My score: 87

Review: Boulevard Saison-Brett

Boulevard Saison-Brett
8.5% ABV
Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO
25.4 oz btl 
Served in Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale snifter / Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Best by 2015 (batch #2013-3)
Reviewed on 8/20/13 

This farmhouse ale pours an opaque bright gold with a thick bubbly white head that stays thick.  Lots of carbonation.  Heavy lacing.



Smell consists of hops, fruit citrus, some yeast, banana, spices, garden-like floral, mild malt, slight farm funk.

Taste consists of hops, banana, grapefruit, touch of grape, touch of berry, spicy breadiness, floral, dry farminess.

Mouthfeel is quite dry on the palate with a good blast of back-end bitterness.

Overall, a quite excellent farmhouse ale.  The corked bottle opened with a bit of a pressurized blast (thankfully, the beer didn't gush out)--an exciting start to this lively farmhouse ale.  It looks perfect in the glass: great color, lots of foam and bubbles, lively carbonation.  Midway through, I switched to the larger, more appropriate Duvel tulip glass to experience this beer more fully.  Great mix of flavors at work with hops, varied fruits, spices, breadiness, and a distinctive farmhouse funkiness (a good thing).  As it warms up, the dryness emerges even more, almost to champagne-like levels. 

My score: 95

Review: Green Flash Friendship Brew

Green Flash Friendship Brew
5.7% ABV
Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
12 oz bottle
Served in Boulevard Tulip Glass
Date notched on bottle: Brewed on 8/7/12
Reviewed on 11/17/12

This saison pours a dark cola-like brown with a a thick bubbly beige head that keeps good form.  Mild carbonation.  Great lacing.

Smell consists of malt, hops, nutmegs, pepper, slight banana, slight yeast.

Taste consists of malt, dry spiciness, hops, banana, pepper, yeast, slight floral.

Mouthfeel is earthy, dry with a decent mix of flavors.  Some bitterness comes through.  A bit rough on the palate.

Overall, this is an interesting, unusual saison with a varied profile of tastes.  Pepperiness becomes a bit overwhelming as the temperature rises.  It has some good taste notes, but it's somewhat hard to drink. 

My score: 84

Review: Dogfish Head Cypher

Dogfish Head Cypher
6.0% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
On tap at the Dogfish Head Brewpub, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Served in a snifter glass (approx. 8 oz serving)
Reviewed on 12/27/12 at the brewpub

This beer, a brewpub exclusive billed as a dark saison, is dark and bubbly with a decent off-white head.  Good lacing evident.

Smell is malty, with slight hops, caramel, floral notes, and spiciness coming through. 

Taste has malt, caramel, spiciness, some pepperiness, some smokiness, some woodfire taste.

Mouthfeel is earthy with some good texture.  Some good chewiness to it.

Overall, this is an interesting twist on a saison.  Malty and rich with caramel, but still retaining good earthy floralness like a true saison.  Smoky and spicy.

My score: 91

Review: Stillwater Artisanal Of Love & Regret

Stillwater Artisanal Of Love & Regret, Import Series Vol. 1

ABV: 7.2%

Belgian Saison Ale
11.2 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 5/10/12

This ale pours a light brackish brown.  Thick off-white bubbly head that keeps.  Good lacing and carbonation.  Lots of particles floating around.  On the nose, there's a strong earthy-type smell, with some hops, lemon, herbs and spices, yeast. The taste is lemony, with a touch of spices and other citrus flavors.  It's fairly light tasting with earthiness.  Definite yeast.  As I got closer to the end, yeasty sediment took over and it became harder to drink.  The mouthfeel is grainy--I can feel the particles on the tongue.  Slightly thinner than expected.

When I opened the bottle, it pretty much exploded, something I wasn't prepared for.  It's definitely an interesting earthy-type beer, though as I continued drinking it, I liked it less and less.  Perhaps I poured it a bit too vigorously and allowed too much of the sediment to get into my glass.  Perhaps I picked up a bottle that had gone bad (I couldn't find a date on it).  Perhaps my palate's not ready for this one.  Anyway, I wasn't too fond of it, but I'd be willing to give it another go in the future.

Score: 78