Wednesday 16 July 2014

Tasting Notes: Classic Saison with Yeast Bay Saison Blend

I have a bunch of beers I need to write tasting notes for at the moment.  Here’s the first: its based on the classic saison recipe from Farmhouse Ales, and brewed with The Yeast Bay’s Saison Blend.

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Appearance: Beautiful hazy golden colour.  Head dissipates to thin lingering cap. No lacing.

Smell: Pleasantly fruity---that almost plastic-like fruitiness you can get from saison yeasts.  Apple skins, sweet melon, and unripe banana.   Slight pepperiness beneath it all.  Not as much citrus as the saison/brett blend.

Taste: Tangy and juicy!  Really mouth-watering actually, with more of that fruit from the nose, and a tingling spiciness across the tongue as it finishes.

Mouthfeel: Dry but not thin---perfect for a saison.  Moderate carbonation. 

Drinkability & Notes: I really like the tangy and tart flavour profile of this blend---it makes for a very quenching beer (which led me to use the second generation in some lower gravity saisons). I’ve been keeping an eye out for local competitions to enter this one in, as I think it would do well in the saison category.  It is very much along the lines of something like Saison Dupont.  I’ve been enjoying it a lot, even though I usually prefer something a little more bitter.

Update (15/08/14): I entered this beer in a small local competition.  I've pasted the comments from both judges below:

First Judge

Aroma: 7/12              Light pale malt. Lacking spicy phenols. Light sulfur aroma

Appearance: 3/3        All Good

Flavor: 12/20             Dry Pale Malt flavor. “Waxy” Yeast character (candy wax). Mild malt sweetness.         
Decent balance.Dry finish

Mouthfeel: 4/5            Spritzy Carbonation

Overall: 7/10               Nice Effort. Clean and well made

Stylistic Accuracy: 4/5

Technical Merit: 4/5

Intangibles: 4/5

Score: 33/50

Second Judge

Aroma: 8/12            Good. Spice lacking just a bit

Appearance: 3/3      Good.  Medium to high carbonation

Flavor: 13/20           Mild spice.  Hints of bubblegum.  Tart finish.

Mouthfeel: 4/5         Slightly high carbonation

Overall: 8/10            Nice job would like a bit more spice and peppercorn

Stylistic Accuracy: 4/5

Technical Merit: 4/5

Intangibles: 4/5

Score: 36/50

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