Day 85: 03.26.10 Great Divide Colette

Great Divide Brewing Co.
Denver, Colorado

Colette Farmhouse Ale

Style: Saison/Farmhouse
Availability: Seasonal - April - May
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 7.3%

Bottle text & Info
Colette is our homage to the beers that Belgian farm workers have enjoyed for centuries. Brewed with barley, wheat and rice and fermented at high temperatures with a special blend of four different yeast strains, Colette is fruity and slightly tart, with a dry finish that makes it that rarest of treats - a beer as refreshing as it is complex.

Tasting Notes:
Pours a hazy, golden straw colored yellow with little to no head. Some esters notes on the nose along with grass and a touch of lemon. A sort off setting smell that resembles sulfur dominates - its a bit distracting. A light to medium body holds light touches of wheat, citrus and mild clove. Some slight souring but for the most part this is one if sort of predictable. Not a bad saison, just sort of forgettable. I expect greatness from Great Divide and this is just sort of "meh."

Day 56: 02.25.10 The Bruery Saison de Lente

The Bruery

Placentia, California


Saison de Lente


Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
Availability: Limited - Seasonal - March - May
Format: 750ml
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 35


Bottle text & Info:
Our Spring Saison is light blonde in color with a fresh hoppiness and a wild and rustic Brettanomyces character. Lighter in color and alcohol than our Saison Rue, yet equally complex in its own way. Perfect for warmer weather and Spring celebrations.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a vivid goldenrod with a huge, creamy, pure white top that settles quickly leaving craggy chunks of lacing behind. Smells expressly of yeast - soap and funky barnyard bretts with some very, very subtle lemon and apple notes. Creamy mouthfeel with balance all over the board here. The esther and phenols are on the forefront with tart pear, green apple, sour lemon intermingling with clove and cardamom notes. Finishes with a lovely, leafy hop grit that brings you back for more. This was not in our ordering system and i got sufficiently crawled for ordering it (wrist slap*). F. it. well worth it. By far the most authentic replication I've had from the Bruery and my favorite so far.