16 oz pour, Summits Wayside Tavern, Woodstock, GA, USA.
I’ve been fairly critical of SN in the past for over-hopping their beers so that so many of them taste so similar (The Harvest series, SNPA, Anniversary series, Torpedo, ESB, to some extent even celebration etc., all seem like clones of the same, hoppy-based beer to me with little or no imagination), so I always approach their beers with a degree of skepticism to say the least. However, on this ocassion we got a really nice brew.
I’m not really sure where the saison element comes in with this beer becasue to me it drank purely and simply like a solid, English Brown Ale. What does that mean? Well, malt based, sweet, medium to high body with a solid refreshing blast. Light roasted flavors and a lingering finish that leaves you wanting more. It poured in the same manner by looking substantial and giving an excellent rocky, off-white head and some decent lace. Alcohol is well hidden although, of course, I wish it were ACTUALLY lower in ABV rather than just TASTING lower in ABV.
As I say, I don’t really understand the saison part of this beer, but if you are looking for a sweet, malty brew I’d say this was a good bet. Highly quaffable too. Take 3-4% off the ABV and you’d have a pretty good, sessionable Englishesque beer.