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Interesting beers these. Supposedly this brewery only brews saisons and going off their last beer (A Saison Darkly) they do it very well with a stack of character and complexity.

Served in a wide-rimmed tulip glass this one pours a dark brown almost black with deep copper red hues that are revealed when held to the light. The dense off white head rises up to about 2 fingers before gradually reducing to a well retained 5mm cap. Healthy lace. The aroma is earthy and quite rich. A mixed bag of toasted bread, spice, dark fruits, roasted malts, some chocolate and a faint whiff of alcohol make it up. The mouth feel is really smooth for a dark beer. Medium carbonation and body. Following the aroma, the flavour is also quite earthy and slightly complex upfront with subtle dark fruity esters, roasted malt, and some funky Belgian yeast coming through. Maybe a slight hint of caramel sweetness through the mid leading to a slight roasty finish with a touch of lingering espresso-like bitterness on the back end. Also a slight alcohol warmth throughout as well (7.4% ABV). It’s a real testament to this brewery that this is the 2nd saison we have tried from them and both of them are extremely complex and packed full of flavour and character. Not to mention the fact that they’re both quite untrue to style but highly palatable. Another decent offering.

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This is our first crack at this American breweries range and we’re liking the very eye-catching, sinister looking labels. We were told this brewery only brews Saison’s so if that’s true we’re hoping they nail their preferred craft.

Served in a wide-rimmed tulip the light black pour aroused a bubbly 2 finger tanned crown that maintains well. Good head retention being offered with healthy lace trails clinging to the glass. Off the nose we get a lively champagne-like aroma. We also picked up a strong waft of barrel aged cognac/rum, oak, tart cherries, rosewater and dates with firm florals cutting through. Very interesting, almost complex display of light and dark aromas here. The flavour is intense with medium to high carbonation and fullish body. Similar to the aroma there is a tonne of mixed flavours happening. Dense and heavy like a stout but balanced with light, fleshy pear/apple and spicy characters. Firm roast and thick chocolate malts really confuse the palate, but in a good way. Hints of chocolate, dark fruits, booze, raisins and oak also come through. Starts heavy but as we get through it, it becomes much smoother. Exactly what a good beer with heavy flavours should do. At 8% it was exactly what this beer needed. What a beer, we can honestly say we have never tried a dark saison ale but we have now and we’re impressed.  Brilliant stuff.

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We were lucky enough to pick this bottle of saison up from the brewery in the hunter valley. And we say lucky because it was the last one that the brewer was actually holding. Served in a beer tulip. This one pours a cloudy, bright straw yellow with a soft 2 finger white head that eventually collapsed to a fine covering on top. Reasonable lacing. Gorgeous aroma of champagne, lemon, citrus, pepper and funky yeast. The flavour was actually quite mellow. With only mild carbonation comes a citric mix of lemon and orange on the front palate. There is a good hop profile in here as well, hinged with a subtle alcohol punch that essentially rounds off a well bodied saison. We can’t find an alcohol percentage as this was bottled as a brewers keeper (hence there being no label). Great beer though, we really enjoyed it. If you are heading to the brewery in the hunter valley, ask if they have the saison as it is only seasonal. If not, there are plenty of other delicious seasonals on offer.

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This is an interesting beer with an even more interesting label. Beer here (Denmark) and our very own Moon Dog (Melbourne, Australia) put their brewing knowledge together to produce this Danish farmhouse ale. Served in a wide-rimmed tulip glass the dark brown pour offers a frothy beige head. The aroma is dominated by funky wild yeasts, smoke and peaty characteristics. Some depth is evident here with tart hints of sour cherry, pear, roasted chocolate malts and subtle spicy hop notes. Very disorderly and essentially complex aroma and flavours happening here so it’s for the more adventurous beer drinker. Initially, on the palate we picked up dark fruits, raisins and chocolate. Some spice and licorice as well. The rich and moreish flavours are even more accentuated with hints of toffee, charcoal and leather with only a touch of vinous hops and fleshy pear to balance. At 7.6% it’s well hidden by the strong flavours being juggled on the palate. Very strange beer but we would recommend giving it a nudge just to experience the complexity and utter chaos that’s on offer here.

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“Temple Saison is a dry and refreshing farmhouse ale with a complex fruity flavour and aroma enhanced by the addition of a unique blend of spices.”

From the bottle this initially poured nothing but foam so pour slowly. Served in a wide-rimmed tulip glass the cloudy orange pour produced a huge fluffy 1 inch head that persists but eventually reduces to a firm covering on top. Much to our surprise there wasn’t a lot of lacing left behind. Aroma is lightly hopped, fruity and spicy with a hint of herbs. Lovely notes of lemon candy, peach, banana and stone fruit come forward while spice and a touch of funky yeast sit quietly in the background. In the mouth its quite frothy with medium body and high carbonation. Upon the palate the flavours display plenty of citrus tang and spice. A discreet sourness in the mid-palate is boosted with hints of tart lemon which delivers an ever so slightly phenolic, dry and essentially citric finish. The 6% ABV is right on the money, it can’t be detected in flavour but does offer a slight head buzz. All in all, there isn’t a great deal happening here but it’s safe to say it’s a clean, refreshing Aussie Saison. Not a bad offering at all.

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“India Saison is the hoppy, crisp and refreshing result of a north south collaboration between Norwegian craft brewery Nonge-O & Bridge Road Brewers.A specialty Saison yeast strain and Australian Galaxy and Stella hop varieties have been used in crafting this beer. Serve chilled and enjoy with cheeses and charcuterie.”

Served in a beer tulip the hazy light golden/orange pour manages to arouse a solid two fingers worth of head which steadily reduced but maintains a rough 4-5mm cap for the duration of the beer. Dense, sudsy lacing is being strewn all the way down the glass. Attractive appearance. The nose is offering a torrent of tropical fruits such as pineapple which is coming through firmly, mango, passion fruit and maybe a touch of rockmelon. They’ve struck a healthy balance here too as we pick up spice, barnyard and some subtle funk. Excellent aroma, we’re really keen to taste this. In the mouth it’s lively carbonated with a dry, crisp texture. The body is quite full with a slight alcohol warmth that’s left lingering on the tongue. The palate is treated to a splash of tropical fruits with an assertive bitterness that cuts through a slightly dry mustiness on entry. Some of that funky saison-style spice/yeast develops through the mid as it leads on to the dry, bitter finish. Good length. The 7.5% ABV doesn’t overplay it’s hand which is nice, certainly making its presence felt initially but gradually fading out. We really liked this beer. It’s definitely one we’d buy again. Decent offering.