“Exquisite in form, Saison Bernice is the centerpiece of our brewery and the purest expression of both our brewing philosophy and our house culture. Lovingly made from the finest ingredients available, Bernice is beautifully tart with a soft and inviting mouthfeel. Long, slow aging in stainless tanks coaxes out flavors and aromatics of ripe citrus and just-picked stonefruit. Simple but graceful, Bernice is the beer we’d pour you ourselves if given the chance.”
Glassware: Stemmed Tulip.
Appearance: Slightly hazy honey colour with a two finger head resting atop. It gradually reduced to a wispy overlay with a tonne of lace sticking to the glass.
Aroma: Nice and punchy. Plenty of fresh zesty citrus, florals, peppery spice, coriander and tart lemon funk leading out. There’s a lovely yeast profile with a good helping of phenols and unripened banana which melds in to the somewhat doughy/bready malt backdrop. Just the mildest hint of sourness to it which is really well tempered and allows the rest of the aromas to shine. Brilliant.
Flavour: We’re getting a light acetic citrus upfront, more of a textural sourness with a delicious line of candied lemon cutting through. The middle is also nice and fruity with more of a peachy accent which moves in to mild farmhouse spices, bretty funk and eventually to a slightly musty finish with overarching citrus notes.
Mouthfeel: Aerated and mineraly with sparkling carbonation. Mild acidity and a well concealed 6.5% AbV.
Overall: One of the things we really enjoyed about this was the balance. The brewers certainly flirted with the sourness but at its core it’s just an incredibly well brewed saison. This is our first crack at SARA and we’re very impressed. Superb.