5 Seasons North Dark Saison

Brewed by 5 Seasons North
Style: Saison
Alpharetta, Georgia USA

Serve in Tulip

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Dark pour. Fruity, sweet aroma. Fruity estery sweet flavor with a touch of chocolate. Fairly full and sweet, but quite tasty.

draft at westside location, and i don’t think it was 10% but whatever. pours murky amber-brown with white head. nose has prunes, perfume, and pepper. flavors are earthy prunes, brown sugar, pepper yeast finish. not bad.

On tap at the westside location. Sampled in conjunction with a number of other saisons this night and the roasty malt is coming through very nicely here both in the aroma and flavor. Flavor has a touch of bittersweet coffee character to it. A very faint earthy yeast presence.

Very dark brown with a huge creamy head. A lot like a scotch ale except for a fruity tart finish. Not a hard one to drink. Kind of refreshing, actually. Looks really rich, but isn’t.

Coffee colored with a small white head. Spicy nose. Sweet flavor with lots of fruit and a little char at the end.

On draft at Westside. The choice of the wife. Dark brown, fruits and hops scent. Taste was decent just not my style.

Pours a slightly hazy amber brown color with an tan head. Aroma is herbal, clove, banana, some roast, a touch of chocolate, and some coffee. Flavor is herbal, spicy, clove, some banana, a touch of roast, a little coffee, and a nice herbal finish.

Appearance: Matte black body with a half inch of lasting, beige-colored foam. Smell: Sweetish aroma embodying large notes of chocolate and chilled coffee. All the while, there’s a strong, pervasive fruitiness, primarily smelling of dark fruits, but also of sliced bananas (moreso as it warms a bit). Taste: Deeply malty opening serving up tastes of semi-sweet chocolate, vanilla cream, and roasty (but not too roasty) coffee. Growing encompassing sweetness. Subtle spiciness. Sharp fruitiness of plums tossed with prunes. Ripple of banana character. Drying, lightly warming finish with an enduring taste of chocolate-coated fruits. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation. Soft, silky mouthfeel. Drinkability: Though I’d say this would pair more ideally with desserts, it did a fine job of contrasting a plate of chili and maple glazed pan-fried chicken livers. A delightful brew. It’s not everyday you see one of these so-called dark saisons, but, if they were to ever become more prominent, I would hope they taste like this one.

UPDATED: JUN 26, 2011
Date: February 03, 2010
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: opaque dark brown, frothy tan head
Aroma: sweet chocolate and banana aroma, light spicyness
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, banana sweetness, rich chocolate, light spicyness adds complexity

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4

Name: Dark Saison
Date: March 05, 2011
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: dark opaque brown, scant head
Aroma: chocolate and banana aroma with a touch of spice

Name: Dark Saison
Date: May 19, 2011
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Appearance: clear dark brown, wispy beige head, bits of lace
Aroma: banana aroma has tempered a bit, still rich chocolate, nice spicyness
Flavor: sweet chocolate and banana flavor, spicyness balances the estery sweetness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4

UPDATED: FEB 22, 2010 Just added this one, so I’ll be the first to rate it as well.

Location: On tap at the Alpharetta Brewbup, 2/15/10

Overall Impression: This beer was really good! My favorite of the beers I tried on the trip to 5 Seasons North this evening. Pours a dark brown color into a snifter. A wonderful Belgian yeasty nose, some spice, a great mouthfeel, and a really nice flavor. A wonderful beer.