Backlash Convergence

Backlash Beer Company
Brewed at Paper City Brewery
Style: Saison
Brighton, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Tulip

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Bottle from Blanchard’s Liquor in Revere, MA. Pours golden with a small, foamy white head. Aroma is of wheat, bananas, spice, lemon, and citrus. Taste is heavy on the banana and lemon. A fair amount of spice and slightly peppery. Not the best tasting thing, but it is easy to put down. Lots of carbonation, which makes it easy to drink. As it warms more alcohol starts to come through. A decent beer, nothing spectacular.

Pours a murky golden color with a couple fingers of white head. Intensely citrusy with lots of lemon peel and orange aromas. Nice and yeasty with a bit of bread and cracker malt. A mild spiciness and a hint of melon. The flavor is slightly sweet, and has a more pronounced spiciness, particularly coriander. The lemon character is pronounced and there is a touch of white pepper. Good bread malt base and plenty of yeast.

Bottle shared at the District. Cloudy yellow pour with fluffy white head. Lemon and spice aromas. Medium body with saison yeast, mild lemon, citrus, and spice notes..

Bottle (dregs)… Cloudy yellow ale with a mid-sized, fluffy, white head. Excellent retention. The nose is spicy, grainy and fruity – clove, grains of paradise, cardamom and lemon. Medium-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and mild carbonation. The flavor is sweet and tangy; well-bittered and spicy. Finishes bittersweet and a touch clovey.

Pours a hazy golden yellow with big white head. Aromas of oak, lemon, pepper and leather. Flavors are true to a saison. Carbonation is lively and allows the beer to finish dry. Clean beer with a nice spice from the hops. a very nice saison.

UPDATED: DEC 5, 2011 On tap at Atwood’s Tavern - Cambridge, MA. Strong, pugnent bubblegum Belgian yeast aroma. Some unique sweet clam, oyster or salt notes show through. A bit of tang, potentially from the rye. But the bottom line here is sugar and lots of it. This was too sweet for me. I know it’s a trend in big American Saisons, but I don’t get it and I don’t like it. It’s such an unpleasant deviation from the tradition of the style. It just doesn’t work with these stressed out Belgian yeasts at near big beer gravity. Not a favorite Saison, unfortunately. And I’m not cool with the almost-gimicky $9 this is demanding on the Boston market.

22oz Bottle, purchased at Downtown Wine & Spirits - Somerville, MA. Unfortunately, I bought this before my sampling at Atwood’s and needed something dry and drinkable with dinner tonight. It certainly hit the mark on those characters, but not too many others. When I had this on draft I thought it was sweet and had a dis-pleasurable yeast mark, this time around I think it’s bone dry, mostly boring in the mid-palate, but still with a yeast mark that tastes more like an improperly fermented Hefeweizen than any Saison I’d enjoy. I’ve given this two tries and still consider it a gimmicky gouging.

Pours gold into a tulip. Bright white head with good retention recedes leaving spot lacing to coat surface. Caramel and citrus aromas. Crisp and peppery with upfront caramel turning to yeast before the lasting lemon finish.