Benelux Fractal (Saison)

Brewed by Benelux Brasserie Artisanale
Style: Saison
Montreal, Canada

Serve in Tulip

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Tap at the Brewpub: Pours a hazy light golden with a dense white film of head. Nice wheaty aroma- some tart lemony notes and mildly sweet Belgian yeast esters. Light and fluffy on the palate. The flavor is not tart as the aroma suggests- has a light wheat malt presence-some phenolic notes, a touch of bubblegum comes through along with a mineral character and a light peppery bitter finish. Not bad.

Pours a cloudy golden color with a thin white head. Pleasant aroma of coriander, citrus, yeast and hops. Good flavor of coriander, citrus, yeast and grassy hops, there’s also mild dryness and bitterness. The body is light with a creamy texture and moderate carbonation. Very good.

A hazy golden ale with a thin white head. A pleasant pungeant aroma of coriander, ornages and spices. In mouth, a nice clove and banana, oily mouthfeel, very rich and smooth. good stuff. On tap at brewpub, Jan. 2009.

Draft at the Benelux Brewpub in Montreal. Pours clear body with no head. Aroma is forgettable. Taste is bland.

Sampled at the brewpub in Montreal. Ok, but wasn’t really feeling this Saison. Not much to note.

UPDATED: JAN 18, 2009 My Bottom Line:
Cushiony cereals, herbal hops and bready yeast convey a personable flavor profile for this most humble and very drinkable Saison.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the cloudy blond.
-Soft citrus fruit notes are tasted throughout.
-This is quite well rounded for a Saison. Some would prefer drier, I’m sure.
-The herbal hops offer delicate bitterness.
-The cereals’ sweetness teams up with the yeast, building lightly honeyed bananas.

On tap at the brewpub.

en fût sur place, bière agréable mais difficile d’identifier comme saison mis a part un léger goût aigre, belle couleur orangée pas mal trouble, rafraichissante, agréable.

UPDATED: DEC 12, 2008 Verre de 12 oz, d’un fût, à la brasserie. Arômes fruités et épicés de levure saison, touche d’agrumes. Robe orangée et trouble, peu de mousse et effervescence moyenne. En bouche, des notes de malt caramel accompagnent la levure épicée et fruitée. Belle texture veloutée. Le houblon citronné engendre une amertume moyenne en finale. Une bonne saison rafraîchissante.

Bu sur place, en fut (12 oz) à 5.8%. Blonde mi-brumeuse, peu de collet. Arome de malte caramelisé légé, d’épices doux avec un sensation d’agrume. Goût d’épice un peu malté, très pétillant avec des notes d’agrumes.

Draught tulip at Benelux on 9/28/07
Well-conditioned and pretty much like Saison Dupont in appearance, save for this is on draught and obviously dosent have the head-staying power of a bottle conditioned bottle. Still, lots of white head, moderate lacing and strong retention. About as good as it’s going to get on draught.
Heavily peppered nose (white pepper) and moderate citrus (lemon and very mild grapefruit) parallel Dupont very well. Strong, satisfying aroma, with sweet cookie dough and honey malts to boost the strength. No alcohol or flaws. Very well-brewed and conditioned, leaving no dirty/bland yeastiness and a terrific hoppiness that dosent seem to deviate significantly from Dupont.
Somewhat sweet in flavor, maybe sweeter than Dupont, maybe not. Dupont varies from batch to batch, and though this may be a bit more sweet, overall, the draught carbonation (which is considerably looser than natural carbonation), does not have the tightness that helps dispel some of the sweetness, so it’s difficult to judge. Regardless, there’s a lovely acidity and mild phenol quality present, just as in the real thing. Honey and light dough mimic the malt structure perfectly, while the hops add a very enjoyable flavor, and mild bitterness. Despite the differences of having draught carbonation, I will say that this one has a leg up on Dupont in not being sterile filtered (before being bottle conditioned). The most authentic Dupont clone I’ve had to-date. The lower alcohol is great too!!
David was talking about how he found an excess of grapefruit acidity/flavor in it, but I’m not so sure that guy knows what he’s talkin about when it comes to saisons..... ;)