Boulder Beer A Honey of a Saison

Brewed by Boulder Beer Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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From tap at Stub and Herbs. Pours hazy orange with a small off white head. Aroma is fruity and light toasted malty. Sweet, overripe fruity and phenolic. Smooth and phenolic, fruity lingering into an overripe fruity finish.

(Draught) Pours a cloudy golden orange body with a small off-white head. Aroma of honey, pear, and coriander. Flavor of honey, yeast, white grapes, coriander, pear, and grass. Sweet.

Bomber poured a clear reddish amber with a small lasting amber head. Aromas of honey, carmel, yeast, light spice and light fruittiness. Palate was light bodied and crisp with a smooth dry finish. Flavors of honey, carmel, light fruittiness and light spice with a smooth dry lingering carmel finish.

Draft. Amber beer with a cream head. Honey aroma. Honey and light yeast flavor with light spice. Medium bodied. Honey and light yeast lingers with light spice.

on tap, golden pour withhoney, sweet floral notes in aroma , with flavors of honeysuckle, slight grains, some tropical fruit, sweet finish

Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy/fizzy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is medium amber. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, toasted grain), lightly to moderately hoppy (apricot, herbs), with notes of honey, candy sugar, gum, alcohol (fusel - insecticide), pepper. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately bitter, slightly husky. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, lively carbonation, moderately to heavily alcoholic. Well, it’s certainly not a saison...it’s a hot, syrupy sweet mess of a beer to be sure. There are some aromatic aspects that are pleasant and admittedly Belgian, but this is more like a braggot or some such, fusels and all (honey is quite a pain to ferment clean). As mentioned already, in the mouth it’s syrupy sweet and very boozy, the antithesis of saison. So ignore the name and attempt to enjoy it as a sweet Belgian strong or braggot, but beware...it’s very difficult to drink much of it, and it’s a sure-fire hangover thanks to the higher alcohols.

On tap @ Radio Maria. Very hazy golden, thin wispy head that recedes to a ring rather quickly. Aroma is a bit strange, certainly honey sweetness, but some odd sweet pickles too. Palate is estery and very sweet, a little spicy. Too heavy for a Saison, with no yeast character.

On tap at Capitol Beer, Sacramento. Pours copper with a decent beige head and a honey aroma. There is a slightly sour fermented honey taste and a fruity finish. Doesn’t have the yeast presence of most saisons.

Draft at Rattle with Npodendorf. Pours orange amber with an off white head. Sweet honey and light fruity notes, some lighter spicy notes, wheat, and rich yeasty notes. The alcohol is really well covered. Decent.

Bottle. Amber pour with a tall, foamy white head. Very sweet aroma with honey, candied fruit, candi sugar, Belgian yeast and sweet maltiness. Taste is sweet malt, candied fruit, yeast, soft spiciness, ripe fruits and honey. Body is medium-full with a soft carbonation and a mild alcoholic warmth. Ends with more sweet malt, honey, ripe fruits, candy notes, Belgian yeast and soft booze.