Chevalier Saison

Brewed by Bridge Road Brewers
Style: Saison
Beechworth, Australia

Serve in Tulip

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smells nicely grassy/floral and doughy, with a slight BO/stale sweat element. hoppiness in nose unfortunately not backed up with bitterness in the mouth, although there’s a grassy resinousness that works well with the phenolic, peppery yeast flavours. some fruitiness kind of like overripe watermelon. malt doesn’t come through clearly, covered up by all the yeast flavours. sourish and phenolic finish. rough and ready, in a good way, but doesn’t come close to combining intensity with balance and clarity like the saison dupont i had the other day. the phenols here are aggressively peppery and bandaidy, rather than the refined earthiness of dupont.

Bottle (750ml). Poured hazy straw orange with a large, dense, frothy, white head which was mostly lasting. Aroma was of bready malts with good hoppy/citrus notes (lemon and orange), coriander, white pepper, creamy pears, straw and some dried pineapple. Tart salty lemon citrus dominates the flavor with a moderate grassy hop bitterness, dry/sour grapes, sourdough-like malts, cumquats, cinnamon, white pepper, straw and some light rustic notes in the finish. Medium bodied with lively carbonation, a dry/tart mouthfeel and an amazingly refreshing finish (for 6%).

Both on tap at brewery and in 750ml bottle. This is a very classy and sophisticated effort. Has sour aroma and Hooegarden type appearance. Very full-bodied taste, very citrusy and tart. Great lingering aftertaste. I’m looking forward to having a taste of a more matured bottle (if I can resist the temptation to drink it early).

Sweet malt hop aroma. Murky yellow colour with good head and lacing. Hop malt flavour with fruit. Smooth palate.

Cloudy golden with a fluffy white head. Textbook (if thats possible) saison aroma, lots of citrus, pepper, yeast, loads of grassy hops and a wheaty kind of maltiness. Full body, loads of flavour and balance... Sweet belgian malts, dry grass, spices (pepper and clove), a bit of citrus rind and a muddy, tart yeast character lingers towards the finish. Well made and well packaged, I couldn’t think of a better hair of the dog beer.

Spicy aroma with a hint of sourness. Clear golden colour with lasting head. Flavour was a wonderful balance between the expected sourness and hops and malt flavours. An excellent beer which surprisingly tasted better in the bottle than from the tap at the brewery. I guess the maturation time in the bottle took the edge off the excess tartness I experienced at the cellar door.

Bottle, Cloudwine cellars, Vic, Many great Saison Characteristcs, Spicy, yeasty, and bready notes, in both aroma and flavour. Very similar in style to the Barking Duck , by Matilda Bay. A pretty good beer, but possibly out of production?

I quite like this one although it is a little thinner than I was expecting. Fairly clear pale straw body with a white head that left some traces of lacing. Carbonation seemed quite good at first. Salty and lemony aroma, yeast in the taste as well as soft spices. Didn’t struggle with this one at all as I did with the bottled version of the Barking Duck.

This is the best of the Bridge rd Beers, i wouldn’t say easily, but is good. The descriptions of the others sum it up, a slight saltiness and herbaciousness. The flavours are quite good, mix of spice, saltiness and bitterness. Problem is it finishes quite short. Carbonation and pour are quite good too. Good effort

I would have to agree with the sentiments of my fellow Melbournite - this is a very solid effort and probably the best of the Bridge Road beers. Very lively head early but settles quickly to leave chunky lacing. Glowing apricot orange with plenty of haze. Nose has character; a mild salty note underpin with fresh ( & pongy) cut lawn herbal notes, the latter certaintly not overpowering. Palate a touch bigger than expected with more herbal / salty notes and hints of sweet Belgian ale malts as a secondary note. A touch of spice and pepper to finish, albeit faint. Does tail off a fraction. Low fizz levels help the flavours come through easily but the structure could do with a little more lift.