Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
Style: Saison
Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium

Don’t ask me why. On tap at the Vintage Estates in Boardman. Pours pale yellow and slightly hazy. Sweet, somewhat volatile aroma. Thick white head fades to a tea froth in a few minutes. Fairly strong attitude on the tongue. I would have guess this to be a strong ale style, not saison. Though it does not come across like 9.5%. Flat with little if any, detectable carbonatuion. Finish is a stronger belgie ale character. Alky laced linger. One of the better high alky brews I’ve tasted.

Bottle. Hazy yellow. Fruity smell, yeast, wheat and spices. Taste of bitter orange cest, fruit and a small sweetness. Little too much alcohol in the flavor.

Had a minor eruption when opening the 375ml bottle so I had suspended yeast. Let’s see how this goes... Warm, fruity alcohol on the aroma. Alcohol warms the mouth. First impression is sweetness but it’s not. More like a combination of fruitiness and alcohol that leads to it. Tapers into some maltiness and prolonged warming feeling. Leaves me wavering really but it’s still quite pleasant.

375 ml bottle from Systembolaget, Karlstad. Pours a hazy orange color with a nice white head which dies after a while, but there’s a small ring of foam left at the edges of the glass. Spicey, yeasty aroma with notes of orange peel, citrus, unmatured apples, banana, coriander and clove. It’s also quite funky with a stable/barn like smell. Flavour is dry, pretty acidic and spicey. Notes of citrus, orange peel, unmatured apples, banana, clove, coriander and apricot. A slight fruity sweetness but most of all acidic, slightly funky and dry with a slight bitterness. Mediumbodied on the palate, filling with quite high carbonation. Quite refreshing despite the high ABV. Overall: a very nice Saison. I think I’m starting to like pale belgians/saisons/tripels more and more. Or maybe I just have tasted the best examples lately? This is one of the best belgians I ever had, all categories.

375 ml bottle, thanks to deft!
On February 7, 2009
BB 07/2013
Cork states 2008. Cloudy yellow color with small particles, smallish white head. Acidic, dry wood, sweet, lactic scent. Acidic, very dry, yeast, spicy, harsh taste, also alcohol. Medium mouthfeel, harsh dry bitterness.

(bottle, 2007) Pours orange with a large, fluffy white head that lasts. The aroma has orange peel, coriander, banana, the typical Dupont must, pepper, and bread. There’s also a toasty note that couples well with the must. The taste is lightly sweet, with flavors of peaches, caramel, and a tart note of apple skin. After these initial sweet flavors, the taste completely changes to spice and citrus. There’s a finish of orange peel, coriander, and a lingering bitter note as well. The high alcohol never intrudes in both aroma or flavor. The mouthfeel is fuller than most saisons, but it is a welcome change of pace, and I can only see this getting better with age.

Golden color with a large fluffy head. Taste of fruit, spice, and yeast. Has both bitterness and sweetness. Yeasty odor. Citrus aftertaste. Good.

Bottled. BB 2013/07
Deep, dark golden colour with fluffy head. The look of saisons is often beauitiful and this is no exception. Aroma is laid back but somewhat complex. Rich malty, with notes of marzipan, subtle peppery alcohol, fruits and spices. The mouthfeel is pretty smooth with not that high carbonation. It’s slightly sweet malty, yet with a woody, dry-ish mouthfeel and peppery alcohol shines through along with those spices/herbs that are so typical for the style. I prefer my Saison to be a bit lower in alcohol, here is a blend of Blonde Belgian Strong Ale and Saison. A Super Saison perhaps? Subject of ageing it is for sure!