Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

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

(75cl bottle) Cloudy, pale golden colour with a massive, slightly off-white and persistent foamy head. Light-sweet, vinous-fruity (mandarins) nose, slightly wheaty with distinctive spicy and herbal hoppy notes. Light-bitter flavour, full bodied with an extremely well-matured and mellow carbonation. Yeasty, slightly wheaty and fruity taste with early arriving spicy herbal hops, lingering into the lasting moderately bitter finish. Superb brew (12.03.08).

Bottle at Kulminator. Cloudy orange - white head. Wheaty, mould, earthy, dusty, spidersweb, light sweetness, yeasty ,light licorice yeasty. OK !!

I’ve had bad luck with Saisons thus far, perhaps it isn’t the style for me. Dupont gave it a shot before, without success. Was it the smoky bar? My inexperience? I owed it to myself to give one of Belgium’s traditions another chance. After all, Belgian styles have never betrayed me, why should they start? Still, that impossibly dry mouthfeel and caustic carbonation didn’t sit right last time around. Nonsense! Here comes the pour. Les Voeux could hardly have started more beautifully. Golden as a mirabelle, its dense orange fog is set aglow by the light behind it. Pillowy, the dazzling white fluff laces lazily across the glass. A subtle aroma arises, light but fruity, and spicy too. Peach, apricot, nutmeg and some grain successively appear. The penetrating fragrance of Charentais melon plays jubilantly off of estery hints of bubble gum, banana and pineapple. Orange peel, clove and imperceptible coriander zest the concoction. In the background, a definite chalkiness and slightly sweet hint of funk are the hallmarks of authenticity. With renewed ambition, I take a confident sip. Funky – surprising and different – a dry cheesiness like a nutty Parmesan. Buttery hazelnut flavor is apparent throughout. The fruit is more subdued than I expected but despite copious alcohol none appears on the tongue. The frothy carbonation is pleasant, allowing for the sweetness of bubble gum and pineapple to really boogie. Finishing dry, a funky grainy thyme flavor leads to a somewhat salty aftertaste hinting at apricot. I am positively dying for a morsel of Parmigiano Reggiano, that addition alone would propel me to heaven. I’m glad I followed my instincts, Dupont has crafted a wonderful brew. (14/04/2007)

[sampled at Hopleaf, Chicago] Cloudy, golden yellow color. Fruity aroma, citric, almost kind of earthy. Flavors are strongly bitter, with loads of esters. Spicy and phenolic; very complex. Finishes with a wonderful dryness. Strong carbonation.

3-2-08 bottle (2 years aged) shared at tasting
Not a preferred style of mine. Cloudy orange color with a light white head. Smell is funky and citris and strange. Flavor is average and bland and a bit sour. Overall, just okay. For the style, probably amazing - but I didn’t dig it.

Draught at Kulminator, Antwerp. Hazy golden with a white head. Grassy and yeasty aroma with tropical fruits. Soft and slightly metallic. Grassy bitterness with warming alco-feel.

Pours dark yellow with very excited white head. This beer has a piny, citrusy, peppery aroma. This beer tastes of pepper, spices, citrus, and yeast. Finishes dry with some hops and pepper.

Pours light orange to yellow with whitish head. Smell is minty, and lemony fresh, perhaps herbal as well. Taste is sharp, somewhat tart and a touch spiced as well. Some butteriness to the flavor at the same time and a honey sweetness to it. Faintly hopped as well, but sweetness prevails still a bit from this.