Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

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

Nearly savory aromas with lemon pepper and strong yeast. Very light orange, and cloudy, with a lasting pillowy white head. Sharp acidity on the palate, lots of natural flavors, barley and bright wheat. Some peppery alcohol on the finish, which lasts well. A medium weight beer that tastes, well, authentic.

Thanksgiving beer #1 (on the day). Golden color with a deep haziness. Nice white foamy head that sticks to the glass. 750ml. Spicy, peppery aroma with a bit of citrus, slightly sour acidity, and (this is very strange) "the outdoors". Kind of a wild yeasty/pollen/flowery outdoor thing. Flavors were sweet and of course malty up front with a huge amount of dry leafy floral hops... a bit of wild funkiness in the form of a light acidic sourness, some pepper, flowers, and a bit of alcohol. Heavily carbonated but very thick and full-bodied. Definitely a very champagne-like experience. Very crisp and SUPER dry finish. Thoroughly enjoyable. I bought an extra bottle to keep around for awhile... I’ll re-rate it in a few years...

Thanksgiving Celebration, 750ml Bottle Pours a hazy golden colour with small fizzy white head. Nose of funky yeast, citrus, sweet fruits, penuts and mild spices. Initial taste has f izzy mouthfeel similar to champagne. Light bodied sweet citrus and funky yeast comes splashing over the mouth. Finishing with dry spicy bitter hops that leaves you quenching. Alcohol is well masked, brew is very drinkable.

on tap at falling rock. Murky dark orange color with faint white head. Light earthy nose with a little more spice than usual. Similar body with a solid finish.

750 ml bottle from Bevmo. This one pours a cloudy yellow gold with a big fluffy white head that dissipates slowly and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is complex and layered with sweet citrus, caramel, butter, peanuts, thyme and a bit of funk. The flavor is also layered, there are a great many subtle complexities at work-- first I note a sweet and sour sensation featuring sour pineapple and sweet pears, the sides are filled in by hazelnuts and walnuts, and bringing up the rear is hops, fresh basil and thyme. The mouthfeel is full, smooth and creamy. The Finish is long and magnificent with many lingering complex flavors. Overall: This is a beer that should pair well with fish and poultry and it is one you won’t soon forget. This is much more complex than the Veile Provision, this is an Imperial Saison. Recommended.

Draught: Medium sweet aroma. Smells of yeast, lemon, light spice, and blue cheese. Poured yellow in color with a tiny white head that diminished immediately. Tasted of alcohol, bubblegum, and lemon. Slight flavor. Light to medium body. Smooth texture. Soft carbonation. Light lemon and alcohol finish. A nice Saison. Easy drinking. Very warming.

The Saison is an incredibly difficult style to grasp. Like the Quadrupel ot Belgian Strong, the label fails to grasp any of the beer’s real character. We may say the Saison is "light", and we may say it is quenching, but these are qualities shared not only between saisons, but with water, tea, and even lemonade. It is an entirely insufficient nomenclature, which is why I have tried my hardest to judge each Saison by itself. Point in case, the Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux (DALBV for short). The dandelion yellow-orange body sits meditatively in the glass, while I great roiling cloud of ruffled white head grows into an air-tight cap atop, sealing away the mellifluous aroma beneath. A little excavating yields a sweet aroma underneath, it’s alloy of sugary and savory flavors making for a truly refined treat. Pear juice, butter and popcorn elicit the familiar perfume of a sweet tripel, while a particular waft of sparkling ginger and cider perks the nose to attention. The capacious aroma includes a floral movement, alongside the seasonally familiar smell of fresh rain and wet tree bark. Finally, pineapple and a faint tangerine citrus lend their acidic traits to give the calm and sensible aroma a much needed spark. This genteel fragrance speaks highly for the DALBV, while the palate and flavors show its stealthier, more indirect side. On the palate it is very delicate and light, almost springy, with a sufficiently thin body to quench any lingering thirst on behalf of the drinker. Alongside this jocular mouth feel a little pear flavor sighs, accompanied by a dab of honeysuckle. However, the sweetness is mostly illusory, though in a magical, non-deceptive way. In reality a rigid bread and graininess forms the main column of flavor. The sweeter elements are simply sideshows, if incredible sideshows. Because of its fragile nature, I could see the DALBV pairing very well with roasted and grilled vegetables like thick asparagus, red onions and zuchini. The beer’s aftertase, a tingle of thyme and rosemary, makes the perfect pre-flavoring for oncoming vegetables. Independently, a solid brew, and paired with food, excellent too. This is, by all means, a unique and distinctive Saison, and one that could be well considered for promoting beer’s potential as a drink for culinary critics and savants.

750 ml bottle. Wonderfully sweet aroma of spice and florals. Beautiful amber color and off white creamy head that never disappeared. Great flavor, sweet at first from the malt than the mild bitterness of the hops comes into play. Mouth feel is noticeably more creamy than Duponts other Saison and the flavor is a little more subdued and fruity. Its also had less carbonation, but with a high alcohol content it has more kick. An excellent Saison, but not as good to me as Veile Provsion.