Epic Ales Desert

Brewed by Epic Ales
Style: Saison
Seattle, Washington USA

Serve in Tulip

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Ridiculously hazy golden coloured body with a large soapy and very nice white head - absolutely great looking beer - perfect for the style. Aroma of pale malt, grass, herbs, yeast, a hint of hops and a tiny bit of sugars. Medium-bodied; Strong herbal and grassy flavours throughout with a dry finish and a bit of sugars at the back end. Aftertaste has just a little hops, a lot of yeast and grassy/herbal flavours with some flowers thrown in the mix and a nice citrus sweetness. Overall, a very nice beer - and one great for the style - i’m not sure why this has such a low rating. I sampled this 65 cL bottle, complete with a strand of string on the top, purchased from Bottleworks in Seattle, Washington on 10-February-2013 for US$8.29 sampled at home in New Paltz, New York on 28-March-2013.

bottle brought by Erik, uhhh thanks?? .. . pours a hazy gold tan .. . light foam puffs .. . lots of odd flavours from wet hay, rubber, yeast, and cockroach brains .. . not very good at all .. . . if I give my heart to you... then I’ll have none and you’ll have two...

pours a cloudy orange-yellow with a small white head, and good lacing. smell is of pepper, spices, herbs, malt, and musty. taste is a bit watery, fruit, yeast, spice, hops, and malt. ends dry, peppery, and a slight lingering sourness.

Unpleasant funky off flavors, some orange peel. This one is just not clicking for me.

Tap at Brouwer’s Cafe, Seattle - 08/11/12. Pale amber with a thin off white head. Nose is sour, tarte, burnt tones, floor polish, medicinal notes. Taste is harsh, TCP, medicinal tones, wood, raw alcohol, hospital wards, acrid smoke. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, tarte finish. The waitress insisted I sampled this before trying it as other people had sent it back a few times in the last couple of nights. Glad she did this ! Not sure if it was a bad batch as other reviews weren’t anywhere near as bad but this was pretty MEH!

Bottle batch 2. Hazy amber color with light tan foam. Green olive, bandaid, melon fruit, mild cherry, dusty pils malt aromas. Medium bodied with soft co2. Tart herbal vegetable flavors with sour cherry, dry spices, dusty pils malt--needs more carbonation---very tasty.

22, capped and waxed and strung with a bit of jute. Cinnamon and a little bit of pomegranate on the nose. Not sure if those are supposed to be there. Watery flat body. Pickles and pomegranate on the mid palate. Pretty sure those aren’t supposed to be there. Not what the brewer intended I don’t think.

Bottle:   Dirty caramel, thick, moderate spritzy off-white head, dies quickly, little lacing.   Funky barnish nose, not like your typical Belgian tho.   Seems slightly different.   Strong bike tire air like aroma as well.   But the rusty floral aspect somewhat balances it out.   A bit tart, slightly dry, rustic floral note on the tongue.   Can’t get around the sake yeast aspect which is hit or miss with me.   Moderate body and mouthfeel.   Finishes somewhat dry, tart, with a floral aspect that is a cross between bike tire and low dense mountain shrub.   Yeah, comes across as very shrubby.   Not bad... the yeast aspect for me detracts some tho.   Very different at least.

Deep gold, clear pour with no head. Looks like a medium dark mead. Prickly pear cactus jam, agave, and tell-tale funky sake yeast in the nose. These specific scents, combined with the rye, lend an intriguingly spicy sandalwood note. Taste is lightly sweet with agave, very low bitterness, and the prickly pear element adds a very slight tang. Body is medium, but feels lighter to the virtual lack of carb. Somehow this works, and the finish is sweet, tart, and lightly spicy. This ’landscape’ series has been quite interesting. I know Cody is always brewing up interesting things, and I picked these up on a whim due to their great, rustic label art. Always willing to try something unique, I pulled the trigger (and dented the wallet) to give them a shot. While not mind-blowing, they have proven to provide an interesting and overall enjoyable experience. I will surely keep an eye out for more releases in the series, but the price will come into play in the future.

Date: May 06, 2012
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, First Sunday
Appearance: cloudy rusty orange, fine off white head, drippy lace
Aroma: dry caramel aroma, spicy, floral, phenolic
Flavor: dry spicy flavor, lots of floral and herbal character, phenolic, touch of sweetness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4