Hopfenstark Saison Station 10 (Bière Sure)

Brewed by Hopfenstark
Style: Saison
L’Assomption, Canada

Bottle shared with Jerc, Hogtown Harry, GregClow, and Blankboy, courtesy of GregClow via the brewer. Nice lemon zest aroma - strong. Mouth puckering sour taste mixed with the refreshing zestiness of a saison - what a combo, perfectly balanced and pulled off here. Some nice funkiness to add complexity. Another winner from this brewer, this is some of the best stuff being brewed in Canada right now.

Bu le 24/11/07, en fut (12oz) à la brasserie pour leur premier d’anniversaire. Blonde brumeuse, moyen collet avec de la dentelle. Arome plaisant de fruits des champs sûrettes et de blé malté doux. Goût sûr et pétillant de patits fruits, agrumes et de blé.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, jerc & tupalev - my bottle, from the brewery (thanks, Fred!) Slightly hazy gold with a good sized white head that leaves lots of lace. Aroma is sour, lemony, with some yeast and slightly funky notes. Flavour - oh, yeah! - tart fruit (esp. lemon), yeast, spice, and some pleasant funkiness. Just fantastic, love it!

Bottle from the brewer. This stuff is awesome. Fiercely cloudy pour, absolutely opaque, with a nice head. Looks like a lemon tart. Aroma is a tart, lemony yeasty delight, lemon meringue with crust, with a bitter, citrusy finish. Flavor is bretty with a great, tart finish, lots of lemon and yeast throughout. Sourness is mild but perfect. Super drinkable. Only flaw is perhaps a bit too much carbonation, and some really odd kind of McDonalds note in the aroma. Great stuff. Thanks, Fred!

Bottle (500ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc and tupalev, courtesy of Fred from Hopfenstark. This one’s for you, Dany! (heh heh heh). Cloudy light gold, solid creamy lasting white head. Amazing aroma - wow, I love this - lemon-sour malt, candy fruit malt, incredibly rich spice and yeast saison pungency - terrific. Taste - WHY can I not buy this beer in Ontario!??? WHY!!!!? - equal parts sour malt, lemon, lemon grass hops, thick pungent fresh spice, alcohol, all of it managing to blend well and even finish dry and crisp. Nearly perfect body - acidic, dry, moderately thick, long shifting malt/sour/spice/yeast finish .... I bow to you, Fred. Another 4+ from Hopfenstark.

Bottle @ Volo courtesy of Hogtown Harry & tupalev. Cloudy, beige with no head. Bretty, woody nose with some light malt and a hint of pedio. Captures the essence of buggy beer really well. Sweet, slightly spicy body. Sweet-tart in the finish with light brett. Fun stuff.

Aroma is funky, fruity, wet blanket, fruit I detected were pears, yellow plums and oranges. Opaque apricot, pours a large white head, some floaties. Flavour is a juicy fruit offering, with peaches, yellow plums, apricots and star fruit. Light bodied, beautifly tart, sour, very dry finish, absolutely refreshing. Marvellous!

<i>My Bottom Line:</i>
A tart spurt transports intelligent candy and doughy yeast to marvelously unpredictable grapefruit groves before endearing sourness establishes itself on your gums. This half Witbier, half Wild Ale is so engaging and idiosyncratic it sparkles.

<i>Further Personal Perceptions:</i>
-A veil of foam covers the cloudy pale straw.
-The link between this beer and their Framboise Forte is quite obvious.
-When you taste this beer without the yeast shot, its sourness perks up and its lemony character seems to double, making it even more quenching.
-This is dangerously drinkable and refreshingly different.
-The cereal character is quite wheaty.
-There is a light bubblegummy phenolic presence which turns into candy at times.

<b>Bottle.</b>