Le Cheval Blanc Saison aux Herbes

Brewed by Le Cheval Blanc
Style: Saison
Montreal, Canada

Serve in Tulip

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A murky golden-orange pour that shows a lasting light off-white foam. Surprisingly subdued maltiness is quite overwhelmed by the intense herbs, notably thyme and basil, obvious in the aroma and dominating the merged yeastiness. Quite mellow in hoppiness as it clearly states its intentions to focus on spices and avoid harsh hop bitterness. Strong bready yeastiness all along interrrupsts the mouthfeel suppleness. Spicey, direct finish losing the beer’s basic ingredients’ purposes to the profits of spices. Quite original and I can’t think of any other basil-focused ale. I would rather pick something else as a second glass though and that defies my definition of a Saison.

Murky amber-orangeish hue, with a small white head, leaving laces, yeasty, toasty malt nose, with a spicy cinnamon note, with a faint herbal bouquet of thyme, basil and rosemary in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, toasty, grainy malt, with a nice herbal character of thyme, rosemary, basil, with a subtle cinnamon spiciness, with a faint leafy hop mintiness, leading towards a malty, spicy herbal floral hop bitterness finish.

The style: Saison with a ton of herbs
The conclusion: Overdoes the herbal thing and doesn’t do much else. Grossed me out.
The how: On tap at brewpub
The look: Partly cloudy copper body with an initially large beige head
The stuff: Aroma of medicinal herbs. Rosemary, thyme, camomile, basil, parsley, name one… Very floral. The extreme herbal profile was disturbing at first but became tolerable by the middle of the pint. The body is somewhat oily with flavourless doughy/bready character. Hops are barely noticeable if at all. A far cry from Cheval Blanc other Saisons. Like any niche beer that goes to the extreme in something this beer will probably seduce a few people. It just ain’t for me. Ended-up tasting halfway between a tisane and a beer. And to me those two things go together like tuna and peanut butter.

Bu sur place en fut (12 oz), à leur party du 20e.Rousse orangé, petit collet avec une droie de denteille. Arome d’herbes sucré, pas mal épicé. Goût d’herbe malté peu imposant, un petit peu fruité. Pas mauvaise mais!

My Bottom Line:
Biscuity malts and basil/thyme herbaceousness merge into a muddled, semi-sweet flavor profile. This is not Cheval Blanc’s best Saison effort by far, but that doesn’t mean it’s not competently brewed.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam sinks into the murky orangey blond.
-The finishing bitterness is leafy and herbal; not necessarily a product of the hops.
-The chosen herbs don’t come out that well; the yeast is simply taking too much room.
-Brown sugar and citrus add some complexity, but the overall effect still lacks refinement. Partial filtration wouldn’t hurt in this case, methinks.

On tap at the brewpub.

En fût. Verre de 12 oz à la brasserie. Arôme: Odeur floral avec une pointe d’épices. Apparence: La couleur est blonde ambrée légèrement voilée. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’herbes (je ne peux les nommer) avec une pointe d’agrumes. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement aqueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût légèrement astringent. (Rating #1265)