Saison de Pipaix

Brewed by Brasserie à Vapeur
Style: Saison
Leuze-Pipaix, Belgium

Serve in Tulip

750ml bottle served in a Duvel tulip. Pours a light shade of amber with a medium sized head that quickly recedes to a ring of foam. It smells a bit wild and sour for a saison. Notes of honey, grass, stone fruit, straw, and lemon. There is a slight sourness in the flavor but not nearly as much as the smell would leave you to believe. The flavor is malty, bready, lemon, and grass. The body is of average thickness for the style and the carbonation falls slightly lower than average. Quite drinkable and refreshing but slightly lacking in complexity.

I drank this from 750 ml corked bottle into my Orval glass. The beer pours a very dark gold, almost bordering on brown its so dark but its not. The head is an off rising about two fingers but falling quickly to a semi thick over. Good lacing. Tons of carbonation as there are bubbles all over the side of the glass. The aroma is super sweet mostly all I get is apple juice with a hint of sourness at the end. The taste is unlike any saison I’ve had. Its super light and juice like, not floralness or hops at all. There is a very light sour on the first sip but fades very quickly. The feel is very light, not much going on. Too sweet to be very drinkable.

UPDATED: MAY 22, 2011 cap and cork 750ml bottle from Binny’s. Copper color with white, ample head. A bit cloudy - I drank it as soon as I got it home. Acidic, spicy flavor with some hints of wood. Tasted like a wine cellar smells. I thought the hop bitterness was just right for the style. The yeast was a bit on the barnyard side, but I like that in a farm house ale. Different in so many ways to DuPont. This one has character. May 2011 update. Recently I purchased two bottles of this saison about 3 weeks apart at Binny’s in Chicago. Unfortunately, both bottles were TOTALLY lacking in carbonation. I am letting my previous rating remain, although this is an almost inexcusable flaw for a brewery.

Bottled sample. Pale copper in colour with strong carbonation. Aromas of pale and peated??? malts, along with a strong herbal component. Flavors are of iron, honey, pilsner malt, and earthy herbs. Light bodied. Very strange mineral and spice characteristics, but still somewhat enjoyable.

More carbonated than I would have liked. Nose is funky grass and earth. Taste is metallic and citrus. Rated 5/11/04

Liquid Sunshine X – Olympia, WA
A big pepper and metallic aroma. The taste gave off a soft lemon with a mixed metallic. Just not my flavor. Thank Tom I a glad I tried it.

Bottle from 1995 shared at chuck’s in bowling green With Blake. Pours a beautiful gold, really the most beautiful beer I have ever seen. Nice white head, wonder carbonation. Nice funky aroma. Acid and hay..dry finish.... really a great beer!!!!

Bottle at LS X. Golden pour with next to no head. Smells of sour apple, lemon, and funk. Has a granny smith apple tartness with a bit of citrus, plus a mild, but pervasive aluminum flavor. Some hay and funkiness on the finish. Very interesting.