Saison Imperiale

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Saison
Lochristi, Belgium

On tap at Collins Pub. Dark, clear amber with good head. Licorice and lots of belgium yeast. Tons of yeast in the aroma and taste. A little bit of apple in the taste. A little harsh, but good.

Deep caramel pour with a small white cap. The aroma is grandma’s cellar - musty and dirty with lots of yeast esthers. As it warms, the nose opens up with notes cherry, honey, nut, caramel and smoke. Chewy mouthfeel offers lots of caramel, almonds and butterscotch. Musty yeast hangs on the edges. This reminds me of a Bier de Garde, as the yeast really lends a strange , cellar note to this beer.

Bottle purchased at Pizza Port bottle shop Carlsbad for $7.99. This was surely a surprise because of the dark red tinted color and small development of foam across the glass. I mean this was an “Imperiale Saison” was it not? Anyways, it had a very strong and lively olfaction that was without question all yeast and wild farmhouse style at that. Now, for the flavor, I find a big and bold yeasty and spiced profile that is undeniable true fashion to Belgium saisons and De Proefbrouwerij’s brews. It has a minor hint of caramel or sweet malt as well notes of sourness and pepper/paprika spice presence that will really overwhelm my taste buds.

Not the best saison I’ve had. Not undrinkable either. The problem was the aftertaste was bitter and bland, not pleasant at all. It started nice, with some tartness and a little bit of spice, but in the end was fairly disappointing.

750 ml. bottle. Deep copper body with a healthy, frothy, and tawny head that leaves some pretty good lace. It’s certainly darker than any saison that I’ve had, but i’m not sure that’s necessarily a negative on its own. Fruity and yeasty with some earth and leather notes, definitely some Brett character. Medium body a and light carbonation, some astringency. This is farily bitter, and lacks some of the acidic sourness that makes saisons so refreshing. Finishes quite bitter with a faint metallic aftertaste. Although this was OK, it was certainly not the among the better saisons that I’ve had.

Draft at Brouwer’s Cafe in Seattle. Poured a clear orange color. Head was thick and off white with good retention and lacing. There was still a good finger high layer of foam at the bottom of the glass at the end. Fruit-dominated aroma of green apples, grape candy, and a hint of champaign. There was also a whiff of malty cereal grain. Spicy on the tongue with multiple waves of overlapping flavors including clove, apple, grape candy, and a touch of molasses. A complex and ever changing beer, but not a show stopper for me.

Too much sweet carmel in the taste and color for my taste. I like a Saison to be crisp, sour, bitter and lighter in color.

I think this beer gets a bad rap. This is a true saison, but a little heavy for summer drinking.