On tap at New York Wing Factory, perfunctory Calypso-hopped version of well respected saison fails to deliver. Pungent floral-perfumed citric spice and barren white-wined yellow grape tartness receive musky earthen barnyard rusticity. Fungi-like navel orange rot, lemon musk and dessicated pineapple never fully integrate.
On tap at Ambulance, dry-hopped springtime farmhouse ale just misses the mark. Perfumed yellow grapefruit bittering stays sharp and sour lemon-rotted tartness provides decent backup, but musky cologne-like spicing is an acquired taste.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, crisp Noble-hopped farmhouse ale places moderate orange-rotted lemon souring atop light pilsner malting and mildly creamed vanilla sugaring. Tart citric briskness retains clean finish.
Murky saison brings sour-fruited expectancy and hard cider bite to delicate hop spicing, losing luster by citric-spoiled finish. Orange-oiled tartness, honeyed lemon herbage and terse lemongrass-coriander snip fit stylistic realm.
On tap at Track 84, smoothly crystalline apple-juiced saison utilizes champagne yeast to provide inviting white-wined cider lilt. Subtle lemony orange souring and tannic yellow grape esters fill the backend, but advertised apple adjunct relegated to a certain anonymity.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, wild brettanomyces yeast provides sour white-wined champagne sparkle to tart Somerset apple juicing and subtle white-peppered piney hop bittering of English saison. Mild orange-rotted yellow grapefruit souring and zesty pineapple tang fill out the backend.
Dainty farmhouse-styled ale brings subtle tangerine-clementine tang and sweet ‘n sour lemon juicing to delicate pale malt stead. Crisply clean carbolic spritz nearly hides estery grape tartness, kaffir lime tingle and mild melon snip at the zesty citric finish.
On tap at Ambulance, soft-toned saison offers sour citric splurge to mineral-watered crisping, grassy hop bittering and wafting floral perfuming. Herbaceous lemon zest crowds the middle, but thin yellow-fruited finish lacks resolve.
On tap at Ambulance, tart beige-hazed farmhouse ale utilizes Red Jacket apple cider to complement leathery horse-blanketed hay dryness and spelt grained earthiness. Yet its white-peppered green apple tartness steals the show midway, receiving a lightly acidic limestone parch and lemon-fizzed coriander salting. Very interesting and never too demanding for softer palates.
Smoothly rustic moderation brings tingly lemon zest to wheat-flaked honey malts, salty hop astringency and peppery yeast musk. Herbal lemongrass and basil notions recede below silken grapefruit pith bittering at earthen midst. Lemon rind, pineapple and apricot illusions provide tertiary relief.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, excellent collaboration between broad-minded Kansas City brewer and Belgian-inspired New York mainstay, Ommegang, utilizes unique house yeast from blended batches. Lemony orange rind sedation, brisk yellow grapefruit tartness and white grape tannins spiced up by white-peppered grassy hops. Pink peppercorn pep enlivens honeyed grain base.
Uniquely hybridized Oklahoman saison drops subtle brettanomyces acidity onto citric-candied tartness and white wine yeast tannins. Lemony grapefruit-pineapple-mango fruiting as well as astringent black-peppered Saaz hop spicing override cane-sugared banana, clove and coriander reminder caressing soft wheat-flaked spine.
