On tap at The Oath, quaint wine-barreled farmhouse ale (with unassuming 9.5% ABV) brings bacterial brettanomyces-bound Champagne yeast souring to raw-honeyed lemon juicing, white-peppered hop pep, musky dried fruiting and murky strawberry adjunct. Vinous white grape tannins soak desiccated plum, pomegranate, white peach, crab apple and mandarin orange sedation above even dryer straw-hay-barnyard acridity . Not far removed from buckwheat honey mead styling.
On tap at The Oath, white-wined lactobacillus yeast souring affects tart yellow-fruited spicing and dry raw-honeyed pilsner malting of rangy farmhouse ale. Lemony orange-grapefruit spurt lingers above lightly leathered straw dryness.
On tap at The Oath, indecisive dry saison retains sessionable citric pleasantries but squanders paltry wattle-seeded coffee bean adjunct and roasted Tasmanian peppering. Sweet ‘n sour floral-spiced lemon, grapefruit and orange tartness picks up and latent earthen herbal whim that out-muscles any true java influence.
On tap at Poor Henry’s, unconventional chartreuse-hazed medium-bodied saison plies sour lemon-pitted tartness and limey bittering to lactose-heavy acidulated malts, creating buttery Chardonnay wining. Sourer and winier than typical pale ale-styled saison and therefore better recommended to sour ale imbibers.
Pleasingly moderate saison brings misty orange-peeled coriander sweetness to herbal white-peppered hop pep, light floral wisp and dry barnyard leathering. Zesty lemon spritz enlivens banana tartness and grape esters as well as subtle grapefruit-orange-pineapple conflux at soapy finish.
Lovely floral-herbal spicing buttresses lingered sweet ‘n sour citrus tang with “lavender, marjoram and bay leaf” adjuncts as well as chamomile, thyme, basil, saffron and fennel illusions above dry rye malting for culinary delight. Sugared lemon, key lime, mandarin orange and peach tones brighten the surface while nutmeg hints further sweeten lustrous saison.
On tap at Ambulance, vinous saison promotes bacterial Wild-Sour Ale styling as mouth-puckering lemon salting dries out above orange-soured peach and apricot tartness. Lemony seltzer fizz adds nose-tingling carbolic spritz. A pretty compelling semi-hybrid.
On tap at Ambulance, easygoing orange blossom-honeyed saison (a collaboration between Florida’s Saint Somewhere and Texas-based Jester King) lets sour lemony grapefruit tartness override subtle floral perfumed hop bittering and dry straw-grained acridity. Wispy peppercorn pungency affects fading honeyed citrus finish.
On tap at Barcade – Jersey City, thrillingly ‘harmonious’ 2016 Smuttynose/ Barcade collaboration arguably the best saison ever devised. Luscious candi-sugared vanilla bean sweetness uploaded alongside tingly cinnamon spicing and wispy Italian plum adjunct provides beautiful contrast to stylish citric tartness. Tangy grapefruit, orange and tangerine briskness outdo lemon meringue and lime sorbet tartness above crystalline water base.
On tap at River Of Beer, simple moderation works well as a low-alcohol table beer, but its jasmine-flowered grains of paradise adjunct loses luster as white-peppered lemon wisp tingles the tongue ever so gently above light pale malt spicing.
On tap at Dogfish Head – Rehoboth Beach, soft-toned saison brings honey-spiced yuzu fruiting (kaffir-limed mandarin orange souring and lemony Ichang papeda tartness) to subtle white-peppered Saaz hop herbage and oats-flaked pilsner malting. Carbolic lemon spritz gets arid.
On tap at Craft House, stylistically sweeter saison leans on sugar-spiced crystal malts more than conforming dry citric souring, rustic barnyard funk and herbal hop dewiness. Easygoing appeal furthered by soft-tongued Seltzer spritz, coriander-backed lemony orange tang and mild lemongrass snips for appealing moderate body.
