North Coast Le Merle Saison

North Coast Le Merle Saison
Fort Bragg, CA
7.9% ABV

This one was a request from a real-life friend of mine named Doug. Since I'm pretty much up for any beer, I bought a bottle and tried it.

It ended up tasting like a decent, but fairly unauthentic saison. Lots of citrus along with the Belgian funkiness -- it ends up tasting a little bit like a Belgian beer mixed with orange juice or something. Very drinkable, though.



Zymurgical Explorations rating: 8.0/10

Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night

Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night (bottle)
Baltimore, MD
8.0% ABV

This will be the first saison I've reviewed in BA. Not the first I've had, mind you, but all my other saison reviews are on paper and haven't been inputted yet. Another reason to get a bit more organized.

Pours yellow/orange, very hazy, thin white foamy head. Significant yeast in the bottle leaves heavy levels of sediment suspended in the bottle.

Strong sour lactic aroma, some citrus esters, hints of clean dry malt. Overall lemony nose.

Citrus lemon also dominates the flavor, clean and crisp. Sweet finish, slightly dry aftertaste.

Mouthfeel moderate, high carbonation, low hops.

Overall a decent beer, but uncomplex, and not really worth the effort to seek out.

My overall BA rating: 3.2/5