Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/148134
GADD'S SIXPACK 'Tis the Saison THESE PLUMB THE DEPTHS OF SUMMER Brooklyn Sorachi Ace A saison-style ale from Brooklyn with a double dose of rare Japanese Sorachi Ace hops, originally developed by Sapporo. With a Meyer lemon nose with a head the white of citrus pith, its unfiltered cloudiness just adds to the whipping cream mouthfeel. Composed, bracing, clean, citrusybitter and intensely stylish. Delivers just about everything you could ask of a beer. The Bruery Preservation Series Saison Tonnellerie The fresh fruitcocktail nose alone is worth the price, but there's so much more. This barrel-aged saison-style ale from Orange County CA's The Bruery is tart in just the right places, sweet in just the right places, oaky in just the right places. A complete package of a beer that combines summery freshness with woodaged depth. Goose Island Sofie Belgian Style Ale Wine connoisseurs may turn their noses up brettanomyces, but Belgian brewers and their American followers have developed a love affair with this funky yeast. This farmhouse-style ale—one of several Belgian-inspired offerings from Chicago's adventuresome Goose Island Beer Company—is aged in wine barrels with orange peel and gets its tart flavor from brett, just like its Belgian counterparts. As sexy, deep and long as a summer evening by the beach. North Coast Brewing Le Merle Saison Belgian Farmhouse Style Ale From California's North Coast by way of Flanders. One of the richest, deepest, most complex noses in all beerdom—a cliff-dive into smoke, brimstone and burning coke fires. You could thumb Roget's Thesaurus to shreds looking for adjectives to describe the palate, which offers up estery sun-dried white fruit, subtle spice cake, sweet bubblegum, bitter arugula, pear tart . . . and so much more. Superb. Poperings Hommel Ale Brewed in Belgium's most noted hops-growing region, Poperings is a Belgian "hops ale" (hommel is local dialect for hops). It's nowhere near as in-yourface hoppy as West Coast pale ales, but instead offers a whole new take on the deployment of hops in beer-making, in which subtlety trumps sheer power. As balanced as a Ron Paul budget, with charming honey tones and a super long finish. GLOBAL BEER NETWORK St. Feuillien Saison Frothy in the glass and edgy on the entry, this unfiltered Belgian-made saison has an opaque yellow color from suspended yeast. Crisp apple and suave pear notes combine to great effect, keeping this stuff keen on the palate to the quite bitter end. And just when you think it's over, an afterglow of buttery pie crust invites the next sip. ARTISANAL IMPORTS 56 / the tasting panel / august 2013 TP0813_034-65.indd 56 7/24/13 9:48 PM