Saison Imperiale Belgian Farmhouse Ale
By
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
After enjoying Saturday’s “Saison Americain”, I wanted to compare the beer to a more traditional saison. Too late I discovered that my bottle of Saison Imperiale isn’t representative of the style — though it is quite good in its own right. So I’ve had my second “faux” saison of the year; at some point, I really need to find an authentic representation of the style.
Sunday was a beautiful day here in New England, so I carried my bottle of Saison Imperial to the back deck after grabbing a few pictures inside. The warm weather, singing birds, and colorful life emerging from the garden made for great beer drinking ambiance — especially with such a fresh and funky beer.
According to Wikipedia, saisons were originally brewed to refresh — but not intoxicate — parched farm workers during the harvest season. These low alcohol summer ales varied widely in style and were frequently blended with lambics or saisons of previous years.
Brewed by Belgium’s De Proefbrouwerij, Saison Imperiale is a souped up version of the traditional pale farmhouse ale. The beer is dark, brown and cloudy, with an off-white or beige head that filled my tulip glass and leisurely lingered long after the pour.
It has a fresh, wild, fruity aroma. The funky “bret” smell is just present, taking a back seat to the malty, apple-like fruit aromas. The taste picks up where the aroma leaves off, malty and sour-sweet, cherries and slices of apple, with a saison seasoning of wild “bret” taste. Hops are also present, and the bitterness crests just moments before the beer fades, leaving you with a dry finish.
Saison Imperial was a real treat, especially on such a nice day in my back yard. While I’m sure it would be quite tasty after a hard day’s harvest, I’m not sure I’d be much use to anyone after drinking a bottle of 8.5% ABV beer.
For anyone looking to search for a bottle, Saison Imperiale was imported by Lionstone International of Lake Forest, IL.
Related posts:
