Stone Saison Review

Name: Stone Saison
Style: Saison
ABV: 6%
IBUs: 35

Everyone stop the presses, a beer made by Stone Brewing that ISN'T an IPA? What is this world coming to? All kidding aside, it's nice to be reviewing a beer from Stone that isn't an IPA for a change; Not that I haven't reviewed any Non-IPA beers from them before.

Today, I've got their Saison. There's no fancy name here nor is there any adjectives used. Plain, simple, and straight to the point. However rather than the "Enjoy By" expiration date that I normally see on these bottles, I instead see a "Bottled On" date in big bold-ish yellow letters of 05/15/15. Well, at least I know it's not old!

Appearance - A fairly hazy bright yellow color with a bit of translucence with a moderate amount of visible carbonation. The head is white and fairly thin for the most part but it does have some pretty good retention. The same can't be said for the lacing, however, as it's soapy and there's no left over.

Aroma - Grassy pilsner malts kick things off with some Belgian yeastiness to back it up. A bit of clove spiciness along with some pale maltiness. For a Saison, it smells quite earthy, kind of reminds me of Saison DuPont in a way.

Taste - The taste is quite Belgian yeast forward with a bit of sweetness contained within, of which it's hard to put my finger on to determine what it exactly is. The grassy pilsner malts are still here but not quite as strong as they were in the nose. On the back end of the palate, you still have the Belgian yeasts but there's also some bitter hoppiness in here too. The bitter hoppiness in particular lingers on the palate after you take a sip.

It's interesting to see Stone do something that is more Eurocentric than what they are most known for and what we have here is a solid Saison-style ale. However given the reputation that Stone has and the access to other Saisons I have, this probably wouldn't be my first choice as far as the style goes.
Stone Saison - 8/10