Jester King Brewery Le Petit Prince Saison at 2.9% ABV ($7.25 at Specs Main Branch, 750 ml, bottle date 27-Oct-2014)
Pours cloudy pale straw with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty lacing. (3/5) Nose is lemon zest, brett funk, hay, apples and pears, very light crackery malt. (7/10) Taste is moderate sweet, moderate tart, mild bitter. (7/10) Light body, prickly to moderate carbonation, crisp tart finish. (4/5)
Well, that’s unexpected – a restrained, funky, Franco-Belgian style farmhouse saison, from Texas. Cider and champagne characteristics, with a lovely light and crisply carbonated body. Quite refreshing, and yes, it would make an excellent table beer with a light meal. Really, my major complaint is that it’s, if anything, too mild. I don’t mean just the ridiculously low ABV (at under 3%, it’s barely “beer”, is it?) but the total package: the aroma, flavour, and body are all so well-behaved as to barely be present at all. I’d love to see this with its restraints removed, actually… (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
