Phillips Brewing Company Atomic Buffalo Smokey Red Saison Saison at 6.2% ABV (C$7.09 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 650 ml, best before 14-Nov-2016, acquired 23-Jul-2016, reviewed 24-Jul-2016)
Appearance: clear red-tinged medium amber with one fat finger of creamy off-white head, good retention and patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel, stone fruit, bready yeast, very light smoke. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly bitter and slightly smoky finish. (3/5)
Better than I was expecting, actually. I was expecting something a lot heavier and smokier, but this is actually fairly light and mild. I still have a beef with higher ABV, non-sessionable saisons, mind you. And this gets fairly sweet and mouth-coating after a while. Not cloying, as such, but not clean, crisp, or tart. So if we’re checking off label descriptions, we’re not doing so hot: smokey? not really. red? not so much. saison? eh…. sorta. Ultimately it’s more “saison” than “smoked”, I guess. OK for a change from the ordinary, but I don’t think it’ll be anybody’s go-to. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
