280. Stillwater / Mikkeller Two Gypsies Our Side

Somehow in the middle of all this Vermont beer I ended up sharing this bottle with my brother in law. The story behing this one is interesting (see brewer's description below). Both Brian from Stillwater and Mikkel from Mikkeller are gypsy brewers. They do not have a brewery of their own and produce beer by visiting other breweries and doing collaborations. An interesting concept and it makes for some fun beers.


This one is a saison with a great cloudy orange color with a thick white head that left a 2 inch cap on the beer the entire time I was drinking it. Aroma is of spice and grass kind of a Belgian smell. Taste has a distinct yeast flavor to start with some hops in the middle but nothing that stands out and finishes a bit funky. This one seemed to improve as it warmed slightly so if you happen to pick up a bottle of this and don't like it right out of the fridge give it a few minutes and come back to it, you might be surprised. 
Pros: Appearance, head
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 7.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Stillwater Ales

Brewers Description: Mikkel and Brian are two of the world's most unconventional brewers. By designing beers at various breweries around the globe, they have found the freedom to experiment and innovate, resulting in unique beers that often blur the lines of definition. After having met at a festival in Bodegraven, NL the two realized that their first creations both were called Stateside. It was then an obvious decision to make the two recipes into a new product, packed full of piney, resinous hops, and backed by the esters of a farmhouse yeast strain.

218. Oxbow Saison Noel

Monday I made my first visit to Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, ME. I went with my wife, her sister and her husband and we were basically the only ones there which was surprising. They had 35 different beers on tap including the Oxbow Saison Noel which was great as I had not had a chance to try this one.

Appearance is a very dark almost black with some hints of red, minimal lacing on the glass and the aroma was full of dark fruit. Taste was complex with plenty of dark fruit flavors and a slight bitter finish. Definitely worth trying if you can find it somewhere or if they bring it back next year. Really enjoy the stuff from the guys in Newcastle.

Pros: Complex flavor

Cons: Hard to find

Alcohol Content: 7.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Oxbow Beer

Brewers Description:

Mash:   Wheat, US Pale, Peat Smoked, Crystal 

Hops:    American 

Fermentation:    Saison Yeast

Flavor Profile:   Wet Stone, Dark Fruit, Leather, and Tobacco

192. Dogfish Head Noble Rot

I had no idea what to expect with this one as the label says it is ale brewed with grape must. It is classified as a saison but tastes nothing like the Elegans Saison from Sebago or the saisons from Oxbow. Pours a pale yellow with thick white head, looks like an American light beer. Smells of wine, grapes with a slight tinge of alcohol.  Taste is light beer at first followed by a burst of white grape and very sweet. Finish is tart like white grape juice. Overall not a bad "beer" if you want to consider it beer but not something I will buy again.
Pros: Wine like characteristics

Cons: Not a lot of beer qualities

Alcohol Content: 9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 18
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Dogfish Head

Brewers Description: Hmmm. We wonder if anyone will buy a beer with the word "rot" in the name?
This saison-esque science project gets complexity and fermentable sugars from two unique wine grapes sourced with our friends at Alexandria Nicole Cellars in Prosser, Wash.
The first addition is unfermented juice, known as must, from viognier grapes that have been infected with a benevolent fungus called botrytis. This noble rot reduces the water content in the grapes while magnifying their sweetness and complexity. The second is pinot gris must intensified by a process called dropping fruit, where large clusters of grapes are clipped to amplify the quality of those left behind.
"This is the absolute closest to equal meshing of the wine world and the beer world thats ever been done commercially," says Dogfish's Sam Calagione.
Noble Rot is brewed with pils and wheat malts and fermented with a distinct Belgian yeast strain. It has a spicy white wine body and a dry, tart finish.
Noble Rot first went on tap at our brewpub in February of 2011 and went into full 750ml bottle production in January 2012.

190. Sebago Brewing Elegans Saison

This was the last beer of last weekend and what a great way to finish. Beautiful sunny Sunday with a nice Saison. Many people are not familiar with the style but it seems to be making a comeback in Maine and other parts of the US. I have not had many Saisons but this one seems to be a good example of the style. Beautiful hazy orange color, complex taste with some fruit flavors and a fair amount of sweetness. Finishes slightly bitter (in a good way) and dry. The description below from Sebago is excellent. A really nice looking beer, easy to drink and at just over 6% ABV the 22 oz bottle was just enough. 
Pros: Complex, color

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 6.1% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Sebago Brewing

Brewers Description: Saison is a classic Belgian beer style traditionally brewed by farms to refresh the many seasonal workers. This style is renowned for its complex fruitiness and aroma. Elegans Saison (6.1% ABV) is a smooth ruby red colored winter version brewed with Pineapple Sage, an herb from the mountains of Central America long used as a tension reliever. Pineapple sage (salvia elegans) imparts delicate fragrances of lemongrass and tangerine to compliment the bready malt aroma and caramelized sugar flavors. A balanced bitterness ends each sip and cleanses the palate, leaving you thirsty for more. Elegans Saison is a limited-release Single Batch Series beer, available beginning February 17th on draft at all Sebago Brewing Company locations and in 22oz bottles at better beer stores throughout New England.

176. Oxbow Freestyle No 3 - Black Saison

First I have to say I am so glad I was able to take a picture outside as the sun is up after 5:00 now in Maine which makes things a lot easier. The quality of pictures taken inside is terrible compared to the normal setting of my deck rail. If you look back to last Summer/Fall you will see the same backdrop as this picture with vibrant green and fall colors. Hopefully the rest of the pictures until November will be taken outside. This was taken at the end of the growler - 64 ounces of beer is perfect for a weekend especially when it is 7.5% ABV. The Freestyle #3 is a Black Saison which is almost perfect. The beer pours black (what a surprise for a black saison :) with a small head that leaves a bit of lacing. Aroma has plenty of malt and taste is great. There is a bit of coffee in there, just a small amount of sweetness but very well balanced and goes down very easy for a 7.5% beer. The 64 ounce growler was gone in 2 nights and although I have a beer almost every night it is usually limited to a single 22 oz bomber so finishing a growler in 2 nights means it was a good beer. If you live in Maine or even New Hampshire take the drive to Newcastle on a Friday afternoon and visit Oxbow. I was there for 15-20 minutes talking beer with Tim Adams (head brewer) last Friday and it was a great time. Will certainly be back for more Oxbow in the coming weeks.
Pros: Dark, strong and flavorful.

Cons: Only available on tap or growlers at the brewery

Alcohol Content: 7.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Oxbow

Brewers Description:

Mash:   British Pale, Belgian Chocolate Malt, Belgian Crystal, Belgian Coffee Malt, Specialty B, Aromatic

Hops:   American, European

Fermentation:    Saison Yeast

Flavor Profile:   Deeply Kilned Malts, Italian Roasted Coffee, Pepper

Abv:     7.5%