A different kind of season
#25 De Proefbrouwerij Saison Imperiale
If nothing else, this beer proves that it isn’t only Americans inclined to take a random style, double the strength and call it “Imperial.” Another oddity was the cork: it’s plastic. This is the first time I’ve seen an artificial champagne-style cork. It still did its job and wasn’t impossible to remove, but it does look kind of funny.
Anyway, the beer. This one is a lot different from the other Saison I’ve had, way back on day 1. While the Dupont was light and quaffable, this interpretation is heavy and thick. It poured an orangish brown with a white head that stuck through to the end, and maybe a plain pint glass wasn’t the right choice for a beer this strong, but I didn’t find much to think about in the smell. It was sort of light and fruity, maybe a little bit yeasty, but just in all not very much there. And then the taste, wow. It’s like drinking banana bread. It tastes thick and grainy, a lot of banana flavor, and some raisins and spice to finish it off, all of it very sweet. As it warms up a little some orange flavors start to come out, it takes on a more silky feel, and the alcohol makes itself more notable. There’s a lot of subtle little tastes that flit in and out—some flowery bits, some earthy herbs. It gives you a lot to think about. This strikes me more as a lighter take on an abbey ale than a heavy saison. I wouldn’t want to drink this in the middle of a hot field on a summer’s day, but it’s an enjoyable beer.