Professor Good Ales

Written by Maria Devan

I remember when I first tasted Sofie I had all kinds of quips. “Sofie is a tart.” and “A saison is like a pretty girl. It’s her perfume but watch out because she does bite a little.” Then I started getting this beer fresh and I started not to like it as much . Today I have last years beer and I am back to thinking Sofie is a tart. I’ll try and compare it to Saison Dupont.

Sofie smells lemony sweet at first. Soft haze on a yellow beer topped with a thinner head than Saison Dupont as it also fell faster. ( I ‘ll just say Dupont from now on) There is spice and the malt is crackery and shows itself on the nose. There is funk on this beer and compared to Dupont it is a bit different. So I think we can say the yeast strain may be different? Funky can be mild or strong and is not a flaw either way. In tasting, I think a lot of people who get their first taste of funk think it’s a flaw. Spice backs the lemon in this one with a bit more sweetness than Dupont and smells like a lemon meringue pie with crust. Herbal is behind the funk and it’s peppery. Not peppery like black pepper, but peppery like herbal pepper. There is a sweaty little tartness on the nose but it is not barnyard. It is more mild and a bit different but it’s the same kind character from the yeast.

This beer smells more like the first one I remember, rather than ones I had after that, that were fresher.

Taste is very earthy and has lost the sweetness from the sugar on the palate because the funk has taken over a bit. On the palate it’s more like a tart little bit of lemon. The spice is more mild because of the funk and the sweat I talked about in both Dupont and Sofie is more mild in this beer overall and does not show itself to the palate as much. It’s not barnyard it’s more toward what you would call sweeter earth. Sofie has plenty of sweet grasses and finishes with less of a hops bitter than does Dupont. Sofie has lots of herbal pepper and spice in the finish. She does finish a touch sweeter overall and has a different hop character.

Freshness date says bottled on 18Nov15 . I want one from 2013 please.

Dupont is spice and sweet dryness and Sofie really is a tart with her lemony peppery herbal. Cheers you all and Happy Saison Wednesday

Written by Tom Becham

If you have followed my reviews on Professor Good Ales, you know that I’m not generally keen on gimmicky beers. For me, any fruit beer should be, first and foremost, a beer, with the fruit being a contributor rather than the main attraction.

Of course, as with all rules, even personal rules about preference, there are exceptions. Continue reading “Tom Becham Reviews Founders Brewing’s Mango Magnifico con Calor”

Profiled by Maria Devan

I loved this. Hops smell like soft grasses with sharp flowers on them. Just a hint of sweetness but mostly cool earth. Citric like orange peel.

Yellow hazy white head that fell well. Attractive.

Taste is a touch crackery toasty malt that is not too dark or rich. Hops accent the middle with soft sweet floral and light tropical fruit. Moderate bitterness to finish it. Bubbles keep it light . The lager yeast helps with dryness. Finishes crisp and with prickly herbal hop flavor accented by fruity pizazz. After taste lingers with a good malty presence. satisfying. Just enough hops to say they were assertive. More! This style was developed exclusively in the US. Hops are mosaic and galaxy.

4

Welcome to the PGA beer rating system: one beer “Don’t bother.” Two: Eh, if someone gives it to you, drink. Three: very good, go ahead and seek it out, but be aware there is at least one problem. Four: seek it out. Five: pretty much “perfecto.”

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Maria Devan lives in Ithaca, NY and is a great beer writer. That’s Maria in the middle. The other two are not, but they are lucky to have her as a friend.