Beer Tasting - Huron County Saison

I went home for the May 24 long weekend and thought that was a great time to do my tasting blog on the Huron County Saison. I had the chance to share some with my parents (my dad was the co-brewer) and some of my friends who I grew up with. For the most part I'd say the beer was received well. I decided to pop a bottle in the element that inspired the beer, on my pool deck at my childhood home, vibing to folk/reggae sounds of Current Swell, with the smell of farmer's fields nearby.

I'll be following the five category format from beeradvocate.com: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Mouthfeel and Overall.  

Appearance: Very light straw yellow colour, hazy with a little bit of yeast sediment floating around. Pours a light bubbly head that dissipates quickly.

Smell: Hay, fresh cut grass, earthy aromas. A bit of faint funkiness from the Saison yeast strand. A bit of sweet honey aroma as well.

Taste: Right off the bat I get the earthy bitterness from the Saaz and Sterling hops. The flavour then moves to a funky farmhouse and sort of straw/woodiness. I get a bit of residual sweetness from the honey, but it finishes very clean and dry and slightly warming aftertaste from the 6.7% ABV.

Mouthfeel: Extremely light and refreshing and very easy drinking. I could drink a ton of these on a patio or around a pool on a hot summer day, which could get dangerous with the relatively high ABV.

Overall: I honestly think this is the best beer that I've made so far, but that has to do with how close it is to the style than anything else. I feel like it's a great gateway beer for light or basic lager drinkers as it's very light in colour, dry in finish and still packs some interesting flavours, while not being offensively bitter. I'm entering three beers in the Great Canadian Homebrew Competition this week and I feel like the Huron County Saison has the best chance in it's class at potentially placing.

Thanks for reading!