Beer of the Weekend #377: Hinterland Saison
The funk fest rolls on. The beer tonight is Hinterland Saison, brewed by the Hinterland Brewery Restaurant of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Serving type: 16-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is very hazy gold. Around two fingers of off-white head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Tame Belgian farmhouse funk lets fruity notes of orange, lemon, and grapefruit shine. It also has sweet apple and clove/pepper spice; it is very reminiscent of hefeweizen. Funky hefeweizen, that is.
Taste: It offers a surprising kick of spice to the back of the throat. The effect reminds me of curry but the flavor is more like white pepper. The other flavors create a well-balanced mélange and nothing really stands out like it does in the smell: light funk, orange, lemon, grapefruit, and spicy clove.
Drinkability: I am impressed. This may have turned me into a fan of saison.
Fun facts about Hinterland Saison:
-Style: Saison.
-Price: $2.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.3 percent.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried and Thai cuisines; earthy, nutty, and pungent cheeses; salad; poultry; fish; and shellfish.
-The beer’s webpage offers a few tasting notes and vitals — including the fact it is only available between April and June (despite the fact I bought it yesterday; the bottle has obviously been hanging around or a while). Spring and early-summer is kind of weird for a saison. Nonetheless, that means it will not be my recommendation for September.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Serving type: 16-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is very hazy gold. Around two fingers of off-white head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Tame Belgian farmhouse funk lets fruity notes of orange, lemon, and grapefruit shine. It also has sweet apple and clove/pepper spice; it is very reminiscent of hefeweizen. Funky hefeweizen, that is.
Taste: It offers a surprising kick of spice to the back of the throat. The effect reminds me of curry but the flavor is more like white pepper. The other flavors create a well-balanced mélange and nothing really stands out like it does in the smell: light funk, orange, lemon, grapefruit, and spicy clove.
Drinkability: I am impressed. This may have turned me into a fan of saison.
Fun facts about Hinterland Saison:
-Style: Saison.
-Price: $2.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.3 percent.
-Food pairings: BA recommends curried and Thai cuisines; earthy, nutty, and pungent cheeses; salad; poultry; fish; and shellfish.
-The beer’s webpage offers a few tasting notes and vitals — including the fact it is only available between April and June (despite the fact I bought it yesterday; the bottle has obviously been hanging around or a while). Spring and early-summer is kind of weird for a saison. Nonetheless, that means it will not be my recommendation for September.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
