Tasting notes - Weird Beard Brew Co. and Sad Robot Brewing's Saison 42

I love saisons; period. With that distinct aroma and flavour that's clearly Belgian, but also (dangerously) refreshing, they typically embody everything about beer that excites and interests me. Add to that yet another reason to drop a palms-out "Don't Panic!" in conversation, and my heart's pit-a-pat before I've even found the bottle opener.

My initial impression of the nose was a bit rushed, as the bottle went volcanic upon opening. I quickly recovered, however, and once the head was manageable, dove in. I'm still green on the subtleties the various malts and yeasts contribute to the finished product -- on the latter, note that I'll be tasting BrewDog's Unleash the Yeast shortly -- but all the fruitiness I expected was there; particularly lime.

I've always been a fan of the Belgian mantra "For vitamins!" as they swirl and drink the dregs of any unfiltered or bottle-conditioned beer, and so ignored the bottle's instructions for separating the beer from its sediment. (Justin Hawke, of the Moor Beer Company, wrote an excellent treatise on the beauty of all drinks cloudy recently.) The result was, to my eye, indeed "orange-coloured," (the bottle, again) and chock-full of goodness. Bobec hops were used, and I noted a nice bitterness coming through as I got a third of the way in. Finally, that carbonation that initially gave me some gyp settled to a pleasing sharpness on the tongue throughout.

For more information on this great saison, check out Weird Beard Brew Co.'s blog.