Name: Limited Batch: Saison
Brewer: Joe’s Brew (Philippines)
Style: Saison (Standard)
ABV: 6%
Review Year: 2020
Joe’s Brew head brewer, Joey Viray, launches the first beer in their Limited Batch series. The choice of style for the first release is the Saison, a Belgian beer originally brewed in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, for consumption during the active farming season.
Joe’s Brew is a relatively well-known craft brewery in Manila, Philippines, and is the brainchild of three Viray siblings– Marco, Joey, and Mica. The brewery traces its origins in 2013 when the first homebrewed beers were sold from a food truck owned by the mother of the Viray siblings. While the brewery-taproom had become a cornerstone in Poblacion’s nightlife scene, the restrictions imposed by the current coronavirus pandemic has forced Joe’s Brew to leave the district and brew alongside Pedro Brewcrafters.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Saison (25B) (Strength: Standard) in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
Recommended Reading: The Difference Between Saison and Farmhouse Ale (The Beer Connoisseur, 2019)
TASTING NOTES
This Saison pours a slightly cloudy deep gold color with a foamy offwhite head. Fresh lightly spiced bread on the nose with very faint impressions of orange marmalade and orange peels. On the palate, it is medium-light bodied with a moderately-high level of carbonation.
The citrus-ester and spice characters all play their part harmoniously. Sweetness is very low, almost none, but a hint of bubble gum akin to that in a Weissbier is noted. No bananas. Hop bitterness is moderately low while the sourdough-like backbone accentuates the citrus flavors. Light herbal impressions add to the complexity. Dry. The familiar spice-like and bready flavors linger in the aftertaste.
THE VERDICT
Joe’s Brew’s first Limited Batch release is a refreshing, well-balanced Saison that showcases a kaleidoscope of citrus-ester and spice profiles. The flavors held up well even as the beer warmed up. Maybe next time, we drink this out in the fields. While tasting notes point to a beer that is yeast-driven, there are no banana, acetic, or harsh characteristics. Well-done.
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