Leapbeer Review #88 Deckhand Belgian Saison by Lighthouse Brewing

To cleanse my palate from that last debacle (Red Horse Extra Strong) I decided to go with an old standby. The Lighthouse Deckhand Belgian Saison is a very tasty and complex beer.

It pours to a deep gold, near amber unfiltered beer with a nice sized head on top. It smells of yeast, wheat and fruit. The information on their site says it is the Belgian yeast strain that add the spicy and peppery flavours to this beer. It is a stronger beer (8.0% ABV) than the previously reviewed saison, making this more of a sipper of a beer. This one is leaning  more on the spice notes for sure. It warms the stomach as it sits there.  Another note is that this beer has 2 defining moments for me. First is the first sip. When you get that fruity scent from the head right before you taste the beer it is entrancing. The aromas and flavours work in harmony with each other quite well.  Second is something mentioned in an article I read from slate.com about how serving a craft beer ice cold actually ruined its service. As this beer warms a bit, the harshness of the alcohol taste diminishes, and the nuances of the flavour come out more.  This beer is definitely worth your time. I suggest serving it slightly out of the fridge, enough for the condensation to be gone perhaps, and in a room temp tulip glass.  If you follow this advice then a tasty treat will be had.

Leapbeer #88 is Deckhand Belgian Saison by Lighthouse Brewing

One thing I’d like to note about these beers is that I’m not usually a  fan of such a large quantity of high test beer. If I were in an situation where I was sharing it with another person it’d be okay, but to drink this all would go straight to my head. I realize the 650ml bomber is the ‘standard’ of the craft brew community, but I’d really like to see more offered in smaller bottles. It is of note that both the Switchback IPA by Lighthouse and the limited run Mass Extinction Ice Barley Wine by Phillips (and most of Phillips beers actually) come in a standard 355ml bottle. Hopefully with some of the more popular selling recipes we see more of these in normal bottles from other craft breweries in the future.

Thanks for Reading and Please drink responsibly.

Leapbeer Review #75 Farmhand Ale by Driftwood.

Having had a really bad run of beers lately I went with a recommendation to try this beer from Driftwood. I’ve had it in the past, but its been so long that I forgot what it was like. It’s a style of beer called a Belgian Saison or Farmhouse Ale. There’s information about the recipe on their site, but the standout ingredient to me is black pepper.

So as as you can see from the picture it pours to a cloudy amber with about a 1cm head. It has a very pleasant smell of fruit to it. It tastes quite nice and refreshing. It has a wonderful blend of both sweet and crisp bitters. And it finishes with a peppery pop. Not so much that it overpowers the taste. Just enough to let you know it was there.

I tip my hat to @xaendovet for suggesting this, thank you very much.

#75 on the Leapbeer Journey is Farmhand Ale by Driftwood Brewery in Victoria BC.

Leapbeer signing off for now. Enjoy Responsibly folks.

Editorial note: I apologize to anyone who accidentally got sent an early review this morning. I was proofreading a review for post on the 13th, and I accidentally posted it.