THE BRUERY’S “SAISON DE LENTE”

There was no doubt on god’s green earth that I was going to snap this one up with extreme prejudice after getting my proverbial world rocked by THE BRUERY’s SAISON RUE a few months back. That one is one of the finest saisons known to man, brewed in Orange County, California no less. Incidentally, I’m reading a great nonfiction/history book right now called “Before The Storm: Barry Goldwater & The Unmaking of the American Consensus” by Rick Perlstein. Orange County Republicanism and the John Birch Society figure prominently. It is purely conjecture at this point, but it is possible that the folks behind THE BRUERY have ancestral connections to the defense industry and/or the early 60s hardcore right wing. Just conjecture, mind you. (Insert happy face emoticon).

What does this have to do with SAISON DE LENTE? Not a goddamn thing. Just a tangent. This beer has the most picture-perfect pillowy head of foam, and a rich, dense golden color. Look at the picture I took. Look at it! It brings a real funky, yeasty taste to the forefront right off the bat. It actually tastes a lot stronger than most saisons I’ve had; certainly stronger than SAISON RUE. It’s not that classic sort of fruity, peppery shade of saison, a la Saison Rue – it’s definitely got more of a clove, lemon and rustic “horseblanket” feel to it. If you put the two side by side in front of a beer neophyte, SAISON DE LENTE would probably make them wince a little; SAISON RUE would go down far easier. Me, I call it another strong entry from THE BRUERY, who are now one of California’s, if not the United States’, finest brewers. 7.5/10.