Epic Sour Apple Saison

Sweet, yet dry and tart, apples spiced with coriander, grains of paradise, anise, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. There is no wrong way to enjoy this Saison Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale!

Hops: Saaz, Tettnang

IBU’s ~16

Release #1 - 7.8% abv…. Release #10 - 7.6% abv

Release #2 - 7.6% abv…. Release #11 - 8.0% abv

Release #3 - 8.0% abv…. Release #12 - 8.4% abv

Release #4 - 8.2% abv…. Release #13 - 8.6% abv

Release #5 - 8.5% abv…. Release #14 - 8.8% abv

Release #6 - 7.8% abv…. Release #15 - 8.4% abv

Release #7 - 6.7% abv…. Release #16 - 8.5% abv

Release #8 - 8.1% abv

Release #9 - 8.1% abv

3.4

357 reviews

Salt Lake City, United States

Community reviews

2.2 Bottled@SBWF2015. Golden colour with a small white head. Aroma is floral, wooden, herbal and some mild apple skins to it. Flavour is ginger, some apples skins, mild fruity and wooden notes with some very strange things going on.

3.3 Growler from Albertsons. Release 62. Notable that this straight up Saison in aroma and taste, fruit comes in second. Musty, yeasty, bready aroma. Taste follows with floral, yeasty Saison tastes, accented by the sour apples. Saison nature shines through

2.8 Sample at SBWF. Hazy golden with small off white head. Peppery aroma with marzipan, yeas and citrus. Dry and peppery taste with loads of spices. I don’t feel much sourness and almost no apples. Way too much spices in this one.

2.7 Bottle at SBWF2015. Yellow color, not much head. Herbal rubbery apple aroma. Light-bodied. Rubbery apple, white-peppery Saison yeast. Some tartness. Simple but odd.

3.6 Bottled at SBWF. Hazy golden, small head. Aroma of marzipan and elderflowers. Mid dry with medium body and rounded mouthfeel. Winegums, grains and marzipan, some sour green apples. Low bitterness. Elegant.

3.6 Bottle. Cinnamon, nutmeg, green apple, malt, and hay aroma. Golden yellow with small head. Sweet nutmeg, cinnamon, light apple malt, and mildly bitter herbal hay flavor. Light body.

3.5 Bottle: (release #42, 7.7%) Clear, still, gold with a ring of white head. Funky, green apple-peel, nutmeg, spice scent. Taste is soft, but tart green apple......cinnamon, honey, ginger...... Dry, not really sour...just tart and refreshing.

3.4 9/14/15. Bomber batch #54. Light spicy nose. Not the sour apple I was expecting. More dark Belgian funk than sour. Light straw body but not what I'd call a summer beer.

3.2 22oz bottle- Pours with a nice little head, nutty note along with the Saison sour. Wow, lots of spice in there, but I can quite grasp the apple. Bubblegummy and banana smell and taste with a bit of an oily texture.

3.1 Pours clear yellow. Negligible head. Aroma of straw and Belgian spices. Flavor is like a Belgian golden ale, dry and a little bitter, with a smidge of apple cider. Not tart, which was disappointing to me based on the description.

3.7 Bottle from Tanakaya, shared at a tasting. Clear, light gold with a small white head. Aromas of saison yeast, granny smith apples, peach, light yogurt and some clove. Taste is more of the same. Very granny smith apple-y with nice tartness. A little sweet, but not too cloying. Enjoyable.

3.5 Notes from recent Denver trip. Clear light yellow pour, white head, nice lace. nose is apple and yeast. Slightly sour. Middle is light grain, sour yeast, sour apple (granny smith). Finishes nicely dry.

2.9 Pours a pale gold with a good and long lasting head of foam. I smell the usual spiciness for the style with some green apple tartness. Spices of coriander and cloves, hints of barnyard, light tartness of green apples. Not my cup of tea as the tart doesn’t compliment the traditional flavours of the Saison.

3.5 Appearance: clear pale straw with one fat finger of loose fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet apples, citrus, mild barnyard funk, spices. (7/10) Taste: moderately strong sweet, mild bitter, moderate tart. (7/10) Palate: light body, lively carbonation, off-dry slightly sweet cinnamon finish. (4/5) Even more sweet and boozy for a saison than their Straight Up, but still quite drinkable. The apple presence is strong and sweet without being cloying, making this taste very much like a cider. Not as sour as I was hoping, but sufficient to temper the sweetness and still quite pleasant. The spice presence grows as the bottle progresses, with cinnamon eventually coming through loud and clear (though it doesn’t at the outset).The ABV is almost completely hidden, making this a bit of a dangerous brew. Slightly disappointing and inferior to their Straight Up - but only slightly. (14/20)

4.1 Apple and cider like pour and aroma. Very live carbonation. Taste has apples some other light fruits. Finishes mead and cider like with sparkling wine types.

3.7 Clear yellow orange in color... Aroma of cinnamon, Granny Smith apples, earthy grains, chamomile... Flavor is lightly tart, effervescent, green apple, lemon, cinnamon and spices on finish... Nice beer

3.5 Shared bomber poured to snifters, displaying a hazed, orangey gold color, with a modest layer of bubbly, soft white head foam, and spots & streaks of lacing. The nose was lightly dank, with light yeastiness, various spice hints, and an apple core like scent. Light bodied, with soft malt, but lively enough carbonation, the taste included a lemony tartness, fairly hidden alcohol presence, and a bit of dryness on the finish. The apple influence was a pleasant variation.

3.3 Type: 22-oz. bottle Glass: Trappist Westvleteren XII glass From: Palm Springs Liquor in La Mesa (San Diego), Calif. Price: $7.99 Purchased: June 14, 2015 Consumed: June 19, 2015 Misc.: Release #27 (SLC #1166), which is (according to their website) brewed on July 11, 2013 & the ABV is 7.90 pct. Poured a golden, straw, hazy color with 2-to-3 fingers of foamy, white, rocky head, which dissipated pretty quickly. Tons of bubble streams coming up from the bottom of the glass. Minimal foamy lacing on the sides of the glass. Below average retention. (Sight - 3.75) Smelled cinnamon, nutmeg, green apple, cloves, coriander, nectarine peel and Big Red gum. Cinnamon dominates here. I’m intrigued. (Smell - 3.75) Taste pretty much followed the nose with cinnamon dominating. Also got nutmeg, green apple, green grape, kiwi, cloves, apple pie, coriander, Ginger Ale and grassy notes. Like a winter Saison. (Taste - 3.75) Light body. Oily-to-thin texture. Average-to-lively carbonation. Long, wintry finish. (Feel - 3.75) This wasn’t a bad Saison. Should almost be called a Cinnamon Saison, but still. Would have it again. (Overall - 3.75) 3.75 85 B+

3.7 December 30th, 2014 - Just short of the new year is another visit to Epic Brewing, where I begin with the Sour Apple Saison, promising a light, tart brew and an acidic palate cleansing for future drinks this evening. But somewhat surprisingly, this clear, golden body smells much more like a pumpkin ale than a sour apple saison, redolent of stewed apples in particular, with a smattering of cinnamon. The taste is exceptionally exquisite though, leading with ginger and sweet carrots, with some clove spiciness in the middle, and a dash of all spice. Both the body and clarity are price and well weighted, and the aftertaste features a long tail of cinnamon, giving me much to love and adore in this brew. August 28th, 2013 - Epic Brewing’s Sour Apple IPA is a puckering punch in the gums, but beer explorers will find something new and interesting here. The aroma is packed with cinnamon and herbs, even massaged kale. For me, it smells like the interior of a small, gourmet suburban food shop near where I grew up. Inside its cramped quarters the smell of the produce section, the bakery and even the deli all mix together, and that somewhat confusing bouquet of expensive freshness is found here, too. Cinnamon and spice appear in the taste too. Apple is a dominant theme (shock!) but it leans towards apple skins, thickened and mashed. In a broader description, I’d say this is like a baked, unsweetened apple pie, though sour and puckering in a way that brushes up against discomfort. 7/2/6/3/14

3.7 Dry Apple taste with a nice spicy saison base beer. Tart and refreshing but borders almost on being a cider to me. Has a bit of a funky barnyard finish.

4.0 Pours hazy straw into the glass, with a wispy head that leaves soap lacing. The nose is of Granny Smith apples and cider. Flavors are similar, of sour green apples, light grains and esters, and finish with a curt sourness and hay/grassiness. Substantive mouthfeel, but smooth and juicy to the palate. Easy quaff here, and a great sour apple (my favorite fruit) take on the traditional saison. Delicious!

3.5 This beer can be dangerously good, it has great flavor and good head... High in alcohol content-yummy

4.1 Very ginger aroma. Appears like very bubbly applejuice. Very juicy bright peachy ginger flavor, crisp, with a touch of hay bitterness. Small bubble fizz palate. A standout saison.

3.6 Tap. Bubbly. Not much head. Clearish dark gold. Apple cider nose. Nice spotty lacing. Very apple ciderish quality with very mild notes of ginger and cardamom and nutmeg.

3.4 Bottle at the brewery. Pours almost clear gold with a fizzy white head. Tastes like green apples, light yeast. Light body and low carbonation. Smells like light yeast, green apple.

3.6 Bottle shared with Cindy and Alex. Snifter pour was murky wheat colored with a small white head. Aroma was slight apples with cinnamon. Smelled like an apple cobbler. Taste was some green apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Very dry all the way through. Light body, moderate carb. I thought it was alright.

2.7 Lots of bubblegum in the aroma with cinnamon and other spices, not much apple though. Slightly murky, mid yellow body with a thin white ring. Flavor leans heavily towards the nutmeg, cinnamon with a touch of apple on the back side. Unusual for a saison, cant say that i care for it.

2.3 Well, not exactly excited about this but I’ll give it a go .. . Gold .. Lots of white foam .. Sickeningly sweet stuff, green apple and sugar booze .. . Just a mess .. . . Hey water monkey! Fill me up!

3.3 Not so much sour as just green apple tart. Delicate balance of numerous spices lingers in the background.

3.5 I was expecting more sour in this Sour Apple Saison, but it’s definitely more on the clean, dry ale side than expected. That said, it drinks cleanly for such a high ABV farmhouse ale. The apple flavor is subtle through the front with a finish and aftertaste reminiscent of a dry white wine. I would reach for this again in the summer vice the dead of a New England winter. Off to find the next big sour to make watching the snow fall easier on the eyes.