I was a little curious when I saw a Belgian style saison sitting on a shelf at the LCBO in the local products section, and discovered that it was from Oakville, ON. The Saison Automne by Brasserie des Quatre Lunes caught my attention with the retro packaging and French description. I’m not the biggest fan of saison beers – in fact Stephen Beaumont signed my copy of the Pocket Beer Guide 2015 “Try the Saison”. Some digging on the Internet failed to yield a website for Brasserie des Quatre Lunes, but apparently this Saison Automne is brewed by Trafalgar Ales & Meads. Trafalgar is currently redoing their website, so it was hard to find any information on this beer straight from the source.
The bottle came with a giant cork, which we spent a good 10 minutes wrestling with. We started to get concerned that it would end up a frothy mess from battling the bottle. A 375 ml bottle of 5% ABV will set you back $4.95 at the LCBO, which for the record is more than a bottle of proper Belgian beer will cost you at the LCBO (I’m looking at you, Chimay). We split this between two balloon glasses.
Appearance: Orange and brown colour. It looked a lot like virgin apple cider from an orchard on the pour. Very cloudy and unfiltered with lots of sediment. No head.
Aroma: Very sour smelling with a very strong alcohol aroma. We had to double check that it was indeed 5% on the bottle. The sour aroma of a saison is what I dislike about the style.
Taste: Spicy mouth feel with hints of bread crust and caramel. Feels pretty true to a Belgian style.
Aftertaste: More sour notes and caramel. The sour overpowers it for me.
Overall: Kole is more excited about this beer then I am. I think he likes the bird on the packaging, to be honest. I liked seeing French on a packaging, it made me feel homesick. But I’m not overly impressed with this offering from Trafalgar Ales & Meads, and this is their second flop that we’ve reviewed. We won’t seek this one out again.
Shawna has visited vineyards in 8 countries on 3 continents, and has a knack for finding the hoppiest beers around. A dedicated Booze Hound, Shawna completed the Wine Specialist Certificate at George Brown College in 2018.
She can be found drinking alka-seltzer and coconut water in the morning.
Email: [email protected]
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