Guava Grove - Cigar City Brewing, Tampa

In preparation for my rapidly approaching bachelor party I decided to splurge a little and order a few bottles of Cigar City. The Tampa beers arrived a couple days ago and I put this bottle of Guava Grove right in the fridge. I really like fruit infused beers and I've learned to appreciate Saisons much more than I did even a year ago, so I'm hoping this Saison brewed with guava and fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. I've sampled this beer about a year ago and I remember really enjoying it, so I can't wait to sit down and spend some quality time with this bottle of Guava Grove.

Guava Grove is a darker orange, warm bronze color. It pours light but settles thick and cloudy with a thin white head. There is no lacing and very few visible bubbles. This beer smells like, well... a Saison. It has a Belgian-y twang to it and a telltale spiciness like most great Saisons I've had. It doesn't smell fruity or even very sweet at all, which came as a little surprise.

Guava Grove tastes a lot like it smells... like a Saison. With a name like Guava Grove I was expecting a bit tropic fruit sweetness, but it wasn't there. Well, the guava is there, it just isn't big or in your face. After drinking through this bottle and waiting for the guava to come out I realized I was doing it wrong... Great Saisons are meant to taste like Saisons, they aren't meant to have a ton of fruit or spices added to them. They should be balanced but complex, flavorful yet humble. In other words, they should taste like this Guava Grove. This beer tastes like a very traditional Saison with a subtle addition of sweet, tangy tropical guava. It's a only a slight deviation, so it won't convert anyone who absolutely hates Saisons, but it's just enough to be unique and quite tasty.

I enjoy this beer, perhaps not as much as I did last year but I would hesitate to share this beer with friends who might enjoy a good Saison.