Imperial Cherry Saison - Southern Tier Brewing, Lakewood
Style:
Saison
Serving Type:
Bottle
Alcohol by Volume:
8.0%
Aroma:
Smells a little like a sweet wine, Cherries aren't as obvious at the oak
Appearance:
Golden in color, not quite orange
Flavor:
Cherry and oak flavors are well balanced
Mouthfeel:
very light carbonation, feels very full bodied
Overall Impression:
A bit heavier than other Saisons I've had before. Taste is excellent, very balanced. Rather than tasting like a Saison that had cherries added, the beer oak and cherry flavors even each other out quite nicely. Would gladly drink again.
Southern Tier's Cherry Saison sounded good at first. I mean, who doesn't like a Saison? On top of that, who doesn't like Cherries? Then again, cherries in a beer... maybe that doesn't sound so good after all. If there is one style of beer that could pull it off though, it'd probably be the Saison (or a wheat). After few small pieces of homemade Pizza Margherita I decide to pour a glass of the Cherry Saison. I was pleasantly surprised. This beer ended up being far more well balanced than I'd thought. Not only is this a Saison brewed with cherries but it's been aged with French oak. And that oakiness is pretty apparent when you take your first sip...
The Saison retained quite a bit of flavor from the oaking process. Normally, this may not be a good thing as Saisons tend to be full of lighter flavors that the oak could overpower. For the Cherry Saison it works perfectly because the oak brings down the tartness of the cherries. While drinking this Saison I kept returning the following conclusion, this beer is just right for it's style. For having been brewed with cherries AND oaked, it ended up being right where it should be, not too sweet and not too tart. This is something I'd drink again with a nice dessert dish, you could pair this with the same sort of foods as a good port wine.
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