Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL
Purchased: 750ml bottle (Batch #159) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Saison, 7.0%
Reported IBUs: ?
Happy Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™! You couldn't put a better prospective beer in front of me on this hot-ass, balls-drippin', squelching summer scorcher of a night. About Pipeworks:
Reported IBUs: ?
Happy Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™! You couldn't put a better prospective beer in front of me on this hot-ass, balls-drippin', squelching summer scorcher of a night. About Pipeworks:
Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.
Tonight's beer is not unlike Pipework's MariLime Law. That one was brewed with lime juice, and tonight's beer is brewed with citrus juice. The bottle states:
"Patio Season" Two of the finest words to ever lay upon Chicago ears. Named for the sun we long for, our new saison celebrates the opportunity to squeeze the summer out of this city. Loaded with Amarillo hops, fresh squeezed citrus juice, and fresh citrus zest, this saison screams summer. Tan those broad shoulders people, you've earned it.
The bottle features a grapefruit or orange-looking thing on the front. The beer pours a hazy yellow/straw color, with some hints of orange and gold tones. This one kicked up a finger or two of funky, off-white head, made up of those Belgian bubbles. I'll see you at the Belgian bubble party. In bright light the beer is a radiant, juicy, yellow/orange; there's a centimeter of gold-tinted head setting up camp, and nice supportive carbonation to boot. As you'd expect, there's some lacing.
The aroma on this beer is really nice, and you can definitely smell the bold Amarillo hops and the citrus juice. There's a ton of grapefruit, orange, citrus juice, lime, and grassy/floral hops on the nose of this beer. The aroma also smacks of Pipework's Saison yeast strain, with huge pink peppercorns, clove, Belgian funk, horse blanket, and even some very, very mild Brett-like butcher-shop/leather. Also present is some mild Pils malt.
There's a ton of citrus juice/zest popping in this beer, and the bold citrus characters from the Amarillo hops are in full display here. There's also a bit of heft/density to this, as you get both wheat and Pils malt on the palate. This is, by my estimation, the best Saison that Pipeworks has brewed by a long shot. Along with all the bright and bold citrus is some nice underlying Belgian funk/barnyard, a dash of peppercorn, and lots of floral bitterness. The bitterness in this beer grows, and has weight, but it's done the right way and adds a bit of complexity to the beer.
At 7.0%, this is stupid drinkable...I'm glad it comes in a 750ml bottle, and I hope to see this brewed again (or something similar). The body is medium-light to medium-full, and the mouthfeel does have surprising density. Palate depth is outstanding, and complexity is good. The higher ABV and dense body means this can't commit to being a summer quencher, but this would be right at home on a hot summer day (like today). Up front is an assault of Amarillo, citrus/grapefruit, and floral bitterness; mid-palate kicks up some Belgian funk and barnyard, peppercorns, and more floral bitterness; the back end is lingering/growing floral bitterness, residual citrus, and mild drying.
Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)
This is a Decent Above-Average. I'm really surprised how much I enjoy this, because coming into this beer I had low expectations. I'm not going to lie. Pipeworks makes some great IPAs and Stouts, but their Saisons are kind of middling. I attribute some of that to their Saison yeast strain, which doesn't do much for me with its aggressive funk and huge peppercorn hammer of pink fucking justice. This beer probably doesn't toe the Saison style guidelines to a tee, but what exactly is a Saison? Touche, and that's all you need to know. The citrus/zest in this beer is outstanding, and it plays well with the bold hop bitterness and assertive Belgian funk. Because this beer seems to be a bit acidic, you could pair it with a variety of salads, ceviche, peppery chicken/turkey, fish, leafy burgers, pizza, lightly spiced wings, and a whole lotta other foods. I think a bottle of this was around 10 dollars? That's a steal.
Random Thought: The AC in my car doesn't work, and hasn't for a while. I'm finally taking the car in to see how much it will cost to get fixed. This is neither here nor there, but consider this: it is hot as balls outside, and I am without AC. Fuck my life.
"Patio Season" Two of the finest words to ever lay upon Chicago ears. Named for the sun we long for, our new saison celebrates the opportunity to squeeze the summer out of this city. Loaded with Amarillo hops, fresh squeezed citrus juice, and fresh citrus zest, this saison screams summer. Tan those broad shoulders people, you've earned it.
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| Pipeworks Saison du Soleil |
The bottle features a grapefruit or orange-looking thing on the front. The beer pours a hazy yellow/straw color, with some hints of orange and gold tones. This one kicked up a finger or two of funky, off-white head, made up of those Belgian bubbles. I'll see you at the Belgian bubble party. In bright light the beer is a radiant, juicy, yellow/orange; there's a centimeter of gold-tinted head setting up camp, and nice supportive carbonation to boot. As you'd expect, there's some lacing.
The aroma on this beer is really nice, and you can definitely smell the bold Amarillo hops and the citrus juice. There's a ton of grapefruit, orange, citrus juice, lime, and grassy/floral hops on the nose of this beer. The aroma also smacks of Pipework's Saison yeast strain, with huge pink peppercorns, clove, Belgian funk, horse blanket, and even some very, very mild Brett-like butcher-shop/leather. Also present is some mild Pils malt.
There's a ton of citrus juice/zest popping in this beer, and the bold citrus characters from the Amarillo hops are in full display here. There's also a bit of heft/density to this, as you get both wheat and Pils malt on the palate. This is, by my estimation, the best Saison that Pipeworks has brewed by a long shot. Along with all the bright and bold citrus is some nice underlying Belgian funk/barnyard, a dash of peppercorn, and lots of floral bitterness. The bitterness in this beer grows, and has weight, but it's done the right way and adds a bit of complexity to the beer.
At 7.0%, this is stupid drinkable...I'm glad it comes in a 750ml bottle, and I hope to see this brewed again (or something similar). The body is medium-light to medium-full, and the mouthfeel does have surprising density. Palate depth is outstanding, and complexity is good. The higher ABV and dense body means this can't commit to being a summer quencher, but this would be right at home on a hot summer day (like today). Up front is an assault of Amarillo, citrus/grapefruit, and floral bitterness; mid-palate kicks up some Belgian funk and barnyard, peppercorns, and more floral bitterness; the back end is lingering/growing floral bitterness, residual citrus, and mild drying.
Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)
This is a Decent Above-Average. I'm really surprised how much I enjoy this, because coming into this beer I had low expectations. I'm not going to lie. Pipeworks makes some great IPAs and Stouts, but their Saisons are kind of middling. I attribute some of that to their Saison yeast strain, which doesn't do much for me with its aggressive funk and huge peppercorn hammer of pink fucking justice. This beer probably doesn't toe the Saison style guidelines to a tee, but what exactly is a Saison? Touche, and that's all you need to know. The citrus/zest in this beer is outstanding, and it plays well with the bold hop bitterness and assertive Belgian funk. Because this beer seems to be a bit acidic, you could pair it with a variety of salads, ceviche, peppery chicken/turkey, fish, leafy burgers, pizza, lightly spiced wings, and a whole lotta other foods. I think a bottle of this was around 10 dollars? That's a steal.
Random Thought: The AC in my car doesn't work, and hasn't for a while. I'm finally taking the car in to see how much it will cost to get fixed. This is neither here nor there, but consider this: it is hot as balls outside, and I am without AC. Fuck my life.
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