Saison Voisin

[erockrph]

This one is a little weird for a saison in that it has a caramel character that seems a bit out of place in the style. Still, I'm surprised at how low the reviews for this beer are at RateBeer and BeerAdvocate. Aside from the caramel, I think this is a pretty nice saison. There is a nice resinous hop thing going on that balances that thin saison body and keeps it from being too watery in the mouthfeel. The bitterness is nice but very smooth and there is a nice pepper kick to it.

Maybe I haven't had enough good examples of the saison style, but I'm pretty happy with this beer. Anyone else have an opinion on it?

[corkybstewart]

who brews Saison Voisin?  That translates to Neighbor season, season of the neighbor, maybe seasonal neighbor, or maybe even neighborly season(my wife is from France, these are her translations as well as mine).
French and Belgian saisons really have few rules other than being fermented at higher temps and using local ingredients.  Fantome is different every year and the brewer apparently makes no apologies for that.

[theoman]

I'm a big fan of this beer. I'd go so far as to say it's among my favorites. I normally don't like caramel in my PA's and IPA's, but I think it works in this beer. Too bad it's one of those Belgian beers that can be difficult to find in Belgium.

[erockrph]

This beer is brewed by Brasserie des Geants. Apparently Voisin was the surname of the the original brewer. Des Geants started brewing the recipe about 10 years ago.

The importer is out of Massachusetts so I don't really know what the availability is outside of New England.

[snowtiger87]

I saw it once in Colorado but not in the last couple of years. I remember liking it.