Easy Trio for a Humid Sunday

Saison du BUFF (Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor)
Stone-Dogfish Head-Victory
Juxtaposition Series
Sampled: June 6, 2010

Great nose – hops mingle with the citrus bouquet of the malt, with tangerine, lemon and navel orange leading the way and an herbal punch behind it. All four herbs from the bottle (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) all receive a moment and balance out the hop. However, the hop comes on a little strong, producing a spectacularly dry ale That will likely mellow with a little aging. Saisons were produced in Belgium with local ingredients creating ample variation from farmhouse to farmhouse. This uses the local wares of Philadelphia, the Delaware Coast and San Diego County for splendid drinkability at 6.8 percent ABV. Its golden hue has depth that could intimidate most straw-colored American lagers, exactly what these Juxtaposition brews want to accomplish.

At times, Saison du BUFF powers ahead on nose alone, that heavenly mix of herbs. The stiff dryness makes me wonder if some rye made it into the malt; rye pale ales generally emerge drier than their barley counterparts. But the dry does not scorch the palette; the herbal tones are too rich to let it.

After sampling dozens of domestic and Belgian saisons, this joint brew is among the most aromatic. Thanks to its generous portions of herbs, it deserves reputation of the Belgian originators. Too bad it’s a limited edition.

Rating: 8.5


Schlafly American IPA
Sampled: June 6, 2010
I won’t even get into all the apprehensions this name spun. But the sublime efforts of dry-hopping give it an elegeance often lacking in American brews involving copious amounts of hops and an 8 percent alcohol content. But this is smooth, modest IPA; the hops asset themselves, but never overwhelm. They exude an attractive blend of herbals and floral tones, never succumbing to the style’s excesses.

I’m often hot and cold on Schlafly – one brew excels, one seems like lazy brewing, another just does nothing to break from the craft-brewing pack. Chalk up its American IPA as the first type. Here, they developed an IPA with enough differences from its small-batch Export IPA that it’s worth hunting down. The irony is thename – most American IPAs go for overload, but Schlafly


Chatoe Rogue First Growth Single Malt Ale
Sampled: June 6, 2010

Craft brewers have caught the estate bug. Following Sierra Nevada’s Estate Harvest, with all the ingredients grown onsite, just like the grapes of the most expensive wines. Clean-drnking, with a bitter finish that fails to linger, this might be the first session ale to emerge from the trend.

With its own Dare malt and Revolution hops, it’s an intriguing ale, with British bitter/mild characteristics. Neither hop nor malt gains an advantage, which benfits the overall beer. With the robust red fruit on the nose and initial hit on the palette, it has a depth well beyond most American brews.


Rogue’s Grow Your Own serieshas bore some real fruit (we’ll save the black lager for next time). Other than Rogue’s usual Pacman yeast and coastal water, Rogue keeps it basic. I cannot overstate what that means to the stature of its homegrown ale.

Almost 15 years ago, Rogue Shakespeare Stout was my first craft brew. For days when that’s just too heavy, I’m stick with Chatoe Rogue Single Malt (especially with its Sea Otter Ale transformed into the infinitely less interesting American Amber Ale. But this is exactly what the estate brewing trend needs - something eminently drinkable.