Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

8.2% ABV- Wasn't sure what this would be like.....saison explains it. About what I expected. Flavor is a little weird at first, but not too phunky. Some flowery sweetness with the Rose Water and all, but balanced out by decent hop finish. Grassy and earthy feel. Lots of carbonation. Not one of my favorite styles...worth the half price on clearance though.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

almost forgot this one.. . Pours a golden caramel, great foam .. I was saying Boo-urns . light spice, yeast and peppery fruit .. . smooth and very easy to drink .. . Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Bottle from beastiefan2k, shared w/ slob and Robert at SL. The pour was golden in color with only slight haziness, steady and lively carbonation. Aroma was floral w/ spices also detectable. The flavor was a little overdone on the floral side for my highest liking, dandelions standing out perhaps the most, spicey (almost a ginger-like character to which I'm sensitive), slight sour-citrusey, white grapes, honey, and only faint yeast elements. More phenolic peppery flavors would have been quite nice and added some depth. Mouthfeel was lively carbonated, a little light on the body for a saison. Thanks much, Eugene, a fun one! Re-rated in 7/08 at SL, 4/08 bottling, shared by Robert. Very similar experience, although the malt base was not nearly as inspiring as before with the floral and spicey side over-running the product. In particular, ginger and cinnamon seemed to jump out of this bottle at us like a holiday ale or something. The chamomile is what I think gives me a ginger-cinnamon impression, but nevertheless, it was a bit over the top. As noted before, more phenolic notes, and this time more malt character, both would have made this quite stellar. Prior rating numbers stand, especially since this one may have been a hand-bottling and some of the malt character may have been lost due to that? Thanks, Robert, for sharing this one too!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad. ABV was 7.7%. Brewed with edible flowers. Golden colour. Unusual aroma of various flowers and herbs + honey and oak. Herbal and very sweet flavour with notes of tobacco. A bit "too special" for me.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Really hardcore floral aroma. Its like I shoved my head in a flower case at the grocery store.
Hazy yellow with some orange hues. Minimal white head which is to say there’s a white ring around the edge.
The flowers are the showcase here. Not sure what to say about it other than I like it.
Soft with light carbonation.
Really an interesting beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle courtesy of IMtheOptimator: Poured a slightly cloudy yellowish color ale with a huge foamy head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of ester yeast and light spices with some very nice floral notes was very much enjoyable. Taste is a well balance mix between light and floral spices and a nice ester yeast all backup by some Belgian style malt and a medium dry hoppy finish. Body is quite full with some adequate carbonation and no alcohol was discernable. If somebody at told me this beer was from Dupont or Fantome, I would have had not problem believing it (which by the way is a great compliment coming from me).

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

This saison pours a light yellow gold color from a 750ml bottle. Large sized white foamy head. Aroma is spicy and floral, some lavender and chamomile. A medium bodied saison. Malts are fruity and sweet. Richly floral tasting. The flavors added really come through in the taste. A little funky and pretty sweet. Smooth taste. Yeasty and clean. Good balance. Nice carbonation. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

12.24.04 750ml bottle thanks to EyeDrinkAle. Pale orange gold, hazed, big white head, mucho lace. Aroma is lemony with lots of floral notes, mint. A refreshing smell and moreso on first sip. Herbal, grassy, flowery flavors are cool and a little sweet. Orangey. Finish is clean and crisp with a light bitter bite. Good stuff -- Thanks Mike!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Yawn. How dull. Yet another seriously excellent beer from Southampton. When are these guys going to mix things up a bit, eh? ;^)

But really, this is another fine offering from one of my favorite breweries (East Coast, West Coast, whatever) -- courtesy of Ben, and split last night between myself and Matt to help ring in the New Year.

Ok, first things first. Maybe my senses were a little subpar last night..., but at no time did I really pick up on the self-proclaimed "variety of edible flowers”. Yes, some slight herbal/vegetal aspects to the mouthfeel and flavor-profile, but I really never got a firm grasp on any specific fauna associated with this beer.

Perhaps that's a good thing? Yes, I would say so, actually. Basically, this is a Saison that would fit in quite nicely with the Dany Prignon's (Fantôme) stable of farmhouse-style beers -- especially considering his penchant for mixing things up a bit with his seasonal offerings..., and/or his Dandelion-infused Pissenlit.

An excellent Saison, that is approachable enough for newbies to the style, and still fascinating enough for old salts to take a liking to, as well. Recommended.

Cheers to Ben for the sample!
//TB

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Corked 750ml bottle. Appears a clear bubbly straw yellow with a tall fluffy white head. Decent lacing and head retention were observed. Aroma is fruity with both sweet and tart fruit scents. Some apples, pears and a bit of funkiness. Notes of yeast and pretty strong floral notes that were not hop related. Some fruit was upfront on the taste that was a bit tart. Doughy malt provided a nice backbone as did a slight sweetness. Earthy/floral tones in this as well. Ends with a bit of funky tartness. Very clean crisp mouthfeel with a lively carbonation. Easy drinking and refreshing I went through this bottle faster than I expected to. Very tasty stuff that was quite impressive, which I have come to expect from Southampton’s products.