While I was on vacation in Belgium in August 2009, I was using the Good Beer Guide Belgium by Tim Webb to assist in my travels and beer drinking. After finding the Beer Temple in Brussel I cross referenced the beer in the store with beer in the guide with particular styles that I wanted. Of the saison beers that I selected this one came highly recommended and it turned out to be one of the best saison’s I’ve ever had.

Brasserie de Blaugies is a tiny brewery in the hamlet of Blaugies in the province of Hainaut near the city of Mons and closer to the French border. According to Good Beer Guide Belgium the brewery was built on the principle of one of the founders, Pierre-Alex Carlier: “Brew them for me to drink and if other people like them that is fine.”

Date Reviewed. October 10, 2010.

Where I Found It. Beer Temple in Brussels, Belgium.

Serving Type. 375ml into a 25cl glass.

Appearance. Saison d’Epeautre has a hazy yellow-brown dark straw color  The head is white with small tight bubbles and lasts for a very long time. The head starts out large and slowly recedes down the glass until it rests with a nearly permanent 10 millimeter head. It hardly leavs a trace on the glass as it recedes. This beer is very effervescent and you can see several champagne-like bubbles streaming to the top.

Smell. The hop bouquet of this beer is earthy, woodsy, and pleasant with a splash of lemon citrus. The aroma has a sweet grainy smell almost like that of a pilsner. There is also a touch of cloves flavor but it is not as strong as I expected it would be. In fact, it smells like just the right amount of cloves, a nice hint with out overwhelming your nose with a memory of bubble-gum.

Taste. The initial taste was tart but not as tart as a sour beer. It is possibly slightly more acidic than most beer or the high carbonation levels enhance this tartness. With that said, it is a refreshing taste. The tartness combined with the hop flavor or flavor from spices gives this beer a slightly lemon taste. The beer finishes like a beer with a grainy malt flavor with a bit of malty sweetness. It is not overly sweet and not overly bitter, it has a nice balance.

Mouthfeel. Despite being 6% abv, this feels like a light bodied beer on the tongue. It is also very effervescent providing a refreshing sensation.

Drinkability. This is very drinkable. Light-bodied, well-carbonated, slightly tart, grainy malt, and a little spice. I could drink several of these in a single session.

Rating. My ratings below are on a five point scale with five being the best score.

• Appearance (20%): 4.5
• Smell (20%): 4.5
• Taste (40%): 4.5
• Mouthfeel (10%): 5.0
• Drinkability (10%): 5.0
• Overall: 4.6

Information

• Style: Saison or farmhouse ale
• Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies
• Alcohol by volume: 6%
• Beer Advocate rating: 4.06 (as of April 29, 2010)

Other Reviews

• A Good Beer Blog - Belgium: Wallowing In Four Saisons
• Draft Magazine – Saison d’Epeautre
• Beer Advocate – Saison d’Epeautre
• Rate Beer – Saison d’Epeautre