Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Saison Harvest Ale.

The New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale falls within the category of Saison/Farmhouse Ale. The experts at BA explain that Saison Ales are:

are sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US.

This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.

The Saison Harvest Ale poured a pale yellow with phenols that made me think more of a hefeweisen than an ale. There was some hop bitterness, but the yeast masked much of the bite.

I would pair this beer with complex salads (like Mrs KB's baby spinach, arugala with pomegranate and hearts of palm). I could not see this beer standing up or working well with strong meat or poultry dishes.

New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, the Scroll-K kosher symbol can be found on the bottom of the "folly pack" box.

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/32282. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!