Great Dane Saison

If you read this thing with any regularity, you know that I love the wonderful, recyclable crowler. In Minnesota, though, they can only come in one size: 750 milliliters, or 25 ounces. Why? Because that's what the damned law says. There's really no reason, the legislature just wants to tell brewers what to do. Over in Wisconsin, their crawlers go up to 32 glorious ounces. When I was in Madison a week and a half back, I wanted to bring a beer home from the Great Dane with me, but didn't want to pay a deposit on a glass vessel I might not use again for a few years. (Of course, most WI brewers will fill anything, but I didn't think to take one with me.) My heart leapt with joy when I saw they did crawlers, and I decided to bring their saison back, and reviewed it last night.

Great Dane Saison. 6.5% ABV.

Clear, light golden coloring, slim white head, active carbonation.

Aroma: Bubblegum and candy floss. Bananas and spice. Coconut macaroons with cream filling. I kind of like it. Not a classic saison nose, kind of all over, but I like it.

Taste: sweetness and spice and big flavor from the start, then quits the palate quickly. Starts out sweet, turns out dry. Clean, lean, light-ish bodied, easy-drinking. Carries some of the hallmarks of other Belgian style, not necessarily in line with the classic saison profile. But, what ever is? The more I drink it, the more I like it, the more it makes sense. Not bad, not bad at all. And it's all coming together. Starting to collect. This ain't that bad. Actually pretty good, then. You betcha.

(Wait, why did I start doing a bad Minnesota accent. Sorry, I was watching "Fargo: The Series" in the background.)