Dogfish Head Saison du Buff

At long last, after an absence of so many years, Dogfish Head brewery is back in Minnesota! And here we have the second new-to-me beer I've tried since the return. I've tapped four of their beers at Acadia, but three have them (Midas Touch, 60 Minute IPA, and 90 Minute IPA, have appeared here already). SeaQuench remains for me to review from the tap, and this bottle was dropped off by a kindly Sample Man. Away we go, with Saison du Buff. ( I still haven't picked up any others at the store, but I'll be correcting that error very soon.)

Dogfish Head Saison du Buff. Brewed in collaboration with Stone and Victory. 6.8 % ABV, 40 IBU.

Crystal clear, pale golden color, lush ivory head, leaving lace.

In the nose: some citrus notes, and plenty of delicate spice. Parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme. Remember me to one who lived there, she once was a true love of mine.

In the mouth: Soft, spicy, funky, fresh. Light-bodied, long, herbal/spicy finish. Good-drinking, and tasty. Refreshing and delightful. Right on the money for the style, perfectly satisfying.


Good one, Dogfish Head and Stone and Victory. Very nice.

Why is called "Saison du Buff", I wondered? The answer is here:
This beer is collaboration between Dogfish Head, Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA) and Victory Brewing Company (Downingtown, PA).

The idea for this beer germinated way back in 2003 when the three guys (Sam from Dogfish, Greg from Stone and Bill from Victory) formed the BUFF alliance (Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor) - a noble endeavor with the goal to highlight the passion and camaraderie of the American craft brew movement.

So, BUFF didn't really do anything (beyond talk a lot of talk) until 2010 when the three brewers finally got together to jointly brew at beer at the Stone Brewery. Saison du BUFF was first brewed at Stone and then replicated at each of the other two breweries - same recipe, same ingredients, three different breweries throughout 2010. The brewers have a repeat performance planned for 2012!

Saison du BUFF is a 6.8% ABV Saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. The beer is brewed three times, once at each brewery using the same recipe. The expected release dates for each brew are as follows:

Dogfish Head - 2014, 2017 release

Victory Brewing - 2015 release

Stone Brewing Co.- 2016 release