Brasserie Dupont
Tourpes, Belgium
Imported by: Vanberg & DeWulf,
Cooperstown, NY
Straw color with a dense creamy head. The nose is alive, like fresh bread, estery with citrus and spice notes. Full-bodied and malty, it sparkles on the palate and finishes with hop and citrus.
ABV: 6.5
ABW: 5.17
COLOR: Golden
BITTERNESS: 25
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1065
AVAILABLE: nationwide
Like many famous artists, Saison Dupont has, no doubt, inspired countless others to achieve greatness. Dupont’s saison is iconic, and once poured into a glass, you will know why. A huge nearly white head of intimate bubbles tops this yellow-orange colored beer, with effervescence zinging through it nonstop like it’s powered from within. Aromas of lemon, pear, apple and even anise burst into the air, while similar flavors dance with oranges, citrus zest a host of spices in the mouth. A wonderfully clean yet slightly spicy ending begs you to drink it in again.
The beer by which many saisons are judged. So how is the old master? In remarkably good form, if this tasting is anything to go by. I was expecting a lively, spicy beer with a refreshing fruit character offset by clean, bitter hops and, yes, that’s what turned up. This hazy golden brew proved crisp and quenching, offering vague tropical fruit esters and a squeeze of lemon in both nose and palate, before being grounded by an almost clove-like bitterness from the hops. The robust finish, with an increasing bitterness and firm dryness, held me captive to the very end.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.
