Review: Brasserie Dunham's Saison Rustique


Brasserie Dunham's beers have been available in Manitoba since September and I had the pleasure of visiting the brewery with Alex & Alexe back in June. So here I am wondering why I haven't reviewed this beer (Saison Rustique) sooner than I did. Well, for some reason whenever I bought a bottle of Saison Rustique, I ended up drinking it on a night where I was getting a bit too tipsy for my own good, and for some strange reason I felt that it didn't really taste like anything.. but I was drinking the beer straight out of the bottle, which isn't good if you want to actually experience the beer!

Dunham's Saison Rustique runs for about $8.50 per 750mL bottle which is reasonable considering I regularly spend $7 on Unibroue beers without blinking and there's the times I've spent $28 on a six pack of Dieu du Ciel in the past... The saison tops out at 6.0% ABV and 38 IBU.

Appearance: A cloudy light straw ale with a heavy amount of snow white head that makes it reminiscent of a big snowbank after a prairie blizzard. A light amount of fizzing, surprisingly not gushing considering the amount of foam I got out of it.

Aroma: The aroma takes me back to the brewery! It's a citrusy, barnyard, hay-filled saison that has a bit of clove/banana, lots of lemon and even a bit of pepper to it.. and a hint of Miss Vickie's Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar chips as well.

Taste: This is your typical modern saison. I'm more of a citrus/near witbier saison fan but I'm finally starting to enjoy the barnyard funk flavours many of the modern saisons have now days.. but it's likely due to the memories of where I am when I'm drinking those very saisons. The saison has a great deal of lemon zest, a hint of spice like pepper, a light amount of soap, fresh-from-the-grain-bin wheat and a bit of an earthy hop presence.

Overall Thoughts: Seriously underrated here in Manitoba, I need to buy this more seeing that nobody else is (unfortunately) but I don't have the money to buy it regularly! It's a great example of what most Quebec saisons taste like now days. It's pretty heavy on the stomach so it's best shared with friends.

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