Would you like some fresh ground lemon pepper in your beer?

I would wager that the guy who made the Lemon Pepper Saison that won the Sam Adams Longshot competition didn't just toss some lemon pepper into a summer ale. I certainly hope not at least - that would really destroy the mystique of it all. This is the 3rd of the Longshot series that I had - the others being the Mile High Barleywine and the Old Ben Ale.

Appearance - Spring-y golden lemon color, light head with very little carbonation. - 3.5/5.0

Smell - Coriander, spice, pepper, lemon - definitely what you would expect out of a saison style beer. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Crispy, very refreshing, with the spicy picking up late in each taste. The carbonation enhances the malt flavor. Very enjoyable and fitting for the style. 4.0/5.0

Feel - Mellow and refreshing! Aftertaste is spicy and crisp. -4.0/5.0

Drinkability - Excellent summertime beer, too bad it's a special deal. I would buy this for a summer BBQ. 3.5/5.0

Bam Biere Farmhouse Ale

When I was assembling a make-your-own six pack a bit ago, I saw this and just grabbed it. Not that I know anything about the Jolly Pumpkin brewery, but I'm a sucker for dogs. So, good job label guy...you got me.

The Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere Farmhouse Ale is the second of this style that I've tried (the first being the Liquid Sun Saison from Rock Bottom Brewing). Given the amount of darker beers that I've been enjoying lately, this was a refreshing dip into the lighter end of the beer pool...hmmm...beer pool. Upon pouring, I noticed a whole lot of head on this beer and a cloudy, light golden color. It seems a lot of beers I've tried have had pretty wimpy heads, so this was really refreshing. Expect some malt, spice, lemon and very fruity notes when you take a whiff. There is a slight sourness to the taste at first, but it mellows out to being a bit sweeter fruit flavor. The beer finishes smooth with a touch of bitterness. It was enjoyable, but nothing so enjoyable I'd make a particular effort to get it.

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - really heady, cloudy light golden color
Smell - 4.0/5.0 - fruit aroma, malty, spicy, lemony
Taste - 3.0/5.0 - slighty sour, but mellow taste - nothing that sharp or anything
Feel - 3.5/5.0 - not aftertaste, smooth, some bitterness at end
Drinkability - 3.0/5.0 - ok, but nothing to write home about

When dealing with Liquid Sun, shoot for SPF 2000

Got word that I should check out the Rock Bottom Brewery out in Phoenix. Checked it on-line and the food looked good and the beer selection offered a nice variety. Now, you can tell this joint is a part of a chain when you first walk in, mostly because things seemed too...polished. Sorta as if a large team of highly paid marketing professionals have focused grouped the hell out of this place. This doesn't count against Rock Bottom, but don't expect that this is a Mom & Pop joint.

Anyway, I got some chili as it sounded good and got the Liquid Sun Saison, as I don't recall ever having a Saison style beer before. Not knowing a lot about the style, I immediately thought of a Belgian style brew. The amber-esqe color was nice to look at, but it lacked any head to speak of. There was mostly fruit aromas in this beer, primarily orange and citrus. The taste was similar - fruity citrus, with orange, grapefruit and spice. Not overly powerful, which was refreshing. The mellowness felt good, especially after sitting through 8 hours of training that zonked out my mind. It was a very enjoyable beer and one that I would likely pick up again. The 5.2% ABV makes it a good session beer (i.e. a beer you could have a few of in a single session without getting a little too schnakered for your own good).

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - No head with a nice amber-esqe color
Smell - 3.5/5.0 - Slightly fruity smell, orange, citrus, hint of malt
Taste - 4.0/5.0 - Distinctly Belgian taste with the spice, orange, grapefruit
Feel - 4.5/5.0 - Mellow, but crisp
Drinkability - 4.0/5.0 - Good beer; flavorful and very enjoyable.