Season’s Change

From Bracebridge, Ontario’s Muskoka Brewery comes Season’s Change; a saison flavoured with raspberry and lavender. According to the card affixed to the bottle (of uncertain size, but south of 400mL), this beer contains 6.5% alcohol and has an IBU count of 25. The beer itself had a slight haze, a thin layer of off-white head, and an orange-gold colouring.

SC is a member of Muskoka’s “Moonlight Kettle” series. It has a potent raspberry and yeast scent—quite tart and agreeable. The smell of this stuff is assertive, with sour fruit leading the way. Given the nose, SC has a deceptively sweet flavour—berry first with some Belgian-style yeastiness along for the ride. As to the lavender, I looked for it, but was only able to detect a slightly floral note alongside a modestly hoppy, albeit too sweet, finish.

Despite its complicated pedigree, I’ll say that SC’s flavour is unexpectedly straightforward—raspberry above all, with a dry and flowery back end, and a yeast-driven vibe from end to end. Less boisterous than its aroma, but still quite pungent, this is a pretty interesting flavoured ale. It could certainly have flexed its saison muscles with a dose more dry yeastiness, it is commendably under-sweet until the back end, when things get a bit syrupy for this dude.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.