Saison: Day 3

My third day of Saison involves two more European numbers, the Scottish brewed Origin by Natural Selection Brewing and Wrath by Danish brewers Amager.

Origin is a 5.5% 'New World Saison' brewed by four students of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. The label informs me that I should expect rye and galaxy hops. It pours a hazy orange colour with a creamy rocky head. As is typical of the style the carbonation is effervescent. The aroma is dry and dusty hay tinged with horse blanket. There's some sour dough breadiness there too and a little tropical fruitiness. This is a beautiful dry crisp beer with a long lasting bitter finish. It's refreshingly tart and has a nice blend of spicy, almond-like maltiness mixed with distinct citrus flavours.

My next beer is Wrath, a 6.5% barrel-aged Saison from Denmark. Part of Amager's Sinner Series the label is particularly impressive, and so too is the beer. It's a slightly hazy copper coloured brew, medium to high carbonation with a rocky long lasting off-white head. The aroma is vinous, dark fruits, malt, marzipan, banana and yeast funk. There are hints of mineral too. The taste is fairly malt dominated – toasty biscuit, chocolate and vanilla sweetness, Terry's Chocolate Orange comes to mind as well. The hop character is moderately bitter with an earthy woodiness. The finish isn't particular dry but has a mild acidity to it. Overall this is a bold complex beer that is a delight to drink.