Imperial Cherry Saison
This beer has an extremely bitter tinge to it that just detracts from everything else going on. The beer pours a slightly cloudy orangey golden color with just a thin head and no lacing. The aroma is a bit Belgian yeast, some orange rind, maybe some floral bursts. The aroma is quite nice, although not overly pungent or strong. The beer needs to settle down and then some very nice mandarin orange hints and other nice florals insinuate themselves. There are also some apricot flavors, and maybe a tad bit of cherry, but that is not the first citrus fruit popping through. The problem is that there is a biting and bitter tinge to the beer that lasts throughout. This may be from the oaken casks in which this ages, but there isn't much of an oaken taste to the beer. The bitterness just ruins this beer for me. So much promise, and so little reward. I'm not sold on this one.