So I hope you enjoyed the Saint Somewhere Saison Athene session on Monday, but now it’s time for Tim and me to take it up a notch (technically speaking) with the Avec les Bons Voeux from Brasserie Dupont. This brewery, from Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium is easily one of the most recognizable producers out there when it comes to the Saison. Avec les Bons Voeux is just one of several that you should be able to find fairly easily (the other two being Saison Dupont and Dupont Foret). The primary thing I love about this particular beer is that it fits into that timeless list of beers that will stand the test of time for years to come. Even Beer Advocate and Ratebeer list this as one of their top Saisons. I’m not sure I’d go that far personally, but I think it’s fair to say that Tim and I both enjoyed this one quite a bit. Here you get the traditional barnyard funk we talk about a lot with Saisons, but the spice component has been pulled back in order to focus more on the yeast. And that is perfectly fine with me, because something like this will always fit the bill when it comes to satisfying that Saison crave. Of the first two we’ve had so far, my personal favorite has been the Saison Athene. Up next: Fantôme Saison.
Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Jose Gonzalez “Heartbeats”
Brewery: Dupont
Beer: Avec les Bons Voeux
Style: Saison
Location: Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Rating: 94/100
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Posted by Barleywhiner on May 19, 2010 at 8:16 AM
It’s good to see Dupont back in Kansas City after a bit of an absence, but those green bottles have got to go. The last bottle of the Saison Dupont that I had was a little skunked. Fortunately it wore off pretty quickly.
Posted by thehopry on May 19, 2010 at 9:09 AM
I agree. The green bottles add way too much funk to a would-be transcendent beer. This is the main reason why I prefered the Saint Somewhere to the Dupont. The lack of skunk allowed the funk and spice to shine much more vibrantly. I’d love to see what the Dupont would taste like without the skunkiness. I’ll have to look for it on tap.
Posted by Michael on May 20, 2010 at 12:26 AM
This is one of my all time favourite beers, but I’ve only ever had it on tap. I did have the Saison Dupont in a green 750, and was less than enthused.
The whole green bottle thing is silliness. I’ll never understand it.
Posted by builderofcoalitions on May 19, 2010 at 8:29 AM
Great beer. Great song. Is the Saison the new DIPA? Dudes are crazy over the Brett.
Posted by theReaper16 on May 19, 2010 at 11:13 AM
I disagree about this being traditional for the style. I find Avec les Bons Voeux to be maltier – and consequently with a thicker mouthfeel – than the majority of saisons. And considering that the traditional saison is a lower ABV% beer and Avec les Bons Voeux sits at a whopping 9.5% ABV, the beer seems to me to be a large leap from tradition. I think I reviewed it as a B, 3.7, on BeerAdvocate. Good beer in spite of (or sometimes because of) its departures from style.