Sam Adams Lemon Pepper Saison Review

Every year Samuel Adams does their Long Shot contest to allow home brewers to get their beer made in a commercial brewery and distributed throughout the Samuel Adams distribution range. It's a great idea, we think, and has resulted in some delicious beers! Speaking of beer, let's check out the Lemon Pepper Saison from the Samuel Adams Long Shot Series:

Appearance: The Lemon Pepper Saison pours a darker shade of clear gold than many traditional Saisons. The big, white, fluffy heady is totally expected, though. Looks like it might be a bit much for a hot summer day, but perfect for a warm spring day.

Smell: The aroma doesn't have a lot of the yeast character that we expect from a Saison. We get some papaya and fresh apricot. Obviously, there's some lemon and cracked pepper in there as well, but shouldn't that almost be assumed by the name of the beer? Well I guess we'd assume it would smell like a Saison, so that shows what assuming does...

Taste: A bit sweet for a Saison, but the pepper on the finish helps to dry it out at the end. It's a fruitier tasting beer with apricot and papaya in there. There's a hint of lemon in there, but it's definitely more in the aroma.

All in all, this beer is OK. Not a great representation of style, but still pretty good. We wouldn't seek it out, but we'd happily drink it!