Categories: Beer

Comparing Beers of the Same Style

I think it’s pretty well known that I like beer. My goal in trying so many beers is discovering the perfect beer and trying to replicate it. I’ve made probably close to 100 beers in the 10+ years I’ve been brewing.

This week, I picked up Schlafly’s Tropical Saison again (previously reviewed here); I went to grab one and saw the last of my There Will Be Blood…Orange Saison, a tradition Belgian Saison with blood orange puree, that I brewed over 2 years ago. I grabbed it as well, along with pulling a sample from my current Hoppy Saison (still unnamed). I wanted to look at 3 beers that are considered the same style to see how they compared.

L: Schlafly’s Tropical Saison, C: There Will Be Blood…Orange Saison, R: Unnamed Hoppy Saison

The Tropical Saison has a fruitier taste and doesn’t have the traditional Saison dry finish compared to the other 2. The color is an amber, which is typical for the style. The hop profile is more prevalent than the style; you get a lot of passionfruit on the nose and taste. This comes off as more sour than Saison.

There Will Be Blood…Orange is more of a traditional style. The color is Amber, like the Tropical. The finish is very dry and peppery, which can be chalked up to the yeast. This is a maltier beer, so the hops are as in your face as the Tropical.

The Hoppy Saison is lighter, golden color; this was due to Pale Malt being the main grain in the wort. I went this way because I wanted more of an American feel to the beer. I also used more bittering and aroma hops, including double dry hopping. This is more like the Farmhouse IPA I made at Center Ice Brewing 2 years ago. I was told that it’s similar to Boulevard’s Tank 7 (which I’m going to pick up soon to compare them); I’d like to find a Farmhouse IPA to compare it with as well.

I’m a fan of all 3, but I think I would rank them Hoppy, There Will Be Blood…Orange, then Tropical. I like a little more bitterness in my beer, and less tartness in a non-Brett Saison.

I might pick up a couple of Pale Ales to compare with the other beer on tap in my basement – New Asgardian Pale Ale (due to a Kveik strain of yeast).