Stone Brewing Co. – San Diego, CA

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Milton, DE

Saison Du BUFF

7.7% ABV and 6.8% ABV, respectively

My recent beer-related journeys have helped me procure the Stone and Dogfish Head batches of Saison Du BUFF, thus completing the collection. I was really impressed with the batch brewed at Victory and expected nothing less from the other two variations. They were all equally as good, but as I mentioned in my previous review, each had their own small twist which helped them stand out.

Both variations have the same crystal clear pour, with a deep orange color and yellowish tints around the edge. There was only about a finger of head on the top with tight white bubble on the DHF batch, but Stone’s had a much larger head. Both dissipated fairly quickly. The lacing falls off fast but alcohol legs are surprisingly strong.

Dogfish’s had an incredibly sweet yeasty nose. There was a rich, bready sweetness with that fistful of herbs also very present. that saison funk is there, too, but it’s coated in this really rich, sweeter note.

Stone’s, on the other hand, was very funk-forward with a much more present herbal note. The spices are a bit more subdued as well. Not as sweet as Dogfish’s and not as spicy as Victory’s.

The taste on the Dogfish batch was sweeter compared with Victory’s offering. The yeast was very noticeable but the herbal notes were still very strong on the front of the tongue and back of the throat. But between those is this really smooth, full-bodied beady sweetness. Big notes of juicy melon and a slight funkiness were also present. Not as spicy as Victory’s either.

On Stone’s – as I would expect – the hops were very present on the front, but not in an unbalancing way. The funk is also very forward as it was on nose. You still get that bouquet of herbs on the back, and it all still settles nicely.

While it might just be my mind playing tricks on me, I really did get some variation on each batch depending on the brewery it came from. Stone’s was hoppy, Dogfish’s was sweeter and Victory’s leaned heavily on the herbs. I wish I had the chance to try them all side-by-side-by-side, but giving the palate time to settle between batches is a good way to see the intricacies of each.

Victory Brewing Co. – Downingtown, PA

Stone Brewing Co. – San Diego, CA

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – Milton, DE

Saison Du BUFF

6.8% ABV

What do you get when you cross three of my favorite breweries with one of my favorite styles of beer?

Pure liquid awesomeness.

The idea of Victory, Stone and Dogfish Head collaborating on a beer dates back to 2003. As the story goes, the three owners got together to form Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor (BUFF) it an attempt to highlight the importance or working together and showcase what could arise out of collaboration.

In 2010, the put out Saison Du BUFF, a 6.8% saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme that they brewed again for release this year. Each brewery had its own batch brewed in house, so there was a little bit of variety in each batch. This particular bottle is from Victory’s batch. (I picked up Stone’s attempt the other day, so I’ll have a review of that down the line.)

The pour is a gorgeous super clear sunset yellow color that you can see straight through. It’s topped with about two fingers of a foamy head that dissipates quickly. Some nice lacing and light alcohol legs. A beautiful saison.

The herbs are huge on the nose. You definitely get the whole bouquet of what went into the brewing process. There’s a huge spiciness and pepper to it, but there’s a great sweetness to it, too, like a melon or a candied fruit note. An absolutely fantastic smelling beer.

All those herbs explode on your tastebuds, too. There’s a huge crisp wash of rosemary, thyme, a bit of pine and black pepper. It’s like inhaling a spice rack, but mixing it with the sweeter notes makes it insanely enjoyable. The herbs fade away on the back of the throat and are replaced with this sweet lingering orange and melon flavor. Great body, great carbonation to clean your palate.

And now, I try to resist the urge to open the other bottles I have in my fridge …