Highland Brewing Company 20th Anniversary American Saison Ale

More and more breweries are opening everyday, and some are growing in size, and there are breweries that are celebrating one, two, five, ten or even twenty-year anniversaries. Breweries tend to do something special for an anniversary. They might have a special party at their brewery or release a special beer. Well one brewery here in the mountains of North Carolina, Highland Brewing Company is having a twentieth anniversary, so they brewed a number (twenty to be exact, the number of years making beer) of special beers though out 2014. Here is one, Highland Brewing’s American Saison Ale, 5.8% ABV. This Highland brew is a hybrid of the classic Saison and the American Pale.   Highland Brewing’s American Saison Ale pours a bright orange color with a one finger thin white head that fades quickly into a thin head that then sticks around for a while. I found the littlest amount of light with a nice grouping of carbonation bubbles. The aroma is spiced and peppery with a slight yeasty note on the nose. Taste on this American Saison is citrusy with citrus hops, and orangey up front with a slight hop character in the middle and a peppery and spicy note on the back. The mouth feel is medium with a yeasty finish; the after taste is citrusy with a bit of pepper and spice. The flavors of this Highland American Saison do not seem to work well with one another.  I found that this beer has a harsher finish with the spice and seem like it just hits you out of now where on the finish. But this isn’t a bad beer though, so I say this is a C-. Not really what I was hoping for in a Saison but it wasn’t terrible. The spiced and peppery finish on Highland Brewing’s American Saison Ale wasn’t something I liked and it brought the beer down. Would I try this again? That is kind of a hard one, but I do not think I will be having this for a while. I don’t think it is quite as good as it could be, but still not a bad one. So go out and try Highland Brewing’s American Saison Ale for their twentieth Anniversary and see what you think of it. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!