Massachusetts: Jack D’Or, Pretty Things, Holyoke

If you have read this blog for a while you will appreciate that I like saison. A few years back I wondered out loud if it was going to ever be the next big thing and I may have had my wish granted to some degree as they are out there even if they haven’t exactly bumped macro pilsner off the shelf. Pretty Things, which calls itself a beer and ale project, says this is simple table beer but they are being coy. A sensible $5.99 paid for a bomber belies the quality here. A while back, I inhaled upon one of their Saint Botolph’s Town rustic dark ales. It happened so fast, without a moment to type notes. I have high hopes for this one.

It pours yellowed straw ale under a fine white head. The aroma is lightly citrus with herbals. I once grew lemon verbena and – while I can’t say it reminds me of that – it did remind me that I once grew lemon verbena. There is also a creamed sweet maltiness. In the mouth, there is pith and white pepper, twiggy minty notes as well as a cream soft malty underbelly, smoothed from the oats. A bit of pear juice but also a nod to cox orange pippin apple as well as a mid-mouth astringency. Apparently no spices whatsoever if the brewer is to be believed (who’s calling them liars? you??) so it coaxes all the herbal notes from hops. And yeast strains. Why don’t we argue more about having more interesting yeast strains? But no spices. Sorta like those early Queen albums proclaimed in the liner notes that no synthesizers were used now that I think of it. In fact it goes rather well with 1974’s Queen II now that I think of it. I don’t know if it would be Zepworthy for, perhaps, even Houses of the Holy, a record I might rather pair with Fantome but still it does remind you that these earthier manorial beers like certain aspects of the 1970s overly dramatic folk tale art rock playbook, even for their pre-democratic roots, are far more than table beer.

I would like to try it against Hennepin. I am thinking this is a bit bigger and maybe more complex but shares the moreishness. Like all saisons, primal. I particularly like the use of the cap security label to tell me that this is a representative of their April 2009 Third Batch. We are in this for the data after all. BAers are in love.

One thought on “Massachusetts: Jack D’Or, Pretty Things, Holyoke”

  1. [Original comments…]

    dave – January 20, 2010 10:45 PM
    http://www.sevenpack.net
    I love me some Jack D’Or. Excellent stuff in bottle and tap, and quite reasonably priced. I believe I have a first batch bottle still sitting in my beer fridge (pre “cap security labels”). Anyway, Pretty Things made a beer utilizing a recipe from Ron Patterson’s archives. Comes out in late February and it is supposed to be an Imperial Mild. You can read some bits about it on Pretty Thing’s website. Interesting sounding stuff.

    Jeff Alworth – January 21, 2010 7:19 PM
    http://beervana.blogspot.com/
    If it is a beer worthy to be considered in the same conversation as Hennepin (one of the most accomplished Belgian-style beers not brewed in Belgium, and perhaps the best saison in the world), I’ll buy a plane ticket to get a bottle. Or have one of the in-laws pick one up for me.

    Alan – January 21, 2010 7:24 PM
    It is that worthy.

    Alan – January 27, 2010 10:05 PM
    Batch Ten Nov 2009. More white pepper mayb. Maybe less of the cox orange pippen and more of the rolled oats. Lovely.

    Alan – December 12, 2013 10:12 PM
    A June 2013 bottling. How could I tell if it matching my notes?

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