2 July 2015 - Best Beer HQ

Tournesol Spiced Saison beer review

Tournesol spiced saison beer review

ABV: 6.5%

The bottle: The label on this 650ml bottle of Garage Project’s Tournesol goes to show that the ancient art of brewing isn’t the only bit of creativity that goes into making and marketing craft beer. The painted picture on the label is stunning, with a black-haired, bespectacled woman singing in a field of sunflowers.

Hopefully this beer will make my taste buds sing, just like the woman on the label.

What it says on the bottle: Le Tournesol, the sunflower – a crisp, rustic and refreshingly tart Saison with a bright, sunny disposition. Golden, yellow like its namesake, Tournesol is brewed with pilsner and rye malts and lightly spiced with white pepper, coriander and citrus.

The perfect refreshing beer for a summer’s day – or to bring a little bit of sunshine, wherever you are.

Tastes like: Well it certainly did bring this beer reviewer a bit of sunshine on a shitty winter’s day in Auckland, because this beer is tops.

When poured into a glass, I’m immediately struck by the strong zesty aroma of sour lemon, and it has a hazy lemon colour to match. There must have been a bit of sediment at the bottom, too, because I swear the Tournesol poured hazier the second time around.

But enough about this beer’s properties – how does it taste? Well, my friends, I was in for a treat because this beer is intensely flavourful, boasting lemon zest, lime, balsamic vinegar, sunshine, and more than a hint of spicy pepper.

The Tournesol is a dry, slightly acidic beer, so I reckon pairing it with some pan-fried snapper would make for a match made in heaven. Then again, this beer is so good that I’d pair it with toothpaste if I had to.

Is it the best beer ever? Garage Project’s Tournesol spiced saison is a craft beer to be reckoned with – an intensely flavourful beer with bite and spunk.

Having said that, one 650ml bottle of Tournesol was more than enough; this is a craft beer to be savoured, not quaffed. Otherwise it’s another goal, six, slam-dunk or hole-in-one (choose your own sporting metaphor) from the Garage.

What else should I drink? Check out my review of the Garage Project’s Garagista IPA.

Craft Beer New Zealand / review /