Lickinghole Creek Short Pump Saison
My first experience with Lickinghole Creek was with their Gentleman Farmer Estate Hop Ale. That beer was good — not great — and served as a warm introduction to the brewery. And would stay as my only experience with the company until running across a bottle of their Short Pump Saison a solid month later.
This 6.8% saison is brewed with a Belgian Pilsner Malt and two types of rye. It is then hopped with the Galena variety before being hop bursted with Columbus and Nugget varieties. The end result is a beer that not only has a decent farmhouse backbone, but also an intriguing spiciness from the rye and a fairly assertive hop bite at 35 IBU.
Appearance
Short Pump Saison pours with a large stack of rocky, tawny foam that sat proudly atop the deep amber brew.
Aroma
A light funky yeast, touch of spicy rye, hay, grassy hops, distant spices and light citrus notes all combine for an interesting nose. At times, I want to say that I also picked up a hint of spearmint, but not sure that’s right.
Taste
I like the inclusion of the rye in this beer. It adds a good bit of spiciness to the funky, peppery yeast and hop profile. A subtle funk, grain, grass and distant grapefruit follow quickly behind as a fairly assertive hop bitterness arrives. The hop bite isn’t overwhelming by any means, but it’s certainly more than most traditional saisons. It lasts a good long while in the drying and lightly warming finish. There’s also a good bit of earthiness that abounds.
Overall
There’s an interesting array of flavors within Short Pump Saison that all ultimately lead to a spicy, peppery overall character. The rye, yeast and hop bitterness provide a solid zing while more traditional saison traits tend to hang out in the background a bit. It’s a refreshing beer that I found more intriguing and more enjoyable than their Gentleman Farmer Estate Hop Ale.
Rating: 3.75/5
