Folks, I have saison fatigue. Don’t get me wrong, I really love saisons, but after IPAs, they seem to be the second most trendy beer style today, and I’m often assaulted by a long list of both IPAs and saisons when I go out for a beer. That said, when I saw Avery Perzik Saison on the draft list at Taco Mac recently, I ordered up a mug with much alacrity.
That’s because Avery Perzik Saison is brewed with peaches to add a bit of flair to this spicy, refreshing style. That made me curious, and hey, I do like fruit beers, too. Peaches are wonderful in beer, although I will confess that an aversion to their fuzzy exterior usually keeps me away from them in fresh fruit form. I’d much rather drink my peaches than eat them.
From the Avery website:
A classic saison—dry, crisp, fruity, spicy and refreshing—with a dose of summer—peaches!
Ingredients, also from the website:
Malt Varieties: Wheat, Acidulated 2-Row
Yeast Varieties: Belgian Saison
Hop Varieties Bravo
Avery Perzik Saison has an alcohol content of 6.4% by volume and I paid $6.50 for a 20-ounce mug at Taco Mac. That’s a little higher than I’d expect to pay, but only by about $.50. It runs high in cans here too, at $11.99, $2 more than I think is a fair price. Perzik, if you're wondering, is Dutch/Flemish for peach.
My mug of Avery Perzik Saison arrived a cloudy yellow orange in color with a thin spritzy head formation and spicy cloves in the nose. I get more of that in the palate, along with black pepper, funky yeast, juicy peach, and a dry spicy finish.Avery Perzik Saison is very tasty indeed, and full of yeast-thrown spice along with juicy peach fruit. I’m on the borderline rating this one. I think I would give it 4.5 stars for style, hedonistic enjoyment and originality. I will take off a half star for price, so 4 stars it shall be. Is it a saison or a fruit beer? You could go either way, but the heart and soul of this beer is saison for me, so saison it shall also be.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft