One of two canned beers that Seattle's Hilliard's Beer has recently released. The brewery itself opened it's doors in October and their Saison was first put into cans in December. It joins their Amber Ale as a tandem of canned goodness on shelves in Washington State. Cheers!

From the Hilliard's site:

"Simple beer, complex taste and aroma.  A special yeast and unique fermentation profile give this beer hints of coriander, orange peel, and maybe a bit of pepper.  Castle Malting Pilsner Malt and Golding Hops, no spices added."

Here we go...

Pour - straw-colored pour that is soft and slightly cloudy. A nicely formed inch of foam on top. As it settles a bit it clarifies a little.

Aroma - yeasty spiciness, coriander, sour wheat, grainy, lemons, pears and honey. Very aromatic. 

Taste - light on the palate but plenty flavorful. Sweet with hints of pears and green apples along with some grassiness and plenty of spiciness from the yeast strain. Some hints of bitter lemon and light wheat. Clean and crisp, this goes down extremely well (and perhaps a bit too fast!). Carbonation is spot on and it has tartness that combines very well with the tangy, yeasty finish.

Overall - love this beer. A very well brewed Saison with the great yeasty spiciness that defines the style. Crisp and refreshing - an excellent brew anytime of year. We love that they chose to can a Saison early on and can't wait to see what they choose to can down the road. Did we also mention we love the retro-esque look of Hilliard's can designs? Well, we do. Cheers!

Note - Hilliard's Saison is one of three Saisons currently being canned. The others are Brewery Vivant's Farm Hand and Surly's CynicAle. Three other American craft brewery's also have plans to can Saisons in the near future.