Baird Product of Time Saison is an 8% imperial saison from Baird Beer, based in Shizuoka, Japan. It’s a beer that is part of Craftsman Yokohama special line up and can be found on tap for a limited time only, though until when is unknown. Moreover, there is surprisingly a lack of information from either Baird Beer or on the actual menu at Craftsman.
Only a small glass from a tasting set, but packs a punch.
Baird Product of Time Saison Aroma and Taste
An 8% imperial saison from Baird Beer? Who’d have thought it? Well, they do make double IPAs, imperial stouts, wheat wines, and other strong beers in between, so I guess Baird Product of Time Saison is the big sister to the Baird Saison Sayuri. I went for the tasting set version and found Baird Product of Time Saison to be far hoppier than I expected for a saison. There was a sweetness to it as well in the nose as well as a peculiar Belgian funk. Baird Beer aren’t known for using Belgian yeast, in fact their Saison Sayuri uses the in-house Scottish Ale yeast strain, so could this be a new direction for them?
The body was, and not in negative, more of the same, with a large dosing of sweet maltiness punctuated by a mild bitterness in the aftertaste too. The Belgian funk – which is an interesting way to describe beers. It’s distinct enough to be a saison but I couldn’t help be reminded of a thicker Baird Suruga Bay Imperial IPA with the malt flavours going in. There was a hint of medicinal taste in the aftertaste, though it faded almost immediately.
Baird Product of Time Saison The Bottom Line
Imperial beers sometimes work, for example imperial porters and imperial IPAs work. Saisons? For me, a pass. And Baird Product of Time Saison is a like-it-or-leave-it beer for me.
