I've kind of lost count of Elysian's 2012 releases -- there seem to be a couple every month -- but so far most have been of high quality. Or at least an interesting quality. Wasteland is a little of both; I quite liked it, but I can also see how it might not be for everybody. It is definitely worth checking out if you like something a little sweet with some hoppy sourness to it.
It pours a semi-dark-ish copper color, with about a finger's worth of frothy head. Lacing is minimal. Give it a whiff, and you'll pick up a sweet scent of malts with some bread-like notes, flanked by floral hints.
Flavorwise the Wasteland is a bit of an odd one in that it doesn't entirely seem like a saison. The tartness is certainly there, as is the sweetness, but the latter might just be a bit too pronounced from what I expected. Stranger still is the hopiness which almost reaches an IPA level.
Don't get me wrong, this is a good beer -- though, again, the mix of sweetness and hops might be too overpowering for some -- and it's certainly saison like, but it's a bit different of a take than what I had expected.
At 6.8% ABV and with a medium body this isn't exactly a session ale, but it still goes down fairly easily. Wasteland is another quirky beer from Elysian, and I, for one, like it. You might not, but you should probably still try it.