The Time of the Saison

Spring is in the air!  Alright, that’s not true.  Snow is in the air, & sometimes on the ground, & temps are in the 30s.  But the beer world extends beyond our little valley of perpetual winter, & spring seasonals from all over the country have been popping up on The House’s shelves.  People sometimes complain about the prematurity of seasonals, but I’m pretty sure everybody’s ready for spring beer.  It’s a way of mentally ushering in the longer days & sweeping away the cold, even if Mother Nature hasn’t gotten the memo yet.

Spring beers generally tend to skew lighter, paler, less alcoholic than their winter predecessors.  Maibocks are a classic: lighter in color, with honey-like flavors & just plain more “vernal” than the wintry Doppelbocks of Lent.  Pales, wheats, & lighter lagers tend to poke their heads up this time of year, too, but it seems that more American brewers are marking spring with a style of beer that’s essentially seasonal: the saison. 

I often get asked what is a saison, exactly.  Good question, & not easy to answer.  It’s a stretch to even classify saison as a style, as flavor profile & ingredients vary so broadly; it’s easier to explain the history of saison in the context of ‘farmhouse ales’.  In the southern, French-speaking region of Belgium called Wallonia (“saison”=”season” in French), the Walloon farmers would need to stay in operation during the winter months, which happened to be at the right temperature for brewing beer.  They made brew to store up until the spring, when it would be used as provisions for the farmhands during the work day.  Out of necessity, the recipe varied year to year, as farmhouse brewers drew ingredients from what was available after the harvest: barley, rye, wheat, spelt.  If hops were scarce one year, they would season the beer with other herbs & spices.

You can see how this might complicate the modern tendency toward stylistic definition: “A beer made with any number of ingredients, with varying levels of hop presence, & may or may not include other seasonings.”  Pretty murky.   Most of today’s examples tend toward the dry & grassy, with a notable hop presence, & fruity & peppery notes from an assertive yeast that’s often amplified by bottle-conditioning.  They are beautiful to look at, with a big, effervescent head crowning a bright body that can range from pale straw to golden-amber – some brewers are even making dark or black saisons (recent collaborations between Green Flash/St. Feuillien & Stone/Stillwater/Evil Twin come to mind).  We’ve had three new spring farmhouse ales hit our shelves this year.  There’s 21 Amendment’s Sneak Attack, made with chamomile pods (in the can, of course).  There’s Victory’s Swing Session Saison, with orange peel, lemon zest, & peppercorns.  And Spoetzel , makers of the Shiner beers, rolled out their FM 966 Farmhouse Ale, a Texan interpretation of this classic country style.  Dig into these light, refreshing beers, & celebrate the turn of the season with a saison.    

Top Shelf Thursday: March 2013

Last night was the third Top Shelf Thursday of 2013, & with spring in the air (hardy-har), the flight list skewed a little lighter to start off.  The focus was on more obscure ales made by artisanal Belgian breweries, beginning with Very Speciale Belge, a collaboration from Allagash & Brasserie de la Senne of Brussels.  This Belgian pale weighed in at a mere 5.2% ABV, with a light straw color & a fairly dry, herbal flavor, pretty refreshing for the warm weather we all wish we were getting.

Also in defiance of the winter weather was the light, effervescent saison (“season”, as saisons were traditionally brewed in spring & consumed in summer) Bronze Age, a collaboration between the itinerant Stillwater Artisanal Ales & Belgian farmhouse brewery Hof Ten Dormaal.  Made with barley & spelt grown on the Hof Ten Dormaal grounds, Bronze Age has lightly sweet lemon notes & finished dry & crisp.  Stillwater’s Brian Strumke chose to work with Hof Ten Dormaal based on their self-sustaining practices – much of the ingredients for their beers are grown on premises, & even their brewery is largely powered by rapeseed oil from crops the farm grows itself.

Continuing in the farmhouse vein was V Cense from Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille, the night’s most fun tongue-twister.  Medium-amber in color & made with American hops & “proprietary spices”, it was interesting comparing this farmhouse ale back-to-back with the Bronze Age.

There was a little goof-up with the fourth course, Dominus Vobiscum Double from MicroBrasserie Charlevoix, as it was thought to be Belgian but, on closer inspection, is actually made in Quebec.  Folks didn’t seem to mind, though – after the first three drier beers, this abbey-style dubbel seemed to satisfy those looking for something sweeter & fuller, with a round, dark fruit & spice character & coming in at 8% ABV.

Things took a turn for the sour with Cuvee des Jacobins from Brouwerij Bockor, a Flanders red ale spontaneously fermented & barrel-aged for 18 months.  Some were turned off by the acidic, tannic character, but those with a taste for sour ales loved the complex layers of balsamic vinaigrette, cocoa, green apple, leather, & oak that unfurled over the palate.

It’s safe to say that “Most Outre” of the evening went to the Oudbeitje Lambic  from blenders Hanssens Artisanaal.  Also spontaneously fermented, with strawberries added, it was an unusual blend of sweet & organically funky (that more than one guest said reminded them of un-smoked cannabis.  Hmmm…).  Not without its charm, but definitely an acquired taste.

Hanssens also brought us Scarenbecca Kriek, a lambic made with the prized sour cherries from Belgium’s Schaarbeek region.  This was a full-bodied, full-flavored kriek that poured a beautiful crimson with a taste reminiscent of a tart, rich cherry pie. 

The sour ales always tend to be polarizing – folks either love ‘em or hate ‘em, with some very vocal critics.  Everyone found common ground as we moved onto the St. Stefanus Grand Cru, brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge for the Sint Stefanus abbey.  In the wheelhouse of a tripel, this strong, golden abbey ale started sweet, with some fruity & spicy notes, ending with a nicely dry twist & balancing alcohol.

Bersalis, from Brouwerij Oud Beersel, kicked the tripel character up a notch, bringing to the table a honey-like sweetness & spice notes reminiscent of apple sauce.  Like the two farmhouse ales earlier, comparing this to the St. Stefanus was a fun exercise in distinguishing flavors & picking up on nuances in the style.

The flight of small Belgian brewers was capped off by a taste of the new, with a collaboration from The Perfect Crime, a gypsy “supergroup” comprised of the brewers from Stillwater & Evil Twin, & the proprietor of 12 Percent Imports.  Their Smoking Gun, brewed at Belgium’s Scheldebrouwerij, is a “smoked Belgian stout”, with the roast & maltiness of an imperial stout, the dark fruit & spiciness of a Belgian quadruple, & the strength of both styles, with a subtle smokiness that tied it all together.  

If one thing categorizes Belgium’s brewing culture, it’s a defiance of categorization & a fluidity of style, & Smoking Gun falls well into that character, retaining an identifiable “Belgian-ness” while creating something that’s all its own.  Tonight’s tasting showcased that freedom of creativity, with beers that stayed well within tradition & those that respectfully diverged from it.  Belgian beer, with its small & innovative brewers, remind us that the only constant is change, & that can be a wonderful thing.  Gezondheid!

Porterhouse Brewing

This weekend, everyone will be Irish for a day as we celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick, more commonly known as St. Patrick’s Day (though I prefer the alternative, ‘All Hangovers’ Eve’).  Folks will don their green garb, raise a pint, & shed a tear for dear old Eire, or maybe just yell WOOOOO!!! a lot & then post it on YouTube.  Whether celebration are reverent or revelrous, chances are many will lift a glass & toast with the black stuff, a Pint of Plain, as Guinness has become almost as iconically Irish as Saint Patrick himself.

But did you know that Guinness is no longer fully Irish?  Though all the Guinness distributed in Ireland & the UK is brewed at St. James’s Gate in Dublin, Guinness belongs to Diageo, a multinational headquartered in London.  And chances are (if you’re a Yank) that the Guinness you’re drinking is brewed in Canada.  And of the three other “big” Irish stouts producers – O’Hara’s, Murphy’s, & Beamish – only O’Hara’s is Irish-owned (from County Carlow, to be precise).  Murphy’s & Beamish are both owned by Heineken.

Whether this is an issue to you is entirely at your discretion, of course.  Some cry ‘foul’ at beers owned by the big boys, & can taste the taint of big business in every sip; others say it’s what’s in the glass that really matters, & good beer is good beer, politics be damned.  But for those who’d like to try a wholly independent Irish brewery, we’d like to shed some light on Dublin’s Porterhouse Brewing Company.  Proprietors  Liam LaHart & Oliver Hughes (with the help of architect Frank Ennis) opened Ireland’s first brewpub in 1996, set on broadening the drinking culture of that fair city to a variety of beer styles.  Their enterprise grew to include two more Dublin locales, & one each in London & New York.  They pride themselves on brewing a variety of ales & lagers, & won awards for that most representative of Irish styles: stout.

Several years ago they began importing to the U.S., & The House proudly carries beers from this great Irish craft brewery.  On our shelves, you can find their Oyster Stout, a balanced 4.6% ABV stout conditioned with freshly shucked oysters; Wrasslers XXXX Stout, with that characteristic rich roast taste; their Red Ale, well-balanced with caramel notes; & their strong ale, An Brainblasta, “thrice-hopped” & weighing in at 7% ABV.  Look for the bottles with the cool peel-off caps.  If it’s tradition you’re looking for, Guinness will do.  But if you’re looking to try an authentic Irish product, made by an Irish-owned company passionate about what they do & with an eye on the future, give a Porterhouse a crack.  And we at The House bid good craic to you this St. Paddy’s Day – Slainte!

Swimming in Beer

Craft beer folks are generally good folks.  I realize the risks of making sweeping generalizations like that, but in my experience the brewers of craft beer are solid, interesting characters who appear to have a lot of integrity.  They make beer with the aim of delivering a wholesome product, using quality ingredients with the intent of providing the drinker with a good experience, not ripping them off by cheapening the beer or (allegedly) watering it down.   Most craft brewers are small business owners who take a tremendous amount of pride in their craft, & even the larger craft brewers generally run their operations with a lot of class & good citizenship.  Yes, these brewers are in the business of making & selling beer, but they also do not live & die by the bottom line.  Most also seem to abide by the belief that what’s  good for one of us is good for all, & are generally much more supportive of one another than most “competitors” in any market.  Look at the number of collaborations put out by teams of brewers every year as some evidence of this camaraderie, the attitude that “we’re all in it together”. 

One wonders, though, what the capacity of this pool is, how many more can jump into the very welcoming waters & find room to swim.  As much as American craft brew would like to remain one big, happy family, it may be finding that there’s only so much room to move.  Right now the big contention seems to be around trademark infringement, & every week or two there are headlines on the beer news sites about one brewery suing another or issuing a cease-&-desist when they think someone  is stepping on their toes.  This is not necessarily malicious - businesses are obligated to protect their territory & intellectual property, & must act accordingly – but it smells like bad blood, not in sync with the whole barley-&-hops-brotherhood vibe.  We’re beginning to hear some of the bigger kids in the pool creating ripples by talking smack on each others’ business practices, & maybe recent expansions by some of said kids could turn off those who would otherwise support them.  Not going to name names or anything, just pointing out that it’s not always high-fives & group hugs for those in this increasingly competitive business. 

Luckily, it seems that the feather-ruffled are in the minority for the time being, & the general sense of unity is still prevailing.  Hoping it continues that way, & we see more of the collaboration-not-litigation mindset.  At the end of the day, it’s still beer, & what goes on behind the scenes doesn’t/shouldn’t effect the consumer too much.  Let’s hope there’s room enough in the pool for everyone to play nice; I prefer my beer blood-free.