2013 was the year in which saison came of age in B.C.
This Belgian farmhouse ale became one of the biggest trends in craft beer this year (right after all those dozens of people saying, “Hey, let’s start a brewery”), with brewers really dialling in their recipes and nailing the refreshing, fruity and peppery qualities of the style.
It wasn’t just the niche players in the scene, either. Steamworks was the first off the blocks, followed by Parallel 49’s Hay Fever and Russell’s Summer Daze (which I didn’t get to try for some reason). Townsite’s Belgian brewer Cedric Dauchot then raised the bar for them all with his 7800 saison.
Meanwhile, in Delta, Four Winds Brewing opened in June with a saison as part of its regular lineup, only the second brewery after Driftwood to do so. I was hugely impressed with my first taste, but didn’t quite realize how much more brewer Brent Mills had up his sleeve with this style.
Flavoured with elderflower and chamomile and bottle conditioned in corked and caged bottles, Four Winds’ Wildflower Saison upped the saison ante when it was released last month.
And now along comes this Saison Brett.
Read more about Four Winds Brewing here
Sealed and conditioned in the same corked bottles, this saison has been aged in Okanagan red wine barrels with the brettanomyces wild yeast, a Belgian method that lends sour aromas and flavours and what’s euphemistically referred to as “farmyard” or “horse blanket” notes (i.e. sounds better than “silage”).
Saison Brett pours a hazy, slightly orangey gold with a wonderfully spritzy but dense white foamy head that laces thickly on the glass.
The aroma seduces from the outset. A citric acid tang is most noticeable at first, but it’s refined, like a subtle red wine vinegar mixed with tart fresh-pressed apple juice. Behind this are notes of apple, blackberries, a dry, bracing salty mineraliness and a warm, fresh-tilled earthiness. Those brettanomyces notes are there, but mingle gently through everything. There’s even an echo of cigar tobacco.
Many of these aromas come to juicy fruition in the mouth. Light, refreshing and subtly tart notes of apple, orange, bramble and red wine give way to a pronounced, mouth-filling salty bitterness that lifts to reveal additional, gently complex notes of oak, hay and peppery spice. A long, parched finish leads into a mineral aftertaste with gentle herbal notes. Again, the brett characteristics are present but weave through the other flavours and aren’t as overpowering as in other examples of the style.
It all makes for an elegant but hugely complex beer that is a joy to drink; in short, an absolute triumph.
It’s fitting that this year of saisons should near its end with B.C.’s best example of the style to date, and, in my opinion, one of the best beers produced in B.C. to date.
Plus, we don’t even know how much better it will taste after a year or two in the cellar.
Food pairing: Saison is perhaps the most versatile of styles for food, but for me this beer begs for cheese. Triple brie, a runny camembert, peppery chevre, or a stinky reblochon; have some prosciutto or jamon iberico, sourdough and your choice of apple on the side. Reblochon also got me thinking of the traditional Savoy dish of tartiflette; effectively a baked gratin of potato with lardons and (in some recipes) a whole wheel of the cheese. Serve with baguette and a salad with a tart vinaigrette. (Those Savoy farmers have it good.) For dessert, try apple pie or tarte tatin and tangy cheddar.
Beer Cat: Likes
750ml, from $12, limited quantities remaining at select private liquor stores
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