Tag: Saison
Great Divide Brewing Co. Colette Farmhouse Ale
Great Divide introduced Colette this past spring as one of a trio of beers that the company they re-released in new packaging (alongside Hoss and Claymore Scotch Ale). Colette had been previously released as Great Divide Saison in the spring of 2009, available then only in 22-ounce bottles. This time around, along with the renaming would also come new packaging, 6-packs as opposed to single 22-ounce bottles.
Saisons and farmhouse ales are one of the beer styles that has really risen to prominence in the past couple of years, as evidenced by the increasing number of American brewers producing some variation on the style. And herein lies the real beauty of this style, that it lends itself to myriad interpretations. Just take a look at two of the more prominent examples emerging from Belgium. Saison Dupont is generally considered the paragon of the farmhouse ale style, and it’s a fabulous beer. At once spicy, malty, refreshing, with layers of flavor and a notable yet restrained hoppiness. Then there are versions from Brasserie Fantome, perhaps the most iconoclastic of all brewers of this style. Their range of saison-inspired beers are usually inflected with some measure of brettanomyces, lending each beer an earthy character that is more pronounced in some versions than others. The Fantome Saison is very enjoyable, flavorful, and refreshing, while the seasonal saisons (“Ete”, “Hiver”, etc.) tend to have a more noticeable brett character, lending them a range of inspiring and challenging flavors found in few other beers.
American brewers’ versions are no less unique relative to one another. Ommegang’s Hennepin is fairly clean and refreshing, while Smuttynose’s Farmhouse Ale has more spice character. Pretty Things’ Jack d’Or is quite hop-forward, and Jolly Pumpkin produces the masterful, brett-influenced Bam Biere, while Goose Island ages their saison-styled beer Sofie in Chardonnay barrels. The result: you could head down to your local bottle shop, pick up a half-dozen bottles of Belgian and American farmhouse ales, and end up tasting six beers that had a clear familial relationship, but were utterly distinct at the same time.
Great Divide brews Colette using malted barley, wheat, rice and a blend of four different yeast strains. Fermentation takes place at high temperatures (saison yeasts tend to produce the bulk of their unique flavors at temperatures in the high 70’s and mid 80’s, much higher than most brewing yeasts like to operate), and the beer finishes quite dry, resulting in a final ABV of 7.3%.
Tasting Notes
Colette pours a pale, slightly hazy lemon-gold with a huge meringue-like head that drops very slowly, supported by a wealth of effervescent carbonation seething up through the beer. The nose has spicy belgian phenolics of cloves and grains of paradise, alongside lemon peel, leafy hops, wheat and grains. The palate is softly textured with effervescent carbonation. The range of flavors opens up with sweet malt, balanced by citrusy lemon and orange, followed by herbal leafy hops and clove and cardamom spices. Rounded sweet flavors make up a persistent, medium-length finish.
This is a lovely, refreshing beer that is perfect for a summer day spent outside, preferably while grilling. It’s refreshing and bright, good for both sipping slowly or diving right into and enjoying. I’m really falling in love with Belgian beers this summer. They’re proving to be so enjoyable and versatile, working well on both the days of striking heat or cooler rain!
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Goose Island Brewing Co. Sofie
Sofie was introduced by Goose Island Brewing last year as the newest member of a series of special edition Belgian-style beers, joining Matilda, Pere Jacques, Juliet, and Fleur. Each beer in the lineup is either Belgian-inspired or brewed to (however loosely) resemble a specific Belgian-style of beer. Pere Jacques is an abbey ale similar to a Belgian dubbel, Matilda is similar to a Flanders red, albeit more sweet than tart. Sofie lies somewhere between a tripel and a saison, although the method they use to produce it is distinctly American in its approach.
The beer itself starts fairly simply, brewed with a blend of pilsner and wheat malts and Amarillo hops. But it’s at this point that things begin to get interesting. The yeast used includes some brettanomyces, and 20% of the beer is aged in Chardonnay wine barrels. They add orange zest from 20 pounds of oranges to the barrels as well. The combination of the brett, Chardonnay barrels, and orange zest ends up playing a significant role in the finished flavors of this beer.
All of the beers that I’ve tasted from this series have been excellent, most notably Sofie and Matilda, both of which I’ve enjoyed on a couple of occasions. Sofie particularly intrigues me on account of Goose Island using brettanomyces to brew it. It’s so interesting to me how much more commonplace it is for American brewers to use wild yeasts these days. Even just four years ago, when I first became especially interested in beers, and fascinated by Belgian lambics, it was very unusual for American brewers to use wild yeasts. Today, along with the brewers who really pioneered the use of wild yeasts, such as Lost Abbey/Tomme Arthur and Russian River Brewing, loads of other brewers have taken on the challenge of incorporating these beers into their brewing systems. What’s most exciting is the range of brewers doing so, running the gamut from rather large breweries such as Goose Island, to smaller, local breweries such as Cambridge Brewing Company in Cambridge, Mass., or White Birch Brewing in Hooksett, NH. These last two breweries are absolutely stellar by the way, and you simply must try their beers if you ever have the chance. Top-notch, locally brewed, creative…very inspiring breweries.
Tasting Notes
Sofie pours pale gold, with lots of carbonation seething up out of the glass, and a billowy white head that settles into a thin layer with a fair amount of lacing. The nose has soft belgian phenolics of sweet, subtle spices, alongside notes of lemon, wheat, and green grapes. Effervescent carbonation supports a soft, lightly textured body. Flavors include citrusy and herbal hop bitterness, lemon-lime sorbet, orange peel, bready malt, and a hint of clove-like spiciness. The wine barrel aging comes through in a white-wine-like dryness that runs like an undercurrent throughout the beer. On the finish, sweet maltiness gives way to wine grapiness followed by the sweet tartness of Meyer lemons.
This beer is perfectly suited to a gently warm summer day. The texture and flavors combine to lend the beer a wonderfully refreshing character, and the 6.5% alcohol is almost unnoticeable as a result. This is a beer I’d happily choose to a accompany dinner on a summer evening.
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