Show me someone who can nail down what it means for a beer to be a “saison” and I’ll show you a guy (or gal) who’s willing to sell you some wonderful oceanfront property in Columbia Heights. Tell me what a “farmhouse” beer really means, and I’ll get you a bona fide video of Bigfoot.
The very fact that no one can accomplish these feats of categorization is a boon to beer drinkers everywhere; saisons are some of the most intriguing, unexpected and delicious beers around.
Tonight, Monday, March 5th, ChurchKey will host the Saison D’Etre, an event celebrating the uniqueness of beers crafted in the farmhouse tradition. Originally brewed by farmhands in the late winter to be enjoyed during the heat of the summer, saisons varied from farm to farm and from town to town, giving them nuances in flavor and style that Beer Director Greg Engert will showcase starting at 6PM.
Churchkey will be pouring 15 beers from all areas of the Saison Spectrum (similar to the Light Spectrum – science!). Check out the list below and stop by to get a true taste of what it means to be a saison, if that’s at all possible.
Beers will be individually priced in full pours and tasters.
DRAFTS
Oxbow Brewing Co – Sasuga Saison
Elysian Brewing Co – The Perfesser (brewed w/ plums and spiked w/ Brettanomyces)
The Bruery – Saison de Lente
Stillwater – Kopstootje (brewed both as a deconstruction of Bols Genever and as the perfect accompaniment)
L’Olmaia – Karkade (Tuscan Saison w/ Hibiscus)
Piccolo – Seson (Ligurian Saison w/ Chinotto)
Allagash Brewing Co – Saison Mihm (brewed w/ Juniper, Lemongrass and local honey)
Oxbow Brewing Co – Farmhouse Pale Ale
Hof Ten Dormaal & Stillwater – Bronze Age
Stillwater – As Follows
Brooklyn – Sorachi Ace
Hof Ten – Dormaal Blonde
