Kalie - Estate Wild Saison
I was asked a couple of years ago on a podcast - when was I going to name a beer after my wife? Truth be told, I hadn’t really considered it up until that stage for fear of disappointment. But it got my creative juices flowing, and over the next 2 years I would perpetually thrust a glass of this or a pint of that into my wife’s face, trying to acutely gage what it was that that she genuinely enjoyed – after all, you only really get one chance to name a beer after your betrothed.
Fruity, but not sweet
Tart, but not sour
Refreshing, but with flavor
Light, but not weak
Fun, but not drunk
Interesting, but not divisive
- Fun criteria to work with
With these in mind, an Estate Saison was immediately at the forefront of my mind. The sentimentality of being able to grow the beer from gain/seed on from upon our land, and allow Kalie to unsuspectingly walk through the crops as they grew that would become her namesake, further entrenched the concept. Using our “Everton” yeast strain was also a key element in recipe development, providing what I believe to be a retrospectively accurate attempt of how farmhouse Saisons have tasted in the past.
The beer was brewed in Spring 2020, and post primary fermentation it was aged in neutral French oak barrels, along with freshly flowering Blackberry blossom that litters the roads approaching the brewery. One afternoon after brew day I stopped and cut what equated to 3kg of blossom from the side of the road, right at the height of flowering – quite a lot when flowers weigh 9/10ths of FA. I remember reading previously about Blackberry flowers having an incredible aromatic contribution in culinary desserts, and also knew first hand that its one of the finest fragrances in the wild – esp. in the late afternoon sun – bursting with that sweet dark note of a bowl filled with blackberries.
As far as an actual fruit addition, Raspberries have always been one of her favourites, and with new raspberry canes planted in the orchard at the brewery, it was a perfect opportunity to utilize what I thought would be a small initial harvest. I was wrong. A bountiful early season harvest of estate raspberries shifted this beer into the fruit Saison realm, simply with the quantity and quality of the berries we’d managed to grow. Hand picked by myself and our three boys, these were gently introduced to the Saison in stainless, after coming out of barrel, where maceration occurred along with juvenile Rose Hips I’d cut from the hedgerows upon the farm.
So after a couple of years of concept, growth, establishment, unwitting observation and production, Kalie is lovingly released into the wild – and somewhat appropriately on Valentines Day. An Estate Wild Saison that belies its age, is equally as stunning and beautiful in the glass as she is in real life, and exudes all the simple complexities that great Saisons’ should exhibit.
Pours: Rose pink hue with a large fleecy white head.
Smells: A fresh berry sweetness of sun soaked raspberries with subtle clean grain and a lively yeast nature showcasing the enjoyable Saison personality.
Tastes: Ripe raspberry, subtle candy sweetness, crisp malt character effervescing across the palate before finishing dry with a fruity raspberry grip.
Malt: Estate Pilsner, Estate Raw Barley, Estate Wheat Malt, Estate Raw Wheat
Hops: Estate Blend Super Pride, Pride of Ringwood, Cascade)
Adjuncts: Blackberry Blossom, fresh Estate Raspberry fruit, fresh Estate Rose Hips
Process: Primary in stainless, Secondary in oak with blossom, tertiary in stainless with raspberry fruit and rose hips, bottle conditioned
ABV:4.8% ABV
Packed: 05/01/2021
BB: 05/01/2025
Quantity: 1000 Bottles only