Brewer Q & A (Issue 21)

92 Rating – Harpoon Brewery – Nordic Saison

Responses from Harpoon's director of quality Jaime Schier.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
The recipe was a collaboration between Anders Kissmeyer of Kissmeyer Beer & Brewing of Denmark, Will Mayers of Cambridge Brewing Company and myself. The core idea is one Anders has executed with a number of North American Craft brewers and reflects his idea of a Saison with Nordic roots, and allows for input from the local brewers he works with. Will has had great success brewing with heather flowers, rose hips, and yarrow in the past. My contribution was the idea of including New England honey and Massachusetts cranberries in the mix.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
The tartness and refreshingly low AE (Apparent Extract) lead to an exquisitely palate-cleansing beer.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
Anders wanted to brew a Saison-type beer that would reflect both the beers of his native Denmark and the character of the locales he brewed it in.

Is this your "desert island beer?"
It’s a bit dry to be the only beer I drink for the rest of my days, but it is a great change-up in the middle of a group of heavier beers.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Crisp, dry tartness accentuated by herbal aromas and flavors.

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
Anders has brewed this beer with 4 or 5 other craft brewers in North America, several of whom are located here in New England. One of those brewers hosted a release party for this beer and gathered examples from 3 of the other brewers Anders collaborated with to serve side by side at the party; it was eye-opening and fun to see how much room for variability and creativity exists within the same basic recipe. All of the editions were delicious, but I liked ours best.

92 Rating – NOLA Brewing Co. – Sauvage

Responses from NOLA's VP of brewery operations (and "Director of Funk") Derek Lintern.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
I came up with this beer while experimenting with different strains of Brettanomyces. Since I had Rebirth [a NOLA Pale Ale] wort available, I was able to put some of into small fermenters to try different strains to compare. One batch produced such a good beer, I thought there was no need to change up the base wort. We had a small contract of Galaxy hops that could only be used for small-batch production, and the rest was history.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
The aroma is amazing. Not only do you have the fruit from the Galaxy hops, but the esters produced by the competing strains of Brett are also quite nice – it's not an in-your-face horse blanket or barnyard aroma, but more like a rustic Belgian Abbey-type aroma. You do lose hops over time, and the Brett comes through more, so the evolution of the aroma is fun to follow as it goes through its stages.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
Rebirth provided the wort, and Dirty Dozen [local New Orleans jazz band] provided the yeast, the only other time you will regularly see these two heavy hitting brass bands together will be at our Jazz Fest, so we named this beer after the main entrance to Jazz Fest on Sauvage St. Sauvage is French for wild, which makes it even more fitting for this beer.

Is this your "desert island beer?"
This would be a great desert island beer, simply because it would have a great shelf life in the heat, but it does need to be served cold. How do I get ice out here on this island? And if they’re bringing me ice, can't they help a guy out and throw in a few new beers each trip? If I have to drink a beer warm on this island, it would be our Irish Channel Stout.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Barrel-aged, Bretty, dry, fruity, funky, hoppy, and wild!

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
Using 100% Brettanomyces has been a real exercise in patience. It is an improvisational jam between 12 players Tasting the beer over several days will yield subtle changes that are barely noticeable, but given enough time, the changes are drastic, and the flavors barely represent where they once started, and that cycle of change never stops making it a great beer to age. You can only know where Sauvage has been, never where it is going.

92 Rating – Green Man Brewery – Green Man ESB

Responses from Green Man head brewer John Stuart.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
I created this recipe as one of our original flagships.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
It is full-flavored but very approachable, an authentic ESB that has a touch of sweetness that's never cloying.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
Extra Special Bitter is a traditional English style that's a higher gravity version of the standard bitter. Therefore, the "extra-special" refers to a higher gravity, not more bitterness.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Caramel toffee aromas, nutty flavors and a clean finish.

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
As a brewery that originated focusing on traditional English styles, this was one of the first beers we brewed. We still brew our original recipe of ESB, which continues to have a very strong following.