A Hymn for the Fields
North Brewing Co.

We started with a target of how we wanted our saison to be, aiming more towards a dry and fruity style, but with vinous and more wine-like characteristics. Pilsner Malt and a large helping of wheat make up the grist of the beer making for a vibrant golden beer with a foggy haze.

We mashed the malts with water at a low temperature, creating shorter and more fermentable sugars, resulting in a thinner and dryer beer. We chose to use a hybrid farmhouse saison yeast, known for its acidic properties that balance with spice and tropical fruit flavour. We co-pitched with Sauvignon Blanc yeast stimulate, a yeast traditionally used in wine making, to accentuate the delicate flavour of the grapes used to make wine.

Research into the use of this yeast in beer has found that there are similar compounds in New Zealand hops and New Zealand grapes, meaning that it can be used in a very similar way to interact with the New Zealand hops in this beer, highlighting their vinous flavour. A gentle dry hop of Nelson Sauvin and Hallertau Blanc impart a soft and sweet white peach flavour, with grassy tones, vanilla and a clean minerality.

A small addition of Talus was added during the whirlpool process to bring a tone of lime and tropical fruit, something familiar. The finished beer has subtle sweetness, vibrant tropical and vinous flavours that sit atop a dry and rugged base. We think it sits somewhere between a saison, a NEIPA and a fruit wine.