CorkBillyBeers #12
Craft journey with Saisons by Black Donkey,
Mescan and Galway Bay
Mark Dredge’s recently published Beer: A Tasting Course says that Saisons are brewed in an old Belgian Farmhouse tradition and that they vary widely in character. As indeed do farmhouse ales that come “from a romanticised farmhouse tradition”. Just enjoy, don’t get too hung up on the exact style. If you’d like try an excellent Belgian Saison then Michael Creedon of Bradleys in Cork recommends the Saison Dupont: “If you don’t like this, you won’t like saison”.
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Black Donkey Sergeant Jimmy Barrel Conditioned Saison, 7.7%, 500ml bottle BD Online
This is the strongest saison I’ve drank. It is barrel-aged, weighing in at 7.7%. Colour is gold, a deeply hazy one, under a soft white head. There’s banana and vanilla in the aromas. The palate is amazing, so smooth, no heavy hint of the high-ish alcohol, just a caressing ambush by the elegant flavours plus traditional spicy saison yeast character and a gentle satisfying finish including just about a hint of the alcohol that comes more as an expected guest than a whiskey heavy gatecrasher. A welcome guest.
I’m kind of getting used to writing Very Highly Recommended when the beer is from Roscommon’s Black Donkey Brewery. Long may the habits, mine and Richard’s, continue.
Black Donkey tell us it’s easier to say what this doesn’t pair with, a bowl of cornflakes, that’s about it. "From appetiser to dessert, this beer is possibly the most food friendly beer ever produced on the Emerald Isle. Try it, you’ll see what we mean.”
Very Highly Recommended
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Mescan Westport Saison, 5.8% ABV, 330 ml bottle No. 21
Saison is a traditional farmhouse style from the South of Belgium brewed to sustain the workers during long days of toil in the sun. Reckon I'd appreciate one (or two) after a hard day’s labour or even after an idle day.
Colour is a fairly murky orange, with a soft white head that sinks slowly. Aromas include clove and citrus notes. It is dry and light on the palate, fizzy and refreshing. Indeed, that refreshing fizziness is quite a feature. It is also very well balanced, the New World hops matched by the earthy spicy yeast flavours, and you don't really notice the high alcohol. But do sip rather than gulp!
This one is something different, refreshing and quite a thirst quencher (which is the whole idea), and Mescan, as you may know, was St Patrick’s brewer and no doubt the odd conversion was facilitated by a jug of his cloudy brew. The modern bottle conditioned beer is still cloudy! All Mescan beers are bottle conditioned. To enjoy them clear, store upright and pour into a glass, leaving the yeast sediment in bottle.
Would you like to visit the Mescan Brewery. They’d love to have you: “Let us show you around the brewery and tell you the story of how the founders, Cillian and Bart, left their busy lives as vets to run a microbrewery. We will lead you through our range of beers describing the flavour profiles and some of the history of each style. Light snacks are served, the tours are informal and fun and we encourage questions.”
Very Highly Recommended.
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Black Donkey Sheep Stealer Irish Farmhouse Ale, 5.6% ABV, 500ml bottle BD Online
It is a Farmhouse Ale or a Saison? Or something in between? Don’t worry too much about the exact style, just enjoy this well established favourite from the Roscommon brewery.
Colour is straw to a deeper gold, nice small-bubbled white head that hangs about for a bit. Aromas have notes of sweet malt but also a little tart touch. Fruity and a little bit spicy, a lively, natural carbonation, with a subtle hop bitterness, quite complex with the yeast also getting into the flavour act. And that flavour is retained right through to the lip-smacking finalé.
Obviously, Black Donkey can talk the talk and walk the walk. There’s a tall tale about sheep stealers on the label before the beer inside makes quite a statement. An excellent bottle from the Roscommon brewery.
But there is some important info on the label. So note the beer, an “Irish saison, is multi-award winning, is dry, crisp, and ultimately refreshing. Also unfiltered, all natural bottle-conditioned beer. Store upright, 8-10c and pour gently into glass, do not disturb the yeast.”
Delighted to note that Black Donkey are one of those breweries that make an effort (beyond the usual pizzas or fish ’n chips) to come up with matches for their beers. “An incredibly versatile beer to accompany grilled and roasted lamb and game, rib eyes and salmon or mackerel on the BBQ. Stuffed, cheesy mushrooms and cheeses of almost types will match perfectly with this saison for all seasons.”
Nothing’s out of synch here in this very drinkable ale, a core beer since 2014.
"At Black Donkey Brewing we value technique over technology. We brew traditional beers in our traditional, hands-on brewhouse. All our beers are unfiltered, unpasteurised and bottle or keg conditioned."
Very Highly Recommended.
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Galway Bay (with Boundary) Beers That Nobody Asked For Petite Saison, 3.8% ABV, 440ml can CraftCentral
This little saison, Petite because of the lower ABV (I presume), has lemongrass listed as one of its ingredients. It has a bright golden colour, is clear with a bubbly white head, a short-lived one. Some sweet notes along with “countermeasures" from the hops in the aromas. Quite a refreshing drink with flavour mix of floral and citrus, some pith in the background, and a crisp and clean finish.
Galway Bay and Boundary Brewing got together for this one. Galway tell the yarn: “In June we welcomed our good friends Boundary Brewing back to Galway for a long overdue collab. We first brewed together in 2015. For this 2022 brew we decided to turn back time to when brewers made Saisons with reckless abandon. BEERS THAT NOBODY ASKED FOR is a petite saison brewed with Lemongrass. Mashed with Pilsner malt, Wheat & Oats & gently hopped & dry hopped with Amarillo. ..The perfect low alcohol thirst killer.”
Recommended.
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