Funkwerks Saison

Funkwerks out of Fort Collins, Colorado is slowly becoming one of my go-to breweries whenever I go to the liquor store with nothing in mind. All of their ales are in someway inspired by classic Belgian styles, particularly saisons, witbiers, and golden ales. I have had their imperial saison ("Tropic King") and witbier ("White") and could not have been more pleased. Yesterday I picked up two more bottles I have yet to try: their flagship "Saison" and a Belgian golden ale called "Aurora." I haven't opened the Aurora yet, but this post will talk about the Belgian style ale simply called "Saison."

From what I have gathered from the Funkwerks website, "Saison" is their flagship beer. They seem to define themselves with this organic version of the classic Belgian saison. Unlike some saisons I have tried, this one was not too complex (which is NOT a bad thing) and was a nice alternative to some of the overly spiced and/or overly fruity examples I have tasted.

First off, this 6.8% saison pours a pale orange color with a thick white head with good retention. Their are strong sweet/citrus fruit and ginger aromas, with some pepper and cinnamon undertones.

The aromas are a very accurate foreshadowing of the flavors. Strong orange and other citrus flavors take center stage with very apparent pepper, ginger, and some cinammon in the background to create a very full flavor. The finish is dry with some bitterness from the German hops.

The ingredients lists only grains, hops, yeast, and water, which means that their was not any pepper, zest, or other adjuncts used to create any of the flavors that make saison the style that it is. It may come as a surprise, but the prominent citrus flavors, and the pepper, ginger, and cinammon flavors/aromas are all derived from the yeast. A lot of renowned brewers state that a really good saison doesn't need a lot (or any) of extra fruits and spices, but the proper yeast, a warm and fairly quick fermentation period, and a healthy bottle conditioning period. This really makes me want to try another Saison recipe with only grains, hops, yeast, and water in order to see just how big of a player the yeast really is in the flavor profile.

More on Funkwerks' "Aurora" to come...

**First two pictures are from Funkwerks.com**