Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:" The Bruery's Saison Rue
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jun 2, 2010 7:00PM
When looking for a good saison, it's best to find one that has has a good balance of alcohol content and flavor. Ideally, it should come in at between 7-9 percent ABV, but have the mouthfeel and flavor of a session beer. We've been sampling from a wide cross-section of saisons lately in preparation for something site-related in the works and was floored with our first sip of Saison Rue from The Bruery in Orange County, CA. For the beer drinker who wants to crack open a beer now, it's perfect. As a bottle conditioned, unfiltered farmhouse ale, it's also a prime candidate for cellaring.
The main malt here is rye, that spicy malt that also works well for beers that have solid head retention. Decanted into a tulip-style glass, Saison Rue poured a rich peach color with a long-lasting meringue head. Meanwhile, yeasty esters and grass notes tickled the nose. Saison Rue's rye malt spice seduced the front of our palate, complemented nicely by the tart, citric fermentation provided by Brettanomyces yeast. The mouthfeel of this beer is often smooth as a pudding. The Brett yeast lends Saison Rue a lingering, slightly sour aftertaste. This was a blessing, as we finished our bomber quicker than we expected.
The Bruery has good blanket coverage of its selections throughout the greater Chicago area, so chances are good that you'll be able to find Saison Rue.