Here’s your cheat sheet for Quirks & Quinine by Brouwerij de Molen in collaboration with Beavertown.
Brouwerij de Molen, Quirks & Quinine / Saison / 8% ABV / IBU 17
Featured in BeerBodsPlus Box 5 on 23 August 2018.
Find Brouwerij de Molen on Twitter at @molenbier and on Instagram at @molenbier.
Serving temperature
Serve this beer between 10°C and 12°C; stick it in the fridge for around an hour.
As ever, be wary of over-chilling your beer. More chill means less flavour. To learn more read my post on recommended serving temperatures.
Flavours to expect
Well, it’s a saison… sort of? So let’s start with that. You’ll have a pale malt base, usually, although saisons can go a bit dark at times. And the hops are usually not too over the top. Then there’s the characteristic yeast notes giving a gently peppery finish. But *this* saison has all sorts of stuff added: coriander, juniper, lemon and chinchona. So who knows what it’ll taste like!?
Here are the hops used:
- Premiant: floral, earthy, herbal
- Saaz: earthy, herbal, floral
Food pairings
It’s hard to say where the balance between this beer’s G&T side and its beer side will lie, which in turn makes it hard to think how to pair it up with anything.
Usually with a saison I recommend farmhouse food to go with the farmhouse ale – although in truth saisons are incredibly versatile. Their spicy notes match well with aromatic Asian or Middle-Eastern cuisine, for instance. Maybe try roast chicken with a load of tarragon and lemon, to pick up on the citrus and herbal notes in the beer. Creamy, blooming-rinded cheeses should work; funky, earthy goat’s cheese is usually good too; or you can go tangy and dry e.g. Bucheron.
Further info
Sorry, you’re on your own this week. I couldn’t find anything useful on the brewery’s website.