In January 2020, we transferred a house Saison into one of our 2000-gallon Foeders and inoculated the beer with three brett yeast strains, a fantome yeast, our house dekkara, and Brettanomyces lambicus. Like any good foeder-aged beer, we just kind of… left it there for two and a half years.

While the world turned several hundred times, the strains of Brettanomyces did what they do best when left alone.

Brettanomyces is most often associated with earthy and mildly funky characteristics. Fans of our perennial Saison Brett are well familiar with the earthy funk and fruit flavors and aromas presented by a fresh bottle. Super fans of Saison Brett are extremely familiar with how that beer can develop in indulgently pleasant ways when properly stored for a period of time. For Saison Brett, we inoculate a Saison, pitched with our Tank 7 yeast strain for primary fermentation, in a bottling tank designated for holding funky/sour beers. After bottling, Saison Brett spends time in our warehouse to allow the Brettanomyces to do its work in an environment that is relatively free of oxygen.

A foeder is not, by and large, relatively free of oxygen. This is good when you are a yeast strain as voracious as Brettanomyces. During aging in the giant vessel, small amounts of oxygen diffuse through the wood and is quickly scavenged and consumed by the wild yeast, producing a crisp acidity. When left alone for two years in the foeder there was an abundance of oxygen over time, which has led to an incredibly tart, yet wildly drinkable sour beer.

The hallmark “horse blanket” character of Brettanomyces has given way for hints of apricots and under-ripe blueberries. Foeder Saison is wonderfully tart and playfully fruity, but most of all its incredibly mischievous, like any good two-year-old should be.

The funky details:

ABV - 7.8

IBU - 18

Malt: Pale, Wheat, Buckwheat
Hops: Bravo

Yeast: House Belgian and Brett strains

Fermentation: Foeder

Release Info:

Releasing on 10/26, come pick up a bottle of this exclusive Tours & Rec Center ONLY release when we open at noon or join us for a happy hour event that evening to celebrate the occasion. Brewers Quinn Reader and Brent Cox will be in the Beer Hall from 5-7 pm pouring samples of the Foeder-Aged Saison ale with Brett, plus an uber-exclusive one-keg-only of the beer fruited with serviceberries that the brewers planted on-site at their blending facility. Come help us kill the keg that we have been affectionately called “Brentberry” after the outlaw behind its creation.

Take it home:

$18.99 per 750ml bottle in our Gift Shop

On draft:

$5 per 5 oz. pour

$8 per 8 oz. pour