
Midwest Legend
Style: Saison
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 16
Grain: Iowa-grown Gold Bullion, Vienna, Corn
Hops: Iowa-grown Crystal
Fermented with Belgian Yeast
Tasting notes: whole grain bread, black pepper, banana, clove
Pair with: Candied Chicken, Nashville Hot Chicken Tacos, Seared Tuna Salad
Brewer's notes:
Pro brewers and homebrewers are a collaborative bunch. We don't keep many secrets from each other and if someone asks for help or advice, they'll typically get more than a few eager volunteers. That spirit extends into the community as well. So when my friend and fellow brewer Glenn said he was working with Carson King on a collaborative "charity beer" that would aid farmers impacted by the derecho, I signed up right away.
Brewers understand that beer is a food product and without farmers growing our grain and hops, we wouldn't have any of this delicious liquid food. The derecho was a totally unexpected and devastating event in a year already filled with terrible events. I got off lucky with just a few missing shingles, no power for a few days, and a tree that was pushed over and didn't hit anything. Many farmers weren't so lucky with most or all of their crop destroyed within minutes. Glenn did a better job explaining all of this over here.
Glenn provided a recipe and encouraged participating breweries to put their own spin on it. Coincidentally, I had been in contact with a local farmer on trying out some of his malt and had a lead on some locally grown hops. This was as good of an opportunity as ever. These same farmers were likely affected by the derecho. As for it being a Saison, there's a little history there. Saison is French for "season" and the story goes that farmers would brew a beer with whatever crop was in abundance that year to give to those working the field. These weren't professional brewers so the beers tended to be a little... rustic, and they were never brewed the same way twice due to variations in crop and fermentation temperature. This style is the ultimate expression of terroir.
Carson King and Glenn came out to Twin Span to help me brew this beer. So we have a beer brewed in a style created by farmers using local crops by Iowan residents using Iowa crops to provide aid to Iowa farmers. Pretty cool... maybe even legendary ;)