Certain styles of beer are distinguishable by one principle ingredient: pale ales from their flavourful hops, stouts and porters with roasted malts. Yeast plays a role in the flavour of every beer, but is probably most noticeable in the recipes that have historic roots in Belgium.
Farmhouse ales, including the loosely defined saison style are typical of this characteristic. Bellwoods Brewery on Ossington has a few excellent ones in their lineup including the Farmhouse Classic and the Farmageddon Barrel-Aged Brett Saison.
The "Brett" in the Farmageddon moniker is short for Brettanomyces, which is a genus of yeast related to the more common brewer's yeast. Brett gives beer a funky (some go as far as "barnyard" or even "horse blanket" in their description) flavour and aroma that is considered a flaw most of the time, but welcome in several Belgian styles, including farmhouse ales. Some brewers who want to add Brett to their brewing process acquire wine barrels that have been infected with it. Bellwoods takes the more predictable and controllable approach of pitching two strains of Brett themselves.
Each small batch of Farmageddon gets a slightly different blend of Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus, so the character will also vary slightly. My bottle is marked as being from batch 3, bottled on Sept. 11, 2013.
It pours a hazy golden blond with a strong, finely-frothed, white head. The promised funky aroma is subtle and nicely cut by lemon, tropical fruit and a hint of vanilla-laden oak. A first sip reveals zesty citrus, sour fruit, but also sweet malt and honey. The restrained barnyard funk adds complexity, and the ever-present acid kick amplifies all of the flavours and makes this a particularly refreshing beer.
In fact, it's thirst-quenching enough that some conscious effort should be devoted to remembering that it is 7.2% abv and has a flavour worth savouring.
Farmageddon is not an all-the-time beer for Bellwoods, so it's worth checking their website to see if they have it in the bottle shop or on tap before visiting. It's based on their Farmhouse Classic, which is also quite excellent, and will have many of the same fruit and spice flavours, but none of the Brett- and barrel-derived funk.
Bellwoods Farmageddon Barrel-aged Brett Saison, $8.50 for a 12 oz serving at the brewery, and occasionally in bottles at the Bellwoods bottle shop, 124 Ossington Ave., 416-535-4586.
In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including his own site, Food With Legs. He is the author of The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook; now in stores and available for ordering online. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter or get in touch at info@foodwithlegs.com.
