Spring is here, and with it, light, refreshing springtime beers. Beers with invigorating fresh flavours. Beers that make you forget about the six months of freezing rain and snow we just survived. Almost.
In that spirit, Cannery Brewing’s Meadowlark Saison is a ray of sunshine in a tall can, a welcome relief to the damp drudgery we’ve endured.
Penticton’s Cannery Brewery has been around forever (well, 2001, to be exact), and in that time, they’ve figured out how to brew some damn good beer. While they are more known for their perennial staples such as Naramata Nut Brown Ale and LakeBoat Lager, they’ve had a string of consistently delicious releases I feel aren’t getting the recognition they deserve: Hop Chowdah NEIPA, Drupaceous Apricot Wheat Ale and the sublime Rain Shadow Dry Hopped Sour, to name a few.
Meadowlark Saison is the latest limited release from Cannery and, as expected, it’s pretty fantastic. This interesting take on the traditional Belgian farmhouse ale is brewed with rye, spelt, wheat and barley for a lovely, soft and light body. It’s a delicate beer with lovely fruit character, but everything is in perfect balance. Take the yeast, for example: for a saison, the yeast character is remarkably restrained. The tart spicy, peppery notes are here, but they don’t dominate, instead complimenting the fruitiness of the beer.
It’s a beer to be savoured, but don’t surprised if your glass is empty before you know it.
Meadowlark Saison by Cannery Brewery (5.5 per cent ABV, 20 IBU)
Appearance: Luminous hazy straw gold, with a white head.
Aroma: Candied pineapple, citrus, pepper.
Flavour: Mandarin orange, tropical citrus, stonefruit, wheat, mild floral hop notes, mild spice.
Body: Soft, light bodied, with a tart finish and a touch of lingering sweetness.
Pairs with: Seared halibut with lemon pepper, pineapple panna cotta, Hawaiian shirts and sundresses despite the fact that it’s only 15C out.
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