WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21

Beer Release: 5pm

Event Start Time: 7pm

Background

In Belgium and Northern France, there are two distinct styles of beer that have been codified over the centuries—ales that originated in monasteries, where brewers were often literate monks who could write and read recipes, and farmers who would make beer out of whatever ingredients were naturally occurring on their land. Named saison, which is French for “season,” these beers were spontaneously fermented and sometimes featured ingredients in addition to water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. They are also called “farmhouse ales” in America, thanks to the beer writer Michael J. Jackson, who believed that this term might make it a little more accessible for English speakers.

What’s in a Name?

When we were still homebrewing, Sarah would like to experiment with her base saison recipe by leaning into the beer’s name and using various types of locally sourced produce. After relocating from Brooklyn to the Berkshires, we could no longer rely on our CSA and local farmer’s market, but we quickly connected with folks from the Pittsfield Farmer’s market to get in touch with farms in our area, and we also learned about their incredible non-profit, the aptly named Roots Rising.

For this specific beer, we actually connected with our friends at Full Well Farm (who will be teaming up with us in a few months to have their CSA pickup in our taproom), to source some turnips, which were added to the boil of this beer.

Given this beer’s local and sustainable bent, we’re very focused on our reliance on farmers in this region, not only for specialty ingredients used in our beer, but the food we eat every day. From the soil—or loam—springs all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and the cycle of decay and rebirth also makes us consider our own place in the Great Chain of Being, something that Hamlet ponders throughout William Shakespeare’s famous play, and specifically during the graveyard scene, when he happens upon Poor Yorick’s skull and realizes that we will all turn to  dust, which will turn into earth, of which “we make loam.”

Launch Party Details:

Every month, we team up with Downtown Pittsfield clergy for a Benefit Bingo night. Usually, these fall on the second Wednesday of the month, but since the second Wednesday in February falls on both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, we decided to incorporate it into our 10x10 lineup. Because of how near and dear the Pittsfield Farmer’s Market and Roots Rising are not only to our hearts, but the whole community here in Pittsfield, we couldn’t think of a better beneficiary for this month’s bingo fundraiser than their organizations.