I’ve given it a lot of thought, and to me, saisons are about the perfect beers for spring. Sure, I drink them all year round, but during the enjoyable 70-degree days of March and April here in the mid-Atlantic, there’s no better choice in my book. Traditional versions of the farmhouse ales are crisp, clean and easy to drink, adding in some earthiness and a dash of complexity that make them far more interesting than a lager or session IPA as the Winter breaks for warmer weather.
Blackberry Farm Brewery is tucked into an area of Tennessee south of Knoxville and just outside the confines of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The brewery is actually just one part of the larger Blackberry Farm hotel and resort built on a 9,200-acre estate in the Smoky Mountains. Part of Blackberry Farm’s lineup of beers is a series of four seasonal saisons. Each one is named for one of the four seasons, brewed to match that particular time of year. Now that Spring is here (for most of us), the brewery’s Spring Saison is making its way onto shelves around the country.
The Spring installment of the Blackberry Farm series pours a golden straw color that almost perfectly matches the yellow hue of the label. There’s a pillowy white head that fades to a thin veil at the top of the glass. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a witbier based on the nose alone. Aromas of orange, coriander and spice dominate the smell with a smidge of that trademark farmhouse funk saisons typically exhibit and the slightest hint of lemon. For its Spring Saison, Blackberry Farm used floor-malted wheat alongside orange peel, coriander and grains of paradise — all of which you would encounter in a number of wheat beers and hefeweizens.