Session Saison

Where to buy: LCBO

Price: $9.95/750 mL bottle

Food pairings: Goat cheese, grilled seafood.

The verdict: Not cheap, but still worth seeking out

They say that too many cooks spoil the broth.

Eight is apparently not too many, at least if we’re talking about a beer. Well, one beer in particular, anyway.

Session Saison, which hit LCBO shelves earlier this month, is a collaborative effort by two brewers, and the owners of seven top Ontario beer bars. It’s part of a promotion for the Session Toronto craft beer festival, which takes place at Yonge-Dundas Square as part of next month’s Ontario Craft Beer Week.

Brewmaster Sam Corbeil of Sawdust City Brewing said what could have been an unwieldy decision-making process was actually fairly simple — though that may have had something to do with the fact the recipe brainstorming session actually took place over a few pints at C’est What.

“It was actually pretty easy to come up with something that we all agreed on,” said Corbeil. There were a few basic principles in mind.

“We didn’t want to do an IPA, because there are already umpteen of them out there. We wanted to do something that fit the season, so it had to be dry and refreshing,” said Corbeil.

That led the group quickly to Belgian style of ale known as saison, which was originally a brew made for thirsty farmhands working the fields during the summer. Typically, saisons are bone dry, and can have an herbal or spicy character. Other than those basics, it’s a style which is open to almost anything a brewer can throw at it.

In this case, Corbeil and the rest of the team decided to use lemon verbena and raspberries. While they managed to find some Ontario greenhouse-grown lemon verbena, local raspberries weren’t exactly in season yet when the beer was brewed in February.

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“We wanted to use Ontario raspberries, but it just wasn’t feasible because of the season, so we used some imported raspberry puree,” said Corbeil.

While additions like fruit, spice or herbs can sometimes dominate a beer, in this one, they’re used more as accents. The light golden, slightly hazy brew has a slight raspberry aroma. The raspberries are also there in the flavour, but not in any sweet, cloying way. Instead, they add the tiniest hint of tartness, which is complemented by a citrusy, herbal note from the lemon verbena.

It’s just the thing for a summer refresher, even if you’re not working a field in Belgium.