Saison at the Alibi Room

Monday, 07. 26. 2010  –  The Good Life

Matt Thomson

While the selection of Vancouver pubs showcasing craft brews has grown significantly in recent years, there is one in particular that gets beers geeks salivating: the Alibi Room. This Gastown ‘modern tavern’ (as they refer to themselves) offers a range of ales and lagers, showcasing Vancouver and BC’s brewmasters, as well as highlights from Washington, Oregon, California and occasionally further afield. They also boast a serious selection of bottles, mostly Belgian ales, that are difficult to find anywhere save a few specialty beer stores. Since 2006, when the tavern came under the current management, the draft beer menu has changed 142 times. They take their beer selection seriously.

A trip to the Alibi Room is always a fantastic tasting experience, but it’s worth considering what beers you’d like to try and what order you’d like to drink them. A general rule when sampling is to move from light to dark, so that the subtle notes in a lager are experienced with a fresh palate, while chewier, less subtle stouts and porters are tasted toward the end of a night. The exception to the rule are “hop-bomb” IPAs. Hop bitterness and aroma will pretty much ruin your taste buds for any beer that’s not very up front about its character, so it’s worth saving hop-heavy beers until later in the session, or sticking with them and trying to pick out differences.

For the first beer of our sesh, we chose Driftwood’s Farmhand Saison. A traditional northern French and southern Belgian beer, saisons were served to field workers on Belgian and French farms during the summer months to refresh and invigorate them. The seasonal nature of farmwork meant that these beers were only brewed seasonally, hence the name. While most continental saisons tend toward a low-alcohol style of pale ale, North American brewers have opted for stronger, more full-bodied beers that can go as high as 9%. They are no less saisons for this experimentation, though, as it is the yeast more than a particular recipe that makes a saison what it is. Saison yeast likes much warmer temperatures than other ale yeasts, with the Belgian variety reaching the top of its range at an astounding 35 degrees Celsius. For reference, most British ale yeasts are comfortable in the range of 16 to 22 degrees Celsius. This high temperature creates a uniquely spicy, complex yeast profile that dominates the tasting experience.

Driftwood, a Victoria-based brewery, has developed something really special with their Farmhand recipe. The natural spiciness of the saison is complemented in their recipe with the subtle and judicious addition of freshly ground black pepper to the fermenting wort. This imparts a unique spicy nose and finish that make it a good complement to red meats, like steak or lamb. Held to the light, this beer shows through as copper, and one can taste the caramel notes from which this colour is borne. The beer balances on the side of malt (rather than emphasizing hoppiness), with subtly spicy hops used to complement the spiciness of the yeast profile and pepper.

Our second choice was Spinnaker’s Blue Bridge Double Pale Ale. Brewed using double the recipe of a regular pale ale (more hops, more malt), this beer comes out swinging at 8.2%. You don’t notice, though, as the complexity of the malt and hop flavours leaves a beer that doesn’t taste at all boozy - a possible pitfall when brewing something so strong. The brew is dry-hopped with Centennial hops, a brewing practice often used in making IPAs. Dry hopping means that additional hops are added to the beer while it ferments, extracting aromas and flavours that disappear during the boil of brewing. It allows subtler notes in a hop to emerge and be showcased in a beer. This does wonders for the nose and finish, lending it a slight blueberry scent and taste, that complements the strong body. A light golden-blonde, this beer is well-balanced (despite the liberal use of hops), due to its high alcohol and sugar content. With a slightly sweet finish, this full-bodied ale is surprisingly light and drinkable and left a nice lacing along the pint glass as we downed it.

While we tried a few more beers that night, they would have to be tasted with a fresher palate to do them justice; and with such a knowledgeable service staff and great selection of food to pair your beverage with, it’s easy to spoil your palate at the the Alibi Room.

Tags: Alibi Room, Driftwood Farmhand Saison, Spinnaker Blue Bridge Double Pale Ale