Autumn is the new Spring

I didn't notice that Morning Dew was a spring seasonal when I picked it up from Blackrock Cellar. I see little enough WhiteField beer that I didn't even realise they had a seasonal series, but apparently they do.

It's a saison, purportedy in the French style, 6% ABV and utilising rye and spelt in the grist. Lesson one is don't pour it into a glass with any kind of headkeeper etching. I'm used to saison being bubbly but this took a full twenty minutes to pour satisfactorily. I'm guessing the French tend not to use half litre bottles for it. Once there, it's a hazy sunset colour, on the darker orange end of the saison spectrum.

Past the humongous all-angles head, there are very classic farmhouse brewing aromas of straw, dry grain and hard pears. The flavour leans into the fruity aspect, adding lychee, white peach and even a little pineapple. A very obvious alcohol heat intensifies this, and I think it's better consumed quite cold, which would also help with the foaming. The dry grain-and-hay side gets a little left out, showing up only briefly in the flavour.

If you don't mind the warmer, fruitier sort of saison, this one is for you. It delivers lots of Belgian-like esters but retains just enough crunch to taste like a proper saison rather than a golden ale. Personally I'd like a bit more of that dryness (and less fizz), but I would still be happy to see this coming back for another round next spring. Or autumn.