A few weeks ago I took a trip down to Carton Brewing, in hopes of being present as they brewed the pilot batch of their collaboration beer, Save’r Fer Latr, with the gang from Barrier Brewing Company. Save’r Fer Latr is a Saison brewed with Cherry blossom, pink peppercorn, and hibiscus flower created for the beer drinkers that are coming into town for Savor, an upcoming craft beer event in NYC. For those that don’t know, Savor is a food and beer festival that draws out some of the best craft breweries in the country as well as some amazing cuisine. Although I have never been to Savor, with the stories I hear about the beers poured and the food served I would say it is a go-to for any craft beer nerd (or foodie, for that matter). To compliment the uniqueness of the festival, the guys at Carton and Barrier thought it would be great to use edible flowers and the pink peppercorn to play to the flavors of the already spicy Saison beer. The beer itself how ever won’t be found at the festival. Where it will be, is on tap at the best bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn and the perfect brew for foodies and beer geeks to have after their session at savor.
After getting a plan together, Jesse, Evan, and Craig hammered out the recipe in the computer and got straight to work.
Jesse getting the necessary grains together.
After getting the grains and the tippy prepared, it was time to begin the brew session. Craig Frymark of Barrier Brewing was excited to start stirring in the grains.
Carton is no stranger to using pink peppercorn; if you remember correctly their Pumpkin Cream Ale has a nice dose of it and has now found its way into this Saison.
Overnighted from Japan off of Amazon were some gingered cherry blossoms. They were coated with salt which is not what the beer needed, so after tasting it was decided to soak them in warm water to strip them of the salt.
Back around the tippy it was just about time to run off and get the boil going – after sampling a few of the small batches Jesse has been working on, of course. Come down to Cloverleaf Tavern this Tuesday to have a taste of them.
With the boil going it was time to add in the cherry blossoms.
After sitting in the warm water for a few hours the leaves were stripped of the salt and ready to be put in the boil kettle.
The final process of the day: Shawn and Jesse trying not to burn themselves while dealing with the day’s spent grain.
After a few hours of brewing the process was complete and it was time to hit Carton’s tasting room to sample a few beers. Barrier had brought some tasty beers, including one special sour ale that they made for Bierkraft in Brooklyn, as well a home brew from Shane which was the inspiration for the beer made this very day. I am really excited to try this beer and can’t wait to get out to the city and have some. I will leave you with some closing words from Augie Carton.
-Brian
Savor is coming to town and it’s all about food and beer. We’ve always respected the hell out of Barrier for their willingness to experiment like we do. We decided to put together a food inspired beer with them and put it out in NY for people to enjoy around savor.
-Augie Carton