INTO THE BREW Summer Styles


New Firestone Walker hire dives into the science of refreshment By Sam Tierney


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Sam Tierney began his love affair with great beer while studying and traveling abroad in Europe during his junior year at UC Santa Barbara. He began homebrewing shortly after, and has since won multiple awards. Sam is a graduate of the Siebel Institute, a professional brewing school in Chicago, and he’s been working as a brewer at Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, California since May.


ome summer, we beer drinkers tend to shift to lighter, more refreshing beers. Big stouts and barley wines can be absolutely great in the right situation, but are not always the best choice for drinking several of on a hot afternoon. But what makes a beer refresh- ing? What qualities come together to make that beer that we want to quench our thirst on a hot summer day? American lagers, blonde ales, and wheat beers tend to get all the press when it comes to summer beers. If you can taste the cold, you’re good to go. But what about other, less well-known beer styles that are just as good, if not better for drinking on a hot summer day? This month we decided to feature the saison beer style, which was originally brewed as a thirst-quencher for farm workers in Southern Belgium and Northern France. Those beers were low in alcohol so as to hydrate and not inebriate. It’s tough to find beers these days that truly fall into that category, but luckily San Diegans have plenty of great beers available locally that are both refreshing and flavorful. A good summer beer is typically lower in sweetness, as sweetness tends to make a beer less drinkable and refreshing. Every beer needs some amount of sweetness for a balanced flavor, but an excessive amount makes a beer feel heavy and harder to drink. Sweetness in a beer is influenced by several factors, but the amount of residual sugar that the yeast has left behind after fermentation is one of the most important. Yeast strains vary as to how much sugar they ferment, commonly ranging from as low as 60% to over 90% of the sugars present in the wort before fermentation. The amount of sugar consumed is called the attenuation, and is measured by comparing the original gravity (density of wort) to the final gravity (density of finished beer). The attenuation also affects the body of the beer. A thicker beer usually has a higher final gravity. Lighter bodied beers tend to be more drinkable and refreshing, so more attenuation helps in this department as well. Alcohol itself also adds to the impression of sweetness. Higher alcohol beers are often sweeter because of this, as well as typically higher levels of residual sugars. Bitterness and acidity are two other factors that impact perceived sweetness. Increased amounts of either will lower perceived sweetness and can also make a beer more drinkable. It’s all about balance though - too much bitterness or acidity quickly makes a beer harder to drink as they wear on the palate.


Saison is perhaps one of the most open beer styles, and is typically only anchored by the use of a saison yeast strain, notable hop bitter- ness, and a dry finish. Beyond that, I have seen versions running all across the spectrum from the 3.5% ABV and straw colored Dupont Avril, to the 9% ABV and almost black Lost Abbey 10 Commandments. They can be deceivingly simple in ingredient choice, containing only water, hops, malt, and yeast. On the other hand, they can contain almost any spice or fruit you can think of as well as wild yeast strains. It is these same few core qualities that make saison a great summer style. The often spicy and tropical and citrus fruit notes that the signature yeast provides keep you coming back for more, and the light body and dry finish keep the overall flavor from becoming overbearing, despite the complexity. Some examples that use wild yeast will also have a refreshing acidity as well.


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Saison Dupont poured at Public House, La Jolla. Photo: Kristina Yamamoto


Lucky for us, another popular lo- cal style is also a great summer beer. In many ways, IPA was the light beer of its time, especially suited for the hot climate of India. It was lower in alcoholic strength than many other beers, highly attenuated, and typical- ly highly carbonated to give it a brisk crispness. Higher hop bitterness also might have added to its refreshment depending on your tastes. Things have certainly changed,


but IPA continues to be a warm weather favorite, even if it tends to be higher on the alcohol scale these days. Lower alcohol but hoppy pale ales like Ballast Point’s Even Keel, Alpine Tuatara and Hoppy Birthday, and Stone’s Levitation all fulfill the role of the original IPAs quite well and won’t catch up to you too fast when you find yourself thirstier than usual on a hot day. Thankfully, more brewers these days are getting on board with the hoppy, lower-alcohol style.


The last beer style I want to in- clude is the most obscure so far, with only one being made in San Diego from what I can gather. Berliner Weisse is a sour wheat beer hail- ing, oddly enough, from Berlin. It’s not so popular over there these days but has been brewed in recent years by a growing number of American brewers. Typically in the 3-4% ABV (but sometimes slightly higher) range and possessing a medium to strong sourness from lactic fermentation, it is hands down my favorite summer beer style, and one that I wish more brewers would do. Luckily, Karl Strauss had a Berliner Weisse as their June tap only-special. The Bruery up in Orange County and Telegraph Brewing Company in Santa Barbara both make bottled Berliners that are available locally, called Hottenroth and Reserve Wheat, respectively. For an authentic German example, 1809 Berliner Style Weisse can also be found in bottles.


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