Ale Not Found in a Secondhand Store: Raspberry Saison

Sampled: Repeatedly between Oct. 2 and Dec. 1, 2010

For all the wild variations on wheat and fruit beers sampled in 2010, the choice for my favorite saison is a complex, drinkable concoction from Wisconsin's Stevens Point Brewery, its Whole Hog Raspberry Saison. The name Stevens Point evokes summer, yet I didn’t discover it until October.

Whole Hog deserves accolades no matter the season. The brewery's line of limited edition, high gravity beers has not failed me.

Only the use of raspberries ties it to Belgian framboise lambic. This ale sports a fine fruit veneer the coat the slightly coarse terrain native to a saison.

With minimal lace, Stevens Point carries a slight violet shadow. The nose has a soft raspberry undertone But it goes so much farther than raspberries – name the bramblefruit, and there are traces of it lurking within.

The finish is somewhat bitter, with a light bump of pale malt asserting itself above a bed of alcoholic pepper. Mostly, the finish comes up clean with hints of creamy textures. At 7.2 percent , it doesn’t mess around, even when it quenches so splendidly.

Not much spice rides through this saison, but nothing about it aims toward typical. It qualifies as a fruit beer, but one which reaps the reward of additional complexity. Saison is a seasonal, local beer from the farmhouse tradition, so any local ingredients fit.

Warning: This beer ages unevenly, as do most saisons. An unfortunate murkiness emerged after two months in the cellar. At least it didn’t turn into the geyser I receive from a year-old bottle of Saison D’erp Mere.

Stevens Point already turned my thoughts to humid nights and an ample supply of raspberry saison for Summer 2011.