She Packs a Farm Girl Wallop

One of the coolest things about working in beer is that there is at least one new beer a month.  We call this "a seasonal release."  That means, minutes before your palate can get bored of a beer, the next best thing is coming along in a seasonally appropriate manner.  It is why you see so many stouts in winter and wheat beers in summer.

This is one of Andy Warhol's less known works "Stout in Snow"

This week, our brewery is unleashing (I was going to say "tapping" but that seemed inappropriate considering GiGi's personality) quite possibly the coolest seasonal/limited release we have ever undertaken.  Her name is GiGi, which is the French word for "girl who farms,"and she is a Belgian-style farmhouse ale.

A little history -- we often refer to her as a saison because that is the French word for season.  Traditionally, farmhouse ales were house recipes that were served to farm workers during the harvesting season.  That is why there is no unified recipe for the farmhouse ale.  We use a French word for a Belgian-style beer (and anyone who has read Hercules Poirot knows why) because the Wallonia region of Belgium borders France and, consequently, speaks French.

GiGi making beer, obviously

GiGi is bottle conditioned and has an IBU of 18.  She seems sweet and unassuming upon first acquaintance, due to the use of pilsner, oat, and torrified wheat malts, but the subtle influences of Bravo, Select, and Cascade hops add spice and a little mystery to her personality. GiGi possesses a diverting depth of character.

You can find GiGi in 22oz bottles and on draft.  The first place she will be making her innocent appearance (though she packs a farm girl 7.2% ABV wallop) will be Rams Head on Thursday.