Mad Brewers Orchard Ale

Monday, May 31st, 2010

James Squire released this limited edition brew earlier this year and I’ve purposely been saving my bottle as I really enjoyed it the first time I tried it.  It is a summer release beer but here I am reviewing it closer to winter and it goes down extremely well.

Mad Brewers Orchard Ale is technically a Saison beer.   What is a Saison beer you ask?  Here’s a brief explanation.   Saison is French for “season” and was the name given to a refreshing, low alcohol pale ale by the brewers of Wallonia in Belgium.  Saisons were created back then to help refresh farm workers during the harvest season.   What a fantastic idea!  Traditional Saisons average about 3.5% alcohol per volume whereas, the Mad Brewers creation has an alcohol rating of 5.0% per volume.  Obviously it makes sense that back in the day of the farm workers Saisons wouldn’t have been as strong mainly due to the risk of no work getting done.

Now, what is it that makes this brew a unique limited release?  Unfermented apple juice, 20% to be exact, sourced from a cider maker in Orange, NSW Australia.  Another unique part of this brew is that coriander is added to the wort during the brewing process.   I personally cannot taste any coriander.  Mad Brewers Orchard Ale has a sweet taste that may be too sweet for some.  The unfermented apple juice is certainly evident along with some subtle spices to back it up.  It pours a dark amber colour with a small head and quick dissipating bubbles.  Now for the most memorable part, the smell – it’s almost like a bunch of roses, sweet and pleasant to the nostrils.

This limited edition brew is without a doubt very quaffable and in my opinion is well suited to our summer months.  I’d also like to point out another appealing part of it, the label.  Someone has gone to a lot of effort to create the intricate labelling and it’s great to see an Australian icon pictured, in this case, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  If you would like to indulge your tastebuds with this unique brew then head here for a list of stockists.  I certainly would recommend trying this ‘mad’ brew before there’s none left.

Rating (out of five):

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