A special new brew has recently been added to the Riverford Organic shelves: Our green tomato saison, made just for Riverford using their own surplus organic green tomatoes. How did this unusual – and very tasty – tipple come about?
As a small organic craft brewery based at the Riverford Dairy’s Hole Farm in South Devon. We benefit from natural spring water that rises on the farm; the water has a very low mineral content and is therefore perfect for brewing organic craft lagers.
We have close ties with Riverford, having brewed special batches of ‘foraged beer’ for their award-winning Devon farm restaurant The Riverford Field Kitchen. Our crisp, refreshing pilsner lager and distinctively tinged Red Helles lager are both available in their online shop and have gone down a treat with customers.
After a grey and gloomy summer last year, we ended up with a glut of green tomatoes that just wouldn’t ripen. While visiting us, Riverford jokingly asked if they could use any green tomatoes in a brew?
Much to their surprise, we rose to the challenge and came up with a recipe for a green tomato saison – almost certainly the first of its kind in the UK.
‘Saison’ is a Belgian farmhouse style of beer, so called because it was brewed at the end of the farming season when temperatures were ideal for fermentation. It had to be strong enough to last through the summer – when farmers were back working on the land – and so typically has an alcohol content between 5 and 8% ABV.
Traditionally, Saison beers have often been made with spices and botanicals; a range of fruit varieties still exist on the market including apricot, strawberry, raspberry and cherry. It is a very distinctive rustic beer, light yet earthy and spicy in flavour. Saison also typically has a high level of carbonation and is sometimes sold in champagne-like bottles.
Using green tomatoes in our saison gives it freshness and a hint of sourness. Because of the amount of fruit that is used, it also has a slightly wine-like quality. This means it pairs exceptionally well with a range of foods.
According to Garrett Oliver, author of The Brewmaster’s Table, it ‘… seems to go with almost everything. The combination of dynamic bitterness, scouring carbonation, bright aromatics, spicy flavours, pepper notes, dark earthy underpinnings and racy acidity gives these beers a hook to hang their hat on for a wide range of dishes.’
We’ve found it to be delicious with peppered steaks, Thai dishes, spicy sausages, creamy goats milk cheese – the list goes on and on. Give it a try and let us know what dishes you pair it with!
Barnaby’s green tomato saison is now available online at the Riverford website – save 5% when you buy a case of 12.
