Coastal Brew Day Blog

SAISON  Imagine, if you will, a time before the internet. Before electricity, even. It's a hot summer day in the French speaking Wallonia region of Belgium, and you've been toiling in the fields for hours, in long sleeves and pants (this was the era of long pants only, unless you were a rich guy and had knickers and stockings, but then you wouldn't be in a field...ever). Your supervisor comes over to you and hands you a bottle of straw colored, hazy, effervescent beer to share with your follow laborers. You find a shady spot, divvy up the beer and enjoy, wiping the sweat from your brow with a sigh of refreshment.  There is no name for this beer, other than what the brewer attached to it. The style is undefined, but distinct. Wild fermentation in open containers provide a specific profile that is unlike any other beers on the market, especially in that region. It's light in body and color, and provides not only a moments reprieve from the blazing sun, but also enough cal

RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT   The Imperial Stout, over the last few years, has become one of the most popular styles in America. Almost every craft brewery, regardless of size, seems to have at least one on their roster. Imperial Stouts are also some of the biggest and baddest beers available, with alcohol content ranging into double figures. This beer is always complex, bold, and malleable. Imperial Stouts have so much going on that they really allow the brewer to get creative with adjuncts and aging options. Many times these are the base beers for new school pastry and coffee stouts, as well as countless bourbon barrel aged stouts.  Originally brewed in the 18th century by Thrale's Anchor Brewery in London, England, it was famously made to export to Catherine the Great of Russia as another boozy option in the cold Russian Winters. The "Imperial" moniker was bestowed upon the style after it was given a royal warrant of trade by the Russian government. Since then, the Imperial