Silly brew with an edge

Supplied

SILLY SAISON: The liquid was a rich, deep, amber brown with a hint of yellow at the edges. There was quite a nutty malt character on the nose.

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Sometimes life can be a bit of a challenge. Most people try their hardest to get along with others, but there are always a certain number who are concerned only with themselves.

You know what I mean: a neighbour who is impossible to deal with, a workmate who makes life at work unpleasant, even your own children.

The New Zealand beer industry is like one big family. While all the breweries are out to make a profit, they are not against working together, sharing knowledge and resources. After all, it is in their interests that the industry develops and grows.

DB and Lion dominate most of the market and a lot of the time they use unfair practices to protect their patch so there is a natural rivalry between the big two and the small guys. Saying that, Lion is a lot more positive in growing the beer industry than DB.

DB does not seem to possess any moral fibre. I believe it is concerned only about its corporate body and does not give a damn about developing the beer culture here in New Zealand.

A few years ago it tried to close the Monteith's brewery in Greymouth. It took all the history and passion from the region and was going to ship it all to Auckland. Thankfully, it reversed the decision.

Through its Monteith's brand, it has been making European-style beers, which is good, but behind everyone's backs it was trying to obtain the trademarks to these styles.

Apparently, it was granted the trademark to Radler and Saison, so legally now no New Zealand brewer can make either of these styles. Also, no-one is allowed to import beer that calls itself Radler or Saison.

I have spent 10 years writing about the wonderful diversity of beer and have featured many different styles from around the world. I have watched as the beer industry has developed, and some wonderful beers are now being made here in New Zealand.

DB cannot trademark a beer style. It does not have the right to tell me I can't drink a Saison beer from Belgium and it should not be stopping other New Zealand breweries from brewing a Radler or Saison.

I am a man of principle so I have stopped drinking DB beer. I am so upset, it would taste like vinegar anyway. As we speak, these trademarks are being challenged and I am confident in a few months it will have to give them up.

In the meantime, I have managed to find a bottle of imported Saison, which I could not resist featuring.

The beer is called Silly Saison.

The brewery is called Silly and it is in the town of Silly in southern Belgium. The brewery was established in 1850 and is still owned by the same family. The region was traditionally a barley and hop-growing area and the Saison style evolved from giving the harvest workers a seasonal beer. The brewers of this region deserve to own the style name, but they don't.

The bottle was just over its best- before date. On pouring into a glass, the vigorous carbonation produced a decent creamy head that settled to a good film over the surface.

The liquid was a rich, deep, amber brown with a hint of yellow at the edges. There was quite a nutty malt character on the nose. It was big and sweet in the mouth.

Full-on rich with a sweet caramel edge. There was toffee and caramel throughout the palate with a hint of toasted malt and hop fruit in the finish.

The finish is still very sweet and dominated by malt with very little hop bitterness.

Silly Saison
Made by: Silly brewery, Belgium
Style: Saison
Alcohol content: 5% abv
Price: $5 a 330ml bottle.
Available: Can't reveal in case DB finds out
Description: Big and sweet, lots of toffee and caramel flavours.

- © Fairfax NZ News