Saison de Rose

Saison de Rose, available on draft through October.

The quick shot: Saison de Rose pours a gorgeous amber (if not quite pink), with a substantial white head; in the aroma, notes of pepper accompany the usual fruitiness expected of the style; a complex sweetness (hibiscus?) greets you up front with the first sip; a subtle peppercorn lends a pleasant dryness at the back of the swallow, and as the glass warms, grapefruit begins to appear; pair this (per Erin Wallace’s recommendation) with scallops, especially if prepared with a grapefruit vinaigrette.

One of the great pleasures of craft beer is that there is always an interesting back story. The story behind Saison de Rose, a collaborative effort between four women who are major forces in the local beer scene, and Free Will Brewing began, as so many of these stories do, with a conversation between friends at a bar after a few drinks. Erin Wallace, owner of Old Eagle Tavern, Devil’s Den, and the very-soon-to-be-opened Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery, and Free Will Brewery’s David Wood were sharing a few beers to decompress after an event at this year’s Philadelphia Beer Week, when the idea was born – let’s create a beer to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Erin quickly assembled her impressive posse – beer writers Tara Nurin, Marnie Old, and Carolyn Smagalski. The beer they came up with, a saison, is described in their press release, as tinted pink with natural hibiscus flowers and brewed with uncommon, flavorful ingredients: pink grapefruit, fresh ginger and pink peppercorns. You can find Saison de Rose on draft through October, in Manayunk’s Old Eagle Tavern, where it is also available by growler, in case you want to take some home.

You can also find Saison de Rose, while it lasts, at the following Philadelphia locations:

• Bainbridge St Barrel House, Philadelphia 
• City Tap House, Philadelphia 
• Devils Den, Philadelphia 
• Doc's World of Beer, Philadelphia 
• Earth Bread & Brewery, Philadelphia 
• Franklin's Pub & Grill, Philadelphia 
• Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia 
• Kraftwork Bar, Philadelphia 
• Old Eagle Tavern, Philadelphia 
• Parc, Philadelphia 
• Red Owl Tavern, Philadelphia 
• Route 6, Philadelphia 
• The Sidecar, Philadelphia 
• The Ugly Moose, Philadelphia 
• Time, Philadelphia 

Over $100 from the sale of each keg will go directly to Rena Rowan Breast Center at Penn Medicine.