Two Roads Brewing of Stratford, CT announced today the release of a collaboration beer with Belgium based Brasserie de la Senne. Aptly named Brothers in Farms, this beer is a “Double Grisette," a little-known offshoot of the farmhouse ale family. While the origin of the grisette name is uncertain, it is thought to be derived from the French “gris” (gray) and the association of this color to 19th century ashen-faced Belgian quarry workers who particularly enjoyed this style of beer. A standard grisette was a low alcohol, working man’s beer made with malted wheat. A “double” version was brewed for storing over the summer months.
Two Roads' Master Brewer Phil Markowski and Brasserie de la Senne Co-Founder Yvan De Baets became friends in 2003 when Markowski traveled to Belgium to research his book Farmhouse Ales. Markowski was impressed with De Baets’ brewing skills along with his depth of knowledge of brewing history. In fact, the first collaboration between these two renowned brewers was one of the written word--De Baets wrote a chapter on the "History of Saison" in Markowski's book.
"It's was great to finally brew with Yvan. We have been talking about doing this for years but our schedules kept getting in the way," said Markowski. "Yvan has been a good friend and a passionate protector of Belgian brewing tradition. He is a prominent leader of the next generation of Belgian brewers. He totally walks the walk."
For this collaboration, Markowski and De Baets pulled from their research on Farmhouse Ales to create a modern interpretation of a Double Grisette with an added twist: the use of two different yeast strains, one from America and one from Europe. The American strain was captured on the grounds of Two Roads' facility while the Belgian strain is a classic saison yeast. The wort was split in half in order to be fermented separately with each strain and then blended together.
In accordance with the recipe, the beer incorporates an atypical array of European hops such as Hallertauer Tradition, Sterling and Crystal accompanied by Galaxy hops for what De Baets deemed, "modern brightness." With a malted wheat base and generous hopping, the beer finishes spicy, delicious and unique. Brothers in Farms will be available in limited draft and 500 mL cork and cage bottles wherever Two Roads is sold.
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