Ahead of summer 2023/24, Sailors Grave added a new beer to their year-round offering. The hazy pale ale Sea Bird is as crowd-pleasing a beer as they've released to date – one with a broad audience in mind – and as it took up its mantle as a core range beer another beer left the brewery with the palates of their more adventurous fans in mind.
The Harvesters is a saison du miel – AKA a saison brewed with honey (in this case Round Leaf Honey) – that here also features spelt in the grain bill. Not being au fait with this particular honey, a quick online search suggests it has a fruity aroma, which suggests much of this beer's character comes instead from the farmhouse yeast.
It sits firmly within potent, aromatic saison territory, topped with florals and yeast-derived esters. There's a breadth of spice elements alongside the fruitiness that come together in a manner that reminds me of the herbal tablet lollies popular for a time during my school years in the UK, while the dry, spicy finish brings a touch of white pepper to the table.
James Smith
Published October 18, 2023 2023-10-18 00:00:00
