Stone & Wood co-founder and original brewer Brad Rogers has donned his brewers boots again to launch the latest offshoot to the Byron Bay-based brewery.
The venture, Forest for the Trees, joins Fixation Brewing, Square Keg and Granite Belt Cider and will be dedicated to all things farmhouse, sour and wild fermented.
Forest of the Trees yesterday released its first brew, a Saison made in the style of a traditional Belgian farmhouse beer.
Brad described the style as zesty, complex beers traditionally brewed to deliberately provide the ultimate refreshment. He said their subtle aromas of spice and yeasty esters, make Saisons beer’s closest cousin to white wine, sharing aromatically-driven delicate characters similar to riesling and pinot gris.
Historically when Saisons were brewed, they reflected the origins of their region and the local ingredients that were available. The local water source, the malts that grew nearby and the hops and spices that could be gathered came together in a humble harmony. Yeast, the most often understated influence in brewing, naturally occured in the farmhouse environment.
He said these styles of beers are “simple, honest and true to both the people and the place they came from”.
Forest for the Trees Saison pours best into a large, stemmed glass, giving a vibrant straw-like fluorescence and a dense white head. Complex and intriguing aromas of spices with mixed fruit are met with a clean malt backbone across the palate, before finishing dry and zesty.
Forest for the Trees is currently brewed at Stone & Wood’s production facility in Byron Bay. An alternate location of its own is being explored.
Brad has his sights set on a barrel-aged Saison release for next year, along with several other farmhouse styles, including a Flanders Red.
Forest for the Trees Saison is now available in 750ml bottles in very limited quantities via Square Keg.