Funk Factory / Portage Brewing Wildflower Saison

Funk Factory / Portage Brewing Wildflower Saison

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Brewed by Funk Factory Geuzeria

Madison, WI, United States

Style:  Saison

? % Alcohol by Volume

This is a limited edition beer

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Collaborations are the most interesting when they push breweries outside their normal comfort zones, and that’s exactly how we felt when Jeff from Portage Brewing Co. called to discuss doing a beer together! At the time, he was experimenting with using the yeast and bacteria found on foraged flowers to ferment small batches of wild beer, and wanted to know if we would be willing to do a full-sized batch with him. Intrigued by the concept and inspired by his confidence, we asked Clint and the crew at Working Draft Beer Company to do the brewing, and together set off designing a beer and process that the three of us were excited about. To let the fermentation characteristics take center stage in the finished product, we scaled down our foeder saison recipe to make a lighter “table beer” version, and used a blend of fresh and aged hops as the base. While Clint brewed, Jeff and Andrew went to an organic farm in Baraboo, WI and picked wildflowers on the property. Wild bergamot, yellow coneflower, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, oxeye daisies, and more, were added to the fresh wort, and the wild yeast and bacteria on the stems and petals was allowed to inoculate the beer for several days. After fermentation had fully kicked off, the beer was transferred into freshly dumped spontaneous barrels at Funk Factory and allowed to age for six months prior to packaging and bottle conditioning. The result of this ambitious collaboration is pleasantly surprising, with the flavor being dominated not only by classic citrusy saison flavors, but also unique fruity esters, herbaceous notes, and of course, plenty of earthy, floral characteristics as well. We love the merging of philosophies, processes, and personalities that went into this beer, and are pretty thrilled with the outcome.