French 75

Inspired by the cocktail of the same name, our French 75 is the elegant, refreshing, celebratory beer you’d be drinking at one of Gatsby’s 1920s parties — if you were cool enough to be invited! We took a French-style brett saison, aged it in local Old Tom gin barrels and then conditioned it on fresh lemon zest, creating a crisp and citrusy beverage with a complex medley of herbal notes.

In a classic French 75, you have gin, Champagne, lemon juice and simple syrup. We’re inspired by the interplay of Champagne and gin because of their complimentary herbal and fruity qualities along with spritzy carbonation — we feel that we can match that using our barrel aged brett saison. The fermentation creates a distinct yet subtle citrus character with understated hints of earth and spice. And the dryness of our beer meets the dry, yet bright and effervescent combination of Champagne and gin.

We age this beer in Old Tom gin barrels from Ransom spirits. Their Old Tom gin is a classic pre-prohibition style that uses a malted barley base with their own blend of botanicals. Their barrels maintain a hint of this malty sweetness woven with aromas of juniper, cardamom, orange peel and other botanicals. The combination is perfect to harmonize with our beer and adds a lovely bouquet of gin aroma.

After tasting and selecting a handful of these barrels, we rest the blend on fresh lemon zest, adding a light citrus note to round out all the flavors. This beer is refreshing with the sparkling lemon character, yet so intriguing and delightful because of the complex flavors of gin, spice and fermentation character. It’d be a shame to drink it too fast, but if you drink this the way Americans in the ‘20s were drinking French 75s, well you might need a couple bottles to take home.

We hope you enjoy this cocktail-inspired blend as much as we do.

Cheers!

To Pair:

Flat iron steak with chimichurri

Ingredients

For steak

1 pound flat iron steak

1 tsp salt

1⁄2 tsp garlic

1⁄2 tsp cumin

1⁄2 tsp pepper

1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes

1⁄2 tsp paprika 2 tsps olive oil

For chimichurri

1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 cup fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic 1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp cumin 1⁄2 cup olive oil

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Preparation

In a small bowl mix salt, pepper, chopped garlic, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes.

Splash two teaspoons of olive oil on the steak and rub the surface to cover.

Rub in the spice mixture over the surface of the steak.

Heat grill to medium and add the steak. Grill for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.

Allow steak to rest for 10 minutes, then cut into half inch slices.

For Chimichurri:

Add ingredients except olive oil into blend. Purée for 20 seconds.

Slowly add the olive oil while blending until smooth.

Drizzle over steak and serve.