D’ran! Refreshing Saison
A brewery we have been proud to work with for some time now is Brouwersnös from Groenlo. About time for a new collab, this time with unique hops from Serbia!
By now, when you say Groenlo and beer, we no longer think of the big brother from the region, as Brouwersnös has been the brewery of choice in Groenlo since 2018. Founded by an experienced team of beer entrepreneurs with experienced brewers at the brew kettles, it makes Brouwersnös stand firmly in the beer landscape from day 1. The brewery is modern with top-quality equipment, but with an eye for tradition, which is reflected in the open fermentation tanks, among other things.
Read all about Brouwersnös on their website.
Brouwersnös brewery
D’ran Spring 2023
For this collab, Brouwersnös was looking for beautiful hops for their seasonal beer D'ran! the Spring edition, in this case a refreshing Saison. This blonde beer type from Wallonia has a slightly fruity, spicy and dry character in the basic. As for the hops, you can go in many directions. Hops from our floral, spicy or citrus aroma profile, Saison is a beer type where a lot is possible and you as a brewer can leave your mark with the choice of hops.
Serbian Hops
For D'ran! Spring '23, we were able to get our hands on 3 hops from a family farm from Serbia. It was quite a challenge to get these hops here and we are happy that we succeeded this time. Brouwersnös got to work with Centennial, Aroma and Robusta.
Traditionally, former Yugoslavia has been a real hop country. Slovenia is the best known when it comes to hops, but there is also a long hop history from Serbia. Aroma and Robusta are examples of varieties developed in Serbia and regularly used there. However, they are virtually unknown in the rest of Europe, so unique hops!
Hop harvest in former Yugoslavia around the year 1925
Centennial is another story, as this is one of the better-known hop varieties from America which resembles its even more famous sister Cascade. On European soil -Serbian in this case- Centennial also thrives very well. The aroma has lots of citrus with a resinous, floral touch.
Brewer Gerti explains: "The Centennial from Serbia has an alpha acid of almost 10%, the bitterness comes mainly from these hops. All the hop aroma comes from Robusta and Aroma, which we added 10 minutes before the end of the boil plus a good amount of both in the whirlpool. I think they are very nice hops, subtle rather than shouting. What I like best is that they are not one-dimensional. So it's not just citrus for example, but more of a balanced set of fruitiness and spiciness."
Brewer Gerti in the brewhouse.
XON?
When we see the bottle, it seems to say XON, but when we look closely we read хоп: hops in Serbian, where Cyrillic script is common, a nice little wink to Serbian hops.
D'ran 'tis Lente is a fairly typical Saison in which the yeast clearly plays a role. The Serbian hops give a nicely balanced fruity-spicy aroma with a clear touch of lemongrass. As Gerti noted, these hops are not one-dimensional and you can taste that in the beer. It gives a this spring beer a unique character. Because of the fairly dry finish, this Saison is also very refreshing, perfect for spring!
Wanna try?
D'ran Het is Lente 2023 was bottled in February and, as usual with a craft Saison, the beer needs to mature for a while to let the secondary fermentation do its work. From mid-March, it will be available to order from Brouwersnös' webshop and from the better beer shop.
Of course, this unique Saison is also on draught in the Brouwersnös tasting room. A beautiful place next to the brewery where you can taste all Brouwersnös beers and have excellent food. Combined with a tour through the brewery, you have a perfect beer outing!
Open fermentation at Brouwersnös.