Barnaby’s Brewhouse is a small organic craft brewery based at the Riverford Dairy’s Hole Farm in South Devon. It benefits from natural spring water that rises on the farm; the water has a very low mineral content and is therefore perfect for brewing organic craft lagers.
Barnaby’s Brewhouse has close ties with Riverford, having brewed special batches of ‘foraged beer’ for our award-winning Devon farm restaurant The Riverford Field Kitchen. After a grey and gloomy summer last year, we ended up with a glut of green tomatoes that just wouldn’t ripen. While visiting Barnaby and the team, we jokingly asked if they could use any green tomatoes in a brew?
Much to our surprise, the brewers rose to the challenge and came up with a recipe for a green tomato saison – almost certainly the first of its kind in the UK.
‘Saison’ is a Belgian farmhouse style of beer, so called because it was brewed at the end of the farming season when temperatures were ideal for fermentation. It had to be strong enough to last through the summer – when farmers were back working on the land – and so typically has an alcohol content between five and eight per cent ABV.
Traditionally, Saison beers have often been made with spices and botanicals; a range of fruit varieties still exist on the market including apricot, strawberry, raspberry and cherry. It is a very distinctive rustic beer, light yet earthy and spicy in flavour. Saison also typically has a high level of carbonation and is sometimes sold in champagne-like bottles.
Using green tomatoes in Barnaby’s saison gives it freshness and a hint of sourness. Because of the amount of fruit that is used, it also has a slightly wine-like quality. This means it pairs exceptionally well with a range of foods.
According to Garrett Oliver, author of The Brewmaster’s Table, it “seems to go with almost everything. The combination of dynamic bitterness, scouring carbonation, bright aromatics, spicy flavours, pepper notes, dark earthy underpinnings and racy acidity gives these beers a hook to hang their hat on for a wide range of dishes.”
We’ve found it to be delicious with peppered steaks, Thai dishes, spicy sausages, creamy goats milk cheese – the list goes on and on. Give it a try and let us know what dishes you pair it with.
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