Garden Path Fermentation - The Easygoing Drink

The Easygoing Drink is a prime example of Garden Path’s vision. Brewed with quite a lot of raw grain—including raw wheat, flaked oats, and flaked rye—the super-drinkable result allows the brewery’s house culture to show through nicely, with pepper and subtle spices emphasized. Grisettes are generally low-alcohol, saison-like beers, finding their roots originally as a drink for the coal and stone miners in Belgium’s Hainaut province, and this interpretation from Garden Path is a particularly refreshing take. There’s subtle, lemon-driven tartness present, as well as some soft underlying oakiness. After primary fermentation in oak foudres, 52% of the final blend of this grisette saw secondary fermentation in stainless steel, while the remaining 48% went into oak barrels. This blended final result shows a solid tannic structure courtesy of its oak aging, with hints of almond skin more than vanilla. It’s a generous, impeccably presented grisette, with massive amounts of depth for a sub-5% beer.

Garden Path beers are frequently kept for a few months after bottling before being released, giving the flavors time to meld and condition. As such, these four beers in this special offer are all ready to drink, but the grisette feels especially in its prime right now. For pairings the peppery, lemony, saison-like core provides a ton of flexibility for working with lighter fare. The firm oak undertone (plus pepper and lemon) had us pondering grilled seafood options.