Holy Mountain Brewing Company | Witchfinder
ABV: 6.1%
It’s not easy to stand out in Seattle’s booming craft beer scene, but Holy Mountain Brewing Company has made a name for themselves with their focus on mixed-fermentation ales. Though they brew a wide variety of styles, Holy Mountain’s farmhouse ales have quickly earned the brewery a cult following. The tasting room is regularly packed and Holy Mountain’s well-known saisons and barrel-aged brews have become favorites at bottle shares around the country. In honor of their success, I’d like to introduce you to the beer they describe as “possibly our most traditional saison to date,” Witchfinder.
The Witchfinder is a saison brewed with pilsner malt and wheat, hopped with a blend of European noble hops and American hopes, then conditioned in the bottle with Brettanomyces. It pours a mostly clear, apricot color with some haziness. The head is foamy up front but dissipates quickly, leaving a foamy ring and small, spotty lacing on the glass. The nose is distinctly sour and announces its presence as a farmhouse ale right away. Notes of lemon, citrus, and grass grace the nose and create a bright experience to accompany the sunny color of the beer.
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The flavors of the beer follow the nose, and that’s one of the reasons the Witchfinder is such a pleasant beer to drink. The blending of sour, spicy, fruity, and hoppy scents in the nose present and complement the flavors of the ale, so that the beer tastes cheerful, crisp, and complete. The fruity notes from the hops are prevalent in the taste, with grapefruit, lemon, and orange flavors taking center stage. Together they create a slight sourness that is followed by a dry, hoppy finish with bitter hops and funky Brettanomyces notes. The mouthfeel is light-to-medium bodied, with a crisp, quick finish and ample carbonation throughout.
The Witchfinder truly is a flagship saison. Holy Mountain’s emphasis on the traditional saison style has created refreshing farmhouse ale that’s a perfect example of why Holy Mountain Brewing Co. has become a staple of the Seattle craft beer scene.
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