Deep Cove Brewers Sun Kissed Tea Saison: I have been doing a bit of a cellar clean out and found this beer sitting there just begging to be opened on the last day of August (aka the last true day of summer in Vancouver, BC). This beer is brewed in North Vancouver, BC on the way to Deep Cove and comes in at a strength of 5% with the addition of an apple, mango and papaya infused Rooibos Tea for added flavours to make it unique, please visit their website for more information.

Flavour: Very interesting, quite fruity with the apple and mango infusions standing out followed by the spicy pepper and grainy malts that are captured in the light fluffy effervescent mouth feel, finishing with a clove and pepper spice that lingers on your palate.

Overall Impression: Great stuff, I hope they make more next year.

Rating: An excellent beer with a rating of 8/10, this saison proves to be interesting while remaining true enough to the style to get it right.

Food Pairing: I discovered some almost expired caramelized cheddar hiding in my meat & cheese drawer in my second fridge, it went really well with this beer. The cheese gets creamier with the spicy saison, while the caramelized onions brought out more of the fruit in the beer. Another option is a peppered farmers sausage or herbed goat cheese.

It is always nice when a beer lives up to its expectations, I really enjoyed that the tea added to the beer without taking away from the style. This to me is a sign of a brewer who knows what they are doing!