‘Tis the season, I mean, saison.
Returning to Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, New York) is their Saison de Coupage, Tracery. The french style name translates to “cutting season” which explains a lot about this beer.
Tracery is a farmhouse ale that is really two ales in one. Grimm blends, or cuts, 30% of their barrel-aged golden sour with 70% of fresh Saison. This technique is used heavily in Belgian styles, such as with Lambic blended beers as well as other farmhouse ales.
The goal of blending is to get some of the sour funkiness in the beer but tone it down to the brewer’s liking with a clean, super fresh ale. It is a great type of beer to try if you want a beer with a little bit of bite, or if you are just dipping your toe into the world of sour ales.