Introducing 2015 Estival Dichotomous

We’re excited to introduce 2015 Estival Dichotomous, a farmhouse ale refermented with Texas melons. 2015 Estival Dichotomous is our sixth seasonal saison, and our second inspired by summer. Most seasonal beers are inspired by the time of year in which they’re released, but the Dichotomous series is motivated by our desire to capture the flavors and sensory impressions of the particular season in which a beer is brewed. Like all Jester King beers, the Dichotomous series isn’t fermented in a few days or weeks with a pure culture of brewers yeast, but rather, it slowly ferments over several months with our mixed culture of brewers yeast and native yeast and bacteria harvested from the Texas Hill Country.

For 2015 Estival Dichotomous, our Head Brewer Garrett Crowell was inspired by agua fresca (Spanish for “fresh water”), a traditional non-alcoholic drink made with fresh puréed fruit, sugar, and water—perfect for a hot Texas summer day. Agua fresca is a popular drink throughout Central America and Mexico, as well as in many Texas taquerias and bodegas. Garrett’s goal was to make a refreshing summer saison that encapsulated the bright fruit character of agua fresca.

Estival Dichotomous was brewed in June 2015, with Hill Country well water, two-row malt, raw wheat, spelt, and hops. After the beer had fermented for several weeks in stainless steel tanks, we added four different varietals of melon—cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, and galia—all grown by our friends at Johnson’s Backyard Garden. The melons were all cut by hand and pureed before being added to the tanks of finished beer in late July. The fruit and beer fermented to dryness over the course of another two weeks, after which it was packaged on August 17, 18, and 19. 2015 Estival Dichotomous is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and 100% naturally conditioned in bottles, kegs, and casks. It is 6.0% alcohol by volume, 27 IBU, 4.38 pH at the time of packaging, and has a finishing gravity of 1.000.

2015 Estival Dichotomous will be released at Jester King when our tasting room opens at 4pm on Friday, October 2nd. It will be available by the glass, as well as to go in 750ml bottles ($12/bottle, no limits). Approximately 8,000 bottles are available, and we anticipate the beer seeing limited distribution in Texas. The label art was created by our very own Josh Cockrell.