Oakshire STEMinist Saison

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. All are very important to the ever evolving world, and all have their place in brewing. For the STEMinist Saison we teamed up with Dana Reuter and Lisa Eytel; both graduate students at the University of Oregon, and members of the non-profit Women in Graduate Sciences which works to promote higher level education, gender equality and professional development for women in STEM related fields.

When meeting to discuss the beer, the concept of stepping away from the norm (no IPA’s or Stouts for this collab!) and creating an out of the box brew took center stage. One of the best vessels for such a beer is a base built around the classic saison-style ale. We decided to lean towards a red saison and to add complexity to the base grain bill we added both raw and malted rye for a slight spiciness and well as a variety of caramel malts for the color and flavor.

We choose to ferment the beer with the classic French Saison yeast strain, and to compliment to ester profile that would be developed through fermentation we added a big old pile of Lemongrass and Washington wild flower honey, for a beautiful floral and herbal bouquet. Once fermentation was complete a blend of cold steeped Honeybush and Red Rooibus tea from Mountain Rose Herbs was creasted.

STEMist Saison pours red orange with a frothy white head. The nose is filled with notes of honey, sweet lemon, fresh herbal character, and a note of sweet tea. The beer crosses the palate with a drying effervescence, yet full mouthfeel. Fruitiness from the Red Rooibus combines with the floral hop and lemongrass profile and a slight perceived sweetness from the wildflower honey.

Complex in design, thoughtful in execution and brewed in the name of science with some rad scientists; Oakshire is very happy to introduce this collaborative beer in conjunction with the UofO Women in Graduate Science organization.