Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing Grisette with Sumac (Manitoba 150 Beer)

Happy belated Manitoba Day! For Manitoba's 150th anniversary of being a province a few breweries created special beers to celebrate the occasion - Nonsuch created a white beer, a Grisette with Sumac. I've only ever had a very small sampling of Grisettes, mostly over half a decade ago. Every time I had a Grisette, it came off as a light Saison to me. I found out that Saisons and Grisettes had a very similar function, Saisons were the beverage of choice for farmhands, while Grisettes were the beverage of choice for miners as it was a refreshing, tasty beverage with a fairly low ABV.

I'm also not familiar with sumac but it's a flowering plant that's used as a spice throughout the world with a sour and fruity taste to it.

From the website: Our series of MB 150 brews continues with this wheat beer made with local ingredients. ⁣As this cloudy, straw-coloured ale fills your glass, vanilla and citrus aromas fill the spring air. Your pallet is greeted with notes of sweet malt and bountiful citrus followed by a medley of Belgian yeast notes including vanilla and fruit. This 4.5% ABV wheat beer is brewed with orange, lemon, coriander, juniper berries, and Manitoban sumac. Oysters, cod, and chicken make the perfect food pairing. ⁣ 4.5% ABV

Appearance: Mildly cloudy golden straw body, ever so slight hint of clarity but just barely. Decent amount of carbonation in the body and a faint amount of snow white head on top that's mostly touching the glass.

Aroma: The first thing I got from this beer was that it had a crisp prairie malt presence to it, giving off a bit of a Pilsner vibe to it. The beer has a moderate amount of Saison-like presence as well, giving off a nice citrus aroma, a lot of Belgian yeast, a hint of honey, a hint of tartness and a floral hop presence. Fairly sweet and notes of bubble gum at the end.

Taste: This has a combo of Pilsner and Saison, it's a very crisp, easy to drink ale. It's a tad citrusy with predominantly lemon but also a hint of lime, slightly tart, slightly fruity but can't pinpoint the fruit. Slightly spiced, hint of honey sweetness, good amount of Belgian yeast to give it a rich breadiness and a hint of bubble gum to it. Good amount of dryness to the beer, very crisp, and the aftertaste is a tad bready with the faintest hint of apple.

Overall Thoughts: I've been complaining about how there needs to be more Saisons in Manitoba, Nonsuch has been one of the few breweries to have a Saison around frequently, and with this Grisette, it certainly fills my craving for a Saison. With it being Manitoba 150, when I used to think about what Manitoba would be as a beer, it would be a very bland light lager/pils that wouldn't offend the pickiest of beer drinking palates, but this definitely has a Taste of Manitoba to it - It's quite crisp yet dry, has memories of a classic Pilsner but also has a nice pop! that you would see in a Saison, bit grainy, sweet, hint of tartness and mild enough for your typical beer drinker.. but always too aggressive for someone like my mom.

https://www.nonsuch.beer/shop/grisette-with-sumac