Surly Frisson Break Coming To BC Small Batch Series

From Surly:

Our new BC Small Batch beer started as an attempt to solve a Beer Hall problem. The quandary: How to accommodate celebrants hoping to raise champagne toasts at our Destination Brewery for various weddings, birthdays, and graduations. This is extraordinarily difficult when you’re a Beer Hall, not a Champagne Hall.

Our brewers got to work.

Using champagne yeast, fruit, and a hell of a lot of carbonation, they created Frisson, a champagne-style lager that became a word-of-mouth hit at the Brewery. It turned out that “regular” beer drinkers were just as enamored of the beer’s dry, fruit-forward character as the wine/champagne crowd was. It remains as popular on Tuesday afternoons as it is on Saturday nights, and is one of the most common “When are you gonna can this” requests we receive from visitors.

That time is now, as Frisson steps up as the next BC Small Batch beer. 4-packs of 16 oz. cans are hitting Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Chicagoland as you read this.

The brewers hit on the sparkling wine profile using black currants and pitching a secondary champagne yeast at the end of primary fermentation, which dried the beer out even further. Highly carbonated to enhance the effect, Frisson’s notes of white wine and honey would make it an ideal “champagne of beers” if that title wasn’t already taken. As is, it’s a champagne-style lager that’s perfect for your next special occasion or just watching Jeopardy in a bathrobe.

FRISSON FAST FACTS:

• 9% ABV
• Effervescent as all hell
• Rose-colored pour
• Low bitterness