Dwinell Country Ales is located in Goldendale, Washington, an operation that includes a small brewery, winery, and orchard, quietly producing wild and spontaneously-fermented beers with a rustic, farmhouse sensibility. The brewery’s one-line description is simply, “we make simple, slow fermentations in the Klickitat Valley using local ingredients and native yeast.”

Among its offerings are a wide variety of hoppy and fruited wild ales (fruits including cherry, apricot, Sangiovese grapes, rhubarb), saisons, and just interesting, no-particular-style ales. Case in point, Field Hop Yarrow Saison.

Field Hop is a mixed-culture wheat ale brewed with yarrow flowers foraged from the Klickitat Valley, released last July. There’s no mention of hops that I can find for this beer, even from the brewery’s detailed Facebook post about brewing it:

“Field Hop” is a mixed-culture (66%) wheat ale brewed with foraged yarrow from the Klickitat Valley. This beer began in the mind of Seth Klann and took shape in the form of pilot batches on the nano system at Mecca Grade Estate Malt. We then further developed Seth’s concept in the summer of 2018 with the help of The Ale Apothecary. For our latest iteration, seen here, we hosted Seth on a cold winter evening, lined the mashtun with bluegrass straw, knocked out into our coolship over dried yarrow, and then, the next day, transferred the beer into oak barrels to ferment. This 3.2% can-conditioned table saison is the perfect beer for flower foraging in the high desert. Stop by the brewery and grab a 4-pack!

So my assumption (dangerous, I know) is that this is hop-free, with yarrow filling its role. Not a gruit per se but in a “gruit” direction in that regard.

It’s only 3.4% ABV (according to the label, not the Facebook post above), and was packaged in 16-ounce cans; I drank it in mid-January and it held up just fine.

Appearance: Pale golden yellow, bright, decent clarity. White crisp head with good lacing.

Smell: Delicate nose of green apple, lightly tart, like green apple skin or crabapple. Light touch of horse blanket Brettanomyces, and lightly herbal.

Taste: Delicate flavors as well, with a light tartness with earthy, Brett-y notes along with an herbal bitterness from the yarrow. Floral, lemony, a hint goaty, some gentle wheat, and there’s a minerality running through the back.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, tart-bitter interplay on the tongue leaving a lingering herbal bitterness into the dry finish.

Overall: It’s a study in restraint, though perhaps there’s a bit too much bitterness for the balance.