Number five in the Critics’ Choice Top 100 is the Bridge Road Brewers Chevalier Saison.

This year we have had a couple of one-off beers join the top twelve and we’ve also seen a number of fixtures and I was very pleased to see this classic from Bridge Road improve its position from last year, up from number nine last year.

I was also pleased to be invited to write the critic’s piece for the book, which is below. This is a personal favourite that pairs beautifully with brie cheese, as a base for (and compulsory drinking accompaniment to) steamed mussels and Paul Mercurio’s excellent cookbook has a fish pie recipe that serves the Saison well too.

The brewer’s notes describe how the “aromas are dominated by esters and phenolic characters, owing to the Saison yeast strain, which also gives the beer its characteristic tart, dry and acidic profile.”

Brews News Editor, Matt Kirkegaard, says this is “a beer I invariably serve to wine drinkers who ‘don’t like beer’. Complex and full of spicy character and interest, this beer still manages to be drinkable and refreshing.”

Select venues around the country will be launching the Critics’ Choice by featuring the top 12 beers on March 30, including an event hosted by Critics’ Choice Editor-in-Chief and Radio Brews News’ EP, Pete Mitcham.

The Critics’ Choice: Australia’s Best Beers
RRP $14.95
Available April 2
from newsagents & bookstores

www.beerloversguide.com.au