Cyclic Beer Farm: Saison Beers made in Barcelona
The long workdays on pre-industrialized farms in Wallonia, southern Belgium, were especially challenging when access to drinking water was difficult and there was still a need to stay hydrated.
The seasonal workers of these farms, or the “saissoniers”, as they were traditionally called, considered the development of a drink that was safe at a sanitary level, refreshing and that would serve as “fuel” during the hot harvest months in the summer. The saissoniers brewed their beers in winter so they could have mature beer for spring and summer.
A little over a year ago, Cyclic Beer Farm was born in Barcelona, a project that proposes its own interpretation of seasonal beer, following traditional brewing methods in which yeast is the protagonist.
The team, Albert and Josh, not only share a passion for beer; explored by each one in their own way, but also share a passion for the sea and surfing. The love of nature. Both coincided in a Meet the Brewer of Brew by Numbers. They immediately connected and after having first shared hangouts on the beach to surf, they discovered that, between the two of them, they gathered the ingredients to embark on the adventure of starting to produce beer.
On the one hand, Albert is a lifelong craft beer aficionado. He has his own fruit and vegetable garden, and is the owner of Ale&Hop Bar which is a cult of craft beer and vegetarian food, very close to Plaça Sant Pere in El Borne. Initially, what he always wanted was to set up a malting house, so he dedicated himself to studying this process so that he could offer the product to local breweries, while planting barley and selling his vegetables to restaurants. The project required a large investment, so he decided to set up the bar and merge two of his great passions: organic farming, vegetarian food and craft beer.
On the other hand, there is Josh, of English origin who worked as a head brewer at Partizan Brewing (London). The equipment that the brewery worked with fell short of the production they needed, so they gave this machinery as a gift to Josh, who was about to move to Barcelona. But this team has even more history, since before belonging to Partizan, it was owned by The Kernel Brewery.
It is like this, between waves and a few beers, the two asked themselves: why not locate these equipment in the place next to Ale&Hop and start producing? This is how Cyclic Beer Farm was born. This place would soon become too small and that is when a year and a half ago they were located in an open and much larger space in the La Sagrera neighborhood. Until now they have been producing in barrel format, not only for sale in the bar but also for distribution throughout Spain.
Their yeast, a differentiating element of their craft beers, is a "blend" that they prepared at the beginning and that they reuse in each production process, as is done with the sourdough for bread. They are currently producing the Grisette, Saison, Farmhouse IPA, Fruit Saison and Wild styles.
For now they are focusing on setting up the Tap Room at the Factory, which will also have a different and varied gastronomic offer, for all tastes but closer to local cuisine. His next step as a brewery is to launch his first bottle format on the market. It would have a capacity of 75cl. since they are interested in approaching the table and gastronomy. They wish that in the same way that people share a bottle of wine, they also want to share a bottle of beer.
Without a doubt, ideas full of desire to share the taste for craft beer and good food. Surely this project will bring a lot of joy, both to its creators and to the great craft beer community of Barcelona. We look forward to trying these beers that, in addition to being made with a lot of passion, are loaded with history and an adventurous spirit.
Cyclic Beer Farm is located at Carrer de Coll, 37, 08027 Barcelona.
www. cyclical beer farm. com | Instagram @cyclicbeerfarm
Text: Gaby D'Aloia | Photography: Italo Morales