Third Circle Red has a berry, hoppy freshness with a toasty, malt backbone. Our red does not fit easily into any historical style but is more an amalgam of influences: Special Bitters; Irish Reds and American Ambers. Its aroma of citrus and red berries comes from the Summit and Bramling Cross hops, while its assertive bitterness is balanced with the sweetness of caramel malts.
It has been suggested that the Irish Red Ale was derived from traditional English Bitters. Perhaps owing to a lack of native hop farming in Ireland, the traditional Irish Red Ale was sweeter than English Bitters with a distinctively malty character. Third Circle Red goes back to the future, blending these traditional styles with some modern, citrussy US hops.
Third Circle Saison is an old world farmhouse ale with a new world twist. Using a distinctive Saison yeast, it has the refreshing, fruity flavour of a Belgian ale blended with the aroma of carefully selected new world hops. It is tasty, fruity and, in keeping with the farmhouse ale and Saison style, a real thirst-quencher.
The Saison is a difficult style to define, originating in Belgium where it was enjoyed primarily by seasonal farm workers “saisonnière”. Its only defining characteristic is the yeast, expressive of spices and fruit, and its dry, crisp finish. Third Circle Saison is a modern reinterpretation of the style, bringing a little bit of new world into this classic ale with El Dorado, Cascade and Saphir hops but keeping it fruity and dry, just as those saisonnière would have liked it.
