About This Beer
Kinnegar BAP No.51 Elderflower Saison is a 4.8% Irish Saison from Kinnegar Brewing in Letterkenny, County Donegal. Released as part of the brewery’s Brewers at Play series, it combines the refreshing, expressive nature of farmhouse ale with elderflower for an additional aromatic and floral dimension.
Saison is a style with deep roots in Belgian farmhouse brewing, traditionally associated with refreshing, highly attenuated beers offering a combination of fruity, spicy and dry characteristics. Kinnegar’s interpretation introduces elderflower, an ingredient particularly well suited to this kind of beer thanks to its delicate fragrance and fresh floral character.
Rather than turning the beer into something overtly sweet or fruit-driven, elderflower complements the underlying Saison character. The result is a distinctive beer suited to drinkers who enjoy dry, refreshing ales but want something a little outside the usual Pale Ale, IPA or lager territory.
At 4.8% ABV, BAP No.51 also occupies an appealing middle ground. There is sufficient strength to support the Saison character and added elderflower while retaining the easy-drinking quality that makes farmhouse ales so effective as refreshing beers.
This is a limited Brewers at Play release rather than one of Kinnegar’s permanent core beers, adding to its appeal for anyone who follows the brewery’s more experimental creations.
For more beers made closer to home, discover our Irish Craft Beer range, featuring independent breweries from across Ireland.
Tasting Notes
• Appearance: Light and refreshing in appearance, fitting the bright character expected from a modern Saison.
• Aroma: Fragrant elderflower leads the way, accompanied by delicate fruit, floral notes and the expressive farmhouse character associated with Saison.
• Flavour: Floral elderflower complements a refreshing Saison base, with gentle fruitiness and farmhouse-style spice leading towards a crisp, dry finish. The floral character adds interest without taking away from the underlying beer.
• Mouthfeel: Refreshing and lively rather than heavy, with a dry finish that encourages another sip and makes the 4.8% Saison particularly food friendly.
About Kinnegar Brewing
Kinnegar Brewing is one of the established names in modern Irish craft beer and is based at K2 in Ballyraine Industrial Estate, Letterkenny, County Donegal. The brewery has built its reputation by combining brewing tradition with a willingness to experiment, describing its approach as pairing tradition with a contemporary sense of adventure to produce clean, crisp and full-flavoured beers.
Production at Kinnegar combines a 35-hectolitre brewing system with the brewery’s original 10-hectolitre brewhouse. Having both systems provides the capacity required for established beers while retaining the flexibility to develop new ideas and smaller experimental releases.
Kinnegar also takes a notably traditional approach to several elements of production. Its core beers ferment and condition in unitanks, with natural carbonation achieved through spunding during fermentation. The brewery does not filter or pasteurise its beers.
Its range has become familiar to Irish craft beer drinkers through beers such as Scraggy Bay IPA, Rustbucket Rye IPA, Limeburner, Devil’s Backbone and Black Bucket, alongside seasonal releases and experimental creations.
The Brewers at Play programme represents the more exploratory side of the brewery. Rather than restricting itself to the styles found in its core range, Kinnegar uses these releases to experiment with different ingredients, brewing approaches and beer styles.
BAP No.51 Elderflower Saison fits naturally into that philosophy. Combining a traditional farmhouse-inspired style with elderflower creates something recognisably Saison while giving the beer an individual identity within Kinnegar’s wider range.
Food Pairings
The floral, dry and refreshing character of an elderflower Saison makes this a particularly versatile beer at the table.
Seafood is an excellent place to start. Try BAP No.51 with grilled white fish, prawns, mussels or a simple seafood platter. The beer’s dry finish and lively character can refresh the palate, while its floral qualities provide an interesting contrast to delicate seafood flavours.
Goat’s cheese is another natural partner. Its tangy, creamy character can work particularly well against a dry Saison, while elderflower introduces a fragrant element that complements salads containing fresh herbs, leaves and lighter dressings. A goat’s cheese salad with pear or apple would be an especially interesting combination.
Chicken dishes also provide plenty of possibilities. Roast chicken with herbs, grilled chicken or lighter dishes incorporating lemon and thyme should allow the Saison character to remain noticeable without either the food or beer overwhelming the other.
For something more adventurous, try it alongside mildly spiced Thai or Vietnamese dishes. Fresh herbs, citrus, ginger and gentle chilli can complement the floral and spicy dimensions of the beer particularly well.
It can also work nicely with a cheese board featuring softer, younger cheeses rather than intensely mature varieties. Saison is traditionally a highly food-friendly style, and the addition of elderflower gives BAP No.51 another dimension to explore when matching it with a meal.
Try More Like This
Kinnegar BAP No.51 is a particularly interesting choice for anyone who enjoys discovering experimental Irish beers. Saison remains relatively uncommon compared with IPA, stout and lager, while the elderflower addition makes this Brewers at Play release even more distinctive.
If farmhouse-style brewing appeals to you, browse our Belgian-style beer selection for more beers inspired by Belgium’s celebrated brewing traditions.
For more beers produced around the country, explore our Irish Craft Beer collection, or browse the wider craft beer range available from TheCru.ie.
Whether you already follow Kinnegar’s Brewers at Play releases or simply want to try an unusual Saison from one of Ireland’s established independent breweries, BAP No.51 offers an appealing combination of farmhouse character, floral elderflower and refreshing drinkability.
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