Saison
Man-o-Man-o-Man! In the beer world, it always seems to be about men. For decades now, all big (and small) breweries use a lens constantly filtered to the perceived desires of men – men watching football together, macho men, hipster men, successful businessmen, sweaty festival-going men, etc. What’s up with all these stereotypes anyways? With our first beer we wanted to make a statement. We wanted to create an enjoyable beer for everyone, targeted at a beer world that wasn’t only about men.
So there we were, in the summer of 2012, wracking our brains for a catchy name to match our more vulnerable and open approach to brewing. Having successfully made several batches of this recipe, we were now determined to produce it at a commercial scale. After hours of debating, drinking and even shouting out random words at one another, the time came to decide. Our reasoning, a sort of ex post facto psychoanalysis, came to be: we are just men, with love in our hearts. Love for each other, love for brewing and a serious love of sharing our beer with everyone. Mannenliefde (‘Men-love’) is our expression to all beer drinkers as men who love.
With the name in place and the recipe perfected, our first commercial beer was born! A 6% ABV Saison – which, at the time, was not a very common style, but even then retained its own unique character. It is middling in that is not extremely bitter and absolutely not sweet. Fresh with a dry and smooth aftertaste, lemon grass adds freshness, Szechuan pepper bestows a bit of bite and the use of Sorachi ace hops contributes fruity aromas.
Mannenliefde is a brew to free beer from stereotypes and preconceptions by changing the way people think about and drink beer. This is why you will find a soft, bare-chested man on the label. He’s very open, as if ready to embrace you, because this is a brew made by men with love for everyone!
Oedipus Brewing
Taproom
Gedempt Hamerkanaal 85
1021 KP Amsterdam