Brasserie Thiriez Étoile Du Sud

Our third year-in-a-row-collab with famed French brewery Thiriez... Etoile du Nord but with Motueka. Label by Bernadette with Wattle and Poppy as there are many Anzac graves in the fields surrounding Esquelbecq from The Great War. 5.5% ABV. Daniel and Marielle Thiriez welcomed me into their home and brewery in 2015 and

Wildflower - Brasserie Thiriez Etoile du Sud Price: $34 Made by using the recipe of their iconic Etoile du Nord but substituting the usual hops out instead for freshly harvested 2023 organic Motueka. Etoile du Nord is the cornerstone for what people consider to be 'French Saison' and the Thiriez yeast is the inspiration for a handful of commercially available French Saison strains which provide a clean ester palate and highlight hop character exceptionally well.

Etoile du Sud 2024 Those of you who have followed our story for some time, or certainly even those that followed my European Beer travel-blog from 2015 would be well aware of the impact that my short-stint of working at Brasserie Thiriez in Northern France had on my younger self, in fact it was largely the catalyst for starting Wildflower. In the years since we have had Wildflower, we have been fortunate to brew collaboration beers with family Thiriez now on three occasions. In its third subsequent year (2024) it was made when Wildflower co-owners Chris and Emily Allen made their pilgrimage to Esquelbecq with hop-laden suitcases to deliver fresh Motueka hops to this very special place and once again cook a wort similar to their iconic hop-driven saison Etoile du Nord, yet with a heavy Motueka hop bill instead of the northern hemisphere-Noble hop charge it is known for. The photo below is Chris and Emily with Daniel and his daughter Clara (who has since this photo taken over management of the brewery following Daniel's retirement). The result is a silky-smooth palate with sweet light-roast barley all back ended with the limey goodness we know motueka to offer. This is a straight monoculture saison, not mixed culture and is best to be consumed within the year rather than aged. Bernadette painted some wattle with poppies for the label, the same as the 2023 edition. We imported these bottles directly from Brasserie Thiriez and they have ben held in temperature controlled conditions their entire journey. 

Wildflower - Brasserie Thiriez Etoile du Sud Price: $34 Made by using the recipe of their iconic Etoile du Nord but substituting the usual hops out instead for freshly harvested 2023 organic Motueka. Etoile du Nord is the cornerstone for what people consider to be 'French Saison' and the Thiriez yeast is the inspiration for a handful of commercially available French Saison strains which provide a clean ester palate and highlight hop character exceptionally well.