Introduction

Along the shores of Lake Ontario is farmland that sports some of the oldest cultivated earth in Canada. Partnered with local growers, vintners and businesses is a brewery using techniques and technology from a by-gone era. And with these relationships, Bench Brewing produces aged, contemplative beers that reach all the way down to the foundation of human senses. Using recycled winery casks and foeders, Bench takes their time to give old-world styles of beer a new meaning. A small team of dedicated beer lovers produce 18 different beers across all styles: Ball’s Falls Session IPA, Stone Road White Ale, Twenty Mile Farmhouse Ale, to name but a few.

Now you can enjoy Henry on Cherries — a saison foeder aged for almost a year before being refermented with Montmorency cherries. This process results in the greatest taste of cherries outside of the orchard. Serves well at 10°C and cellar for half a year.

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How it looks

Pours a cherry-red tinted amber colour with a murky body and aggressive carbonation you can hear across the room. Thick, pillowy foam quickly recedes to a slight ring.

How it smells

A lovely combination of classic Saison funk from Henry’s combination of yeasts and the scent of deep, ripe cherry flesh. The scent captures the best perfume of the cherries, rather than the often used over-sweet style.

How it tastes

The cherries are the main dish but are pleasantly relaxed in the flavour, not overpowering everything else. Hardly sweet, instead this beer drills deep into the dance between the cherry and leathery character of saison. Earthy and with a hint of wet straw, the flavour goes directly to your gut. The flavour quickly vanishes on swallow and a lingering taste of the farmhouse remains for a long time. Complex, robust and worth drinking at a slow pace to truly experience all it offers.

Recommended food pairing

With such powerful and delicious cherry flavour it’s time to get your best cheese board on the table and go berserk.