Summer beer arrives at Brewery Vivant

Brewery Vivant hosted a private beer party yesterday afternoon to introduce their summer ale: Zaison. It is now available to the public, both at the brewery and to take home in cans. Zaison is a saison style of ale, another traditional Belgium brew.

"We call ours an Imperial Saison because of the higher alcohol content; at 9% it can be a very sneaky one," said Rick Muschiana, Abbott of Beer at Brewery Vivant. "I like [to] see the smile creep onto people's faces after they've had a glass or two."

"Although this beer may be a little untraditional to some as a summer beer, to me it truly has the taste and look of summer in a can. You drink it, and all of these flavors just explode off the tongue like the fourth of July," said Muschiana.

Brewery Vivant gives members of the beer-loving community a chance to be the first taste-testers of their brews. Monk Club members get a personalized goblet behind the bar to use at any time, discounts on every beer they drink, and invitations to private parties like the Zaison Early Release Party.

"The beer was given the name "Zaison" by our owner Jason. He originally developed this recipe while working for Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. Because of the Z in Zingerman's, and the zingy nature of the beer through the use of orange peel and Tellicherry Black Peppercorns, the name seems to fit like a glove," added Muschiana.

Zaison is available through August. It is $5 on tap, and a 4-pack of cans to take home is $12.99.