It’s Friday, have a drink
A chef-brewer crossover in Liquid Laundry’s latest beer
Welcome to our brand-new column where we look at what’s good to drink around Shanghai. And because it’s Friday. And also because lifestyle journalism. Whatever, we just want some booze. This week: Liquid Laundry’s Sun Kissed Saison.
Liquid Laundry is a restaurant and brewpub that’s popular for both its food and beer, but this is the first time both sides of the aisle have reached across to create something together.
For their first collaboration, brewer Joao Pedro Fernandes looked at what chef Simon Sunwoo was frequently using in the kitchen, and one recurring theme was a sauce made from butter, lemon, thyme, and white wine.
“If you take away the butter, the rest sounds already like a beer,” Fernandes said. He chose a Belgian farmhouse saison as the base for its fruity, earthy, and spicy personality, and brewed it with thyme and lemon zest. Towards the end of fermentation, he added chardonnay grape juice for some wine-like flavors.
What you get is a hazy amber-hue beer with a mushroom cloud of a head. It’s zesty with a lush texture and a trace of salinity, like eating a pine nut, squeezing an orange over a rock and licking it. It’s especially good with seafood, like a bouillabaisse of fish, squid, mussel, and clam (¥248) Sunwoo made to pair with the beer. That dish is only on the menu until May 1, while the Sun Kissed Saison is on tap for ¥40 until it runs out. Available at both Liquid Laundry and Lil’ Laundry.
Liquid Laundry
Kwah Center, 2/F, 1028 Middle Huaihai Road / 淮海中路1028号, 嘉华坊2
Lil’ Laundry
Unit 120, 1376 West Nanjing Road / 南京西路1376号120室
