It feels like there has been a bit of a new beer lull in the last few weeks. After the initial rush of spring seasonals, things got all quiet on the prairie for a bit there. Well, in one day, I got word of three different beer hitting the streets in the coming days.

First up is Alley Kat’s latest Big Bottle Series release. Saison d’Etre is, as you might guess, a saison – the tart, challenging-to-brew Belgian summer beer with pepper and citrus character. A few years back they tried a saison, simply called Summer Ale, that was a very pleasant summery beer but a bit disappointing as a saison. I suspect, in large part because it is part of the Big Bottle, that this will be a little more loyal to the style. There is almost nothing better than a well made saison, so here’s hoping.

Next is Half Pints, who just announced that for the second straight year they are releasing Queer Beer, a project in conjunction with Winnipeg’s Pride Festival. It is a limited release, available only in Winnipeg, put out in conjunction with the annual celebration of sexual diversity and tolerance. It is a pale lager with organic raspberry juice added. I suspect it will not be Half Pint’s most out-there beer, but it will certainly be its most “out” beer.

And to complete our new release troika, Yukon Brewing is shipping southward its latest A.D.D. Series beer, Double Trouble Imperial IPA, which is fairly self-explanatory. Based on the Ice Fog IPA, they have tripled the hopping but also increased the maltiness of the beer to maintain that patented Yukon quaffability. So, expect a more balanced version of this assertive style.

So, the drought (as short as it was) is broken. New beer to try in the coming days. Get ’em while they’re cold!