Vernon – an oak-aged saison with foraged juniper and Myrica gale with WA Wild

Our relationship with Washington Wild goes back to Diane, a beer we brewed together in 2021 to bring awareness to the threats facing the Skagit River watershed. That collaboration brought together local farmers, maltsters, and foraged ingredients to celebrate the landscape and the resources that make brewing in the Pacific Northwest possible.

Vernon’s story began nearly two years ago, on a cris[p November day spent foraging alongside Washington Wild in the sloughs of the Skagit River outside La Conner. Together, we gathered wild juniper and Myrica gale, also known as sweet gale or bog myrtle, a botanical with a long history of use in brewing.

We incorporated these ingredients at different stages of the brewing process, adding fresh juniper branches to the mash tun and steeping Myrica gale on the hot side. The beer then spent twenty months maturing in neutral gin casks, allowing the botanicals to develop alongside the oak and our mixed-culture fermentation. The result is a saison that brings together old-world brewing traditions, ingredients gathered from the landscape, and the transformative effects of time.

Vernon is bright and botanical, with layers of citrus peel, fresh evergreen, and delicate herbal spice. The juniper brings a familiar woodland character, while Myrica gale lends a softer, almost tea-like aromatic quality. Gentle acidity, subtle oak, and the lingering influence of the gin casks give way to a dry finish, with notes of lemon zest, wild herbs, and fresh forest aromatics.

The Skagit River provides nearly thirty percent of the freshwater flowing into Puget Sound, supporting the communities, agriculture, and wildlife that depend on its watershed. Washington Wild continues to advocate for the protection of these waterways, including efforts to designate the Cascade River as an Outstanding Resource Water.

Vernon is another opportunity to celebrate this remarkable landscape and the people working to protect it.