A dry, highly carbonated farmhouse ale originally brewed on Walloon farms in southern Belgium to refresh seasonal workers. Pale to amber, assertively fruity and spicy from an aggressive saison yeast, with a dry, almost sparkling-wine finish. Typically 5–8% ABV. The style is defined more by yeast character than by grain or hops.
In the glass
Origin
Saison takes its name from the French word for “season,” and the style is rooted in the farm-breweries of Wallonia, the French-speaking south of Belgium, and especially the province of Hainaut. In the days before artificial refrigeration, farmers brewed through the cooler months, when fermentation was easier to control and there was less work in the fields. Those batches built a stock of provision beer to last the year, above all to refresh the saisonniers — the seasonal workers — through the summer harvest. The result was a beer brewed in one season to be drunk in another.
The benchmark of the modern style is Saison Vieille Provision from Brasserie Dupont, usually known simply as Saison Dupont. The brewery sits on a farm in Tourpes that has operated since 1759 and became a farm-brewery in 1844, producing honey and “saison” beer for the fields. Alfred Dupont acquired the farm in 1920 and handed it to his son Louis, and the family carried the beer forward through the 20th century. Exported to the United States and championed by its American importer beginning in the 1980s, Vieille Provision became the yardstick against which a generation of craft brewers measured the saison style.
Notes
Saison and its French cousin Bière de Garde form the two halves of the farmhouse-ale family. They share a seasonal heritage but have grown apart: saison tends to be drier and hoppier, Bière de Garde maltier and fuller-bodied. The style resists tidy definition — most are pale, a few dark, many extraordinarily dry and fruity — and for many modern brewers “saison” is close to a blank canvas, which has made it a favorite vehicle for American craft experimentation. Nearly all are re-fermented in the bottle and pour with lively carbonation and often copious sediment. Some traditional examples are spiced, a throwback to the days when farm-brewers used whatever was at hand.
Defining examples
Saison Dupont·Fantôme Saison·Brasserie de Blaugies La Moneuse·Ommegang Hennepin·Boulevard Tank 7