Saison

SAISON

 Imagine, if you will, a time before the internet. Before electricity, even. It's a hot summer day in the French speaking Wallonia region of Belgium, and you've been toiling in the fields for hours, in long sleeves and pants (this was the era of long pants only, unless you were a rich guy and had knickers and stockings, but then you wouldn't be in a field...ever). Your supervisor comes over to you and hands you a bottle of straw colored, hazy, effervescent beer to share with your follow laborers. You find a shady spot, divvy up the beer and enjoy, wiping the sweat from your brow with a sigh of refreshment. 

There is no name for this beer, other than what the brewer attached to it. The style is undefined, but distinct. Wild fermentation in open containers provide a specific profile that is unlike any other beers on the market, especially in that region. It's light in body and color, and provides not only a moments reprieve from the blazing sun, but also enough caloric energy to propel the workers through the rest of their shift.

Fast forward to today. We know these beers now as Farmhouse Ales, and in the case of the farmhand, Saison. Saison were developed and ultimately named after these men (and boys) that came to the region as migrant workers to tend the fields and livestock. In French, seasonal workers like these are called Saisonners, and the brewers made these beers for them. In the Middle Ages, when warmer climates couldn't necessarily handle a fermentation due to the heightened risk of contamination, the Saison were brewed in the dead of Winter, allowing the beer to age gracefully and be bottled before the weather turned.

The effervescent nature of Saison comes, traditionally, from bottle conditioning. The delicate, almost champagne like carbonation, is promoted by the open fermentation and the unpredictable nature of wild yeast. Bottle conditioning is a signature of the Saison, as with other Farmhouse styles, but what we know now as Saison was whittled down over the years.

In the era of our hypothetical French farmhand, there were a few types of Saison, most of which have disappeared to history. The farmhand would have gotten the lightest version, a Table Saison. 3-4% ABV, clean and crisp, it was designed to give him a break during the day, have something fun to drink, but not get him drunk. It was akin to today's session ales or "lawnmower beers" as they are colloquially called. The Standard Saison is what we know of today. 5-7% ABV, a little hazy with above average carbonation, this is often times the template for most Summer beers, especially for homebrewers. After that was the Super Saison, a heavier version, presumably for after working all day or for the fancy people who own the farm itself. This version fell away after WWII and is rarely seen  in the wild. Homebrewers have done these, but infrequently. Also nearly lost to history is a Dark Saison, which is similar to the standard, but with some roasted malts incorporated into the grist for added depth and color. These are very rare, indeed.

The Standard Saison is among the most popular beer styles today, especially during the summer months. It has a characteristic peppery taste, with layers of herbs, fresh flowers, citrus, and spice that all emanate from the grains and yeast. Although other spices can be added, a true Saison grabs these flavors without augmenting the recipe, and sticking to the four main beer ingredients. It is similar to the Belgian Blonde ale that was developed in the Flanders region of Belgium at the same time as the Saison, but without the Farmhouse qualities of the Saison. 

The modern flag bearer for what a Saison should behave like is Saison Dupont, from the Dupont brewery in Belgium. Their signature yeast strain has been mimicked and engineered across the globe, and some yeast manufacturers have come close, but none have quite found the special blend that Dupont has. But, unlike many yeast producers, Dupont has been an active farmhouse brewery since 1759, and they have developed their strain independent from any outside factors and influences. 

OUR RECIPE

7lbs Pilsner Malt
2lbs White Wheat
1lb Flaked Wheat

1oz Perle Hops
1oz Tettnang Hops

T-58 Dry Ale Yeast

Malts We Use

Pilsner Malt: Pilsner Malt is a classic base malt. Extremely light in color, it is a perfect tableau for beers with a lot of specialty malts. Pilsner Malt has a delicate flavor and is very clean, making it a perfect malt for crisp clear beers. Originally used in most lager styles, it takes its name from the Pilsen beers of Bohemia, where it was developed. 

White Wheat: White Wheat offers sweet malty flavors and head retention among other things. It can be used as a base of a specialty malt and is effective at adding body and mouthfeel to beers.

Flaked Wheat: Wheat will add bready flavors and increase head retention. It will also add significant amount of body and haze to beers like Wits, Hefeweizens, and New England IPAs

Hops We Use

Perle: A high Alpha Acid hop for German, Perle imparts both bittering notes and the floral aromatic normally found in German hops. Its bittering characteristics come from breeding, where it was spliced with English Northern Brewer hops before its release in the late 1970s. 

Tettnanger: A traditional Germanic hop, Tettnanger is considered on of the key members of the noble hop family. It is more intense than Hallertau, and offers different aromatics, including black tea and citrus peel. 

Yeast We Use

T-58: A dry version of a traditional Saison yeast, T-58 was developed by a Belgian company using wild strains from their own region. Imparting peppery and estery characteristics, it works well when bottle conditioning or cask aging a beer.