Allow me to set a scene. It’s the mid 19th century and the sun is falling fast over the Wallonian farmland. Your breakfast is wearing off, but there’s still work left to do. You need a break - something to help you recover so you can finish your day. You grab your cup, head to the barn, and pour yourself some crisp, bitter beer. Time to find a shady tree and recuperate before the day ends so you can move onto something a little stronger once the work is truly done.
What beer were you just thinking about? For us modern American beer drinkers, we were probably thinking about a crisp, ice cold light lager - bland and bubbly. But for our imaginary Belgian farmhand, that beer was almost certainly a saison (Anglicized as a farmhouse ale). Historically saisons were lower in alcohol than some modern variants, but it still has its light body, funky flavors, and bitter, peppery finish. Great for an afternoon break. Stronger saisons were usually left for the evening when you weren’t expected to be a competent farmhand.
“What is a saison?” is a pretty common question we get at Mountain Toad. And frankly, there is no clear answer - saisons can vary from pale straw to black in color, 3.5% to 9+% ABV, and feature every flavor from earthy to hay and strawberry to horse blanket. Historically, saisons would be fermented with whatever yeast and bacteria was floating around your barn or home, which unsurprisingly lead to each saison’s flavors being entirely unique to the farm where it was brewed.
Compared to other styles, the saison cannot be easily pinned down. It changes with the seasons and it changes with the terroir. The only way to know if you’ll like it is to try it!
