Because the style has been growing in popularity, we thought it would make sense to answer a question that’s probably on many people’s minds: what is table beer?

If you’re looking for a winter activity that gets you outdoors, indoors, and fishing at the same time, we recommend going smelting. Imagine this: a hut warmed through with the fragrant heat of a log-fed stove. Friends around, sharing beer and stories. All the while, out of the corner of your eye, you’re watching a line that dives into flowing water beneath a foot of ice—waiting for a telltale tug.

A saison, also often called a farmhouse ale, is a style of beer originating in the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium. In today’s brewing scene, it is widely accepted that a saison will be “exceptionally dry, highly carbonated, fruity and of moderate strength: 6-8% ABV.” Beyond that description, the saison style offers quite a bit of room for interpretation.

More than ever in our brewery’s history, we’re using Maine-grown grains to make our beer. In 2016, we made the pledge to increase our usage of local grain—that year, we ended up using around 65,000 pounds. In 2017, we increased it to around 150,000 pounds, and in 2018, 280,000 pounds. By 2020, we had hit 728,000 pounds.