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.

Virtually every single beer* you’ve ever enjoyed can be broken into one of two main types: ale or lager. The determining factor between the two? Yeast. 

Blending beer is exactly what it sounds like. Practically, it involves a brewer sampling multiple beers and then determining (with specific measurements and careful sensory analysis) the right combination of flavors. In barrel-aged beers, this involves pulling nails from the front of aging barrels and sampling the liquid therein.

At this point in time, the most widely available style of craft beer is the IPA (India Pale Ale). This wildly popular and sometimes polarizing style can range from clear to hazy to bitter to juicy. The style’s predominant flavor comes from the higher amount of hops used in the brewing process which provide a pop of tropical fruit, herbs, citrus, or stone fruit (etc.) depending on the hop varieties used.