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.

This is one the most-asked questions in our tasting room. Is it ok for cold beer to warm up? Will that affect the flavor? Shouldn’t I just buy warm beer if I have a long drive home? We’re happy to report that letting cold beer come to room temperature has no effect on its flavor.

One of our favorite food-and-beer pairings is beer and cheese. Both are versatile. Both are delicious. And the flavor combinations you can create between them are surprising and abundant. We love a good beer cheese dip, don’t get us wrong. But we wanted to approach this pairing from a much broader perspective than how the two melt together. Below, you’ll find pairing fundamentals, and a few suggested pairing examples, for beer and cheese.

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.