We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate Saison Day in person once again. On Saturday, April 23rd 2022, we’ll be joining friends across the country in celebrating one of our favorite styles of beer. For more info about who we’re hanging out with, and a brief explainer on what the saison style of beer even is, scroll on!
Saisons are known as farmhouse-style ales for a reason: they were originally brewed on actual farms. Long before refrigeration, Belgian farmers of the French-speaking Wallonia region used the labor-light winter months to brew beer. Saison actually means “season” in French, a reference to the fact that the beer was brewed seasonally. Using ingredients they had on hand—barley, rye, spelt, or anything else, really—farmers brewed their beer to be stored and drank in the hot summer months. Not coincidentally, the french cousin to the saison, known as bière de garde (translation: beer for keeping), originated just a few miles south, over the French border.
Because of its loose origin, saisons are almost more of a tradition than a particular style. Saisons can be light or dark. Malty or hoppy. Tart or dry. Or many of those things (or few). Put simply, the style is wide enough to contain pretty much any ingredient the brewer desires. So what is a saison? Only in recent years has the style become even slightly pinned down to this formal-ish description, “exceptionally dry, highly carbonated, fruity and of moderate strength: 6-8% ABV.”
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