April 17th, the day chosen to celebrate the style Saison, which means it's time to pay our respects to one of the most delicious styles out there in the craft brewing world.
As we've been talking about throughout this month in our special #BeerEducation posts on Instagram, the Saisons are They are known as farmhouse ales for a reason: they were originally brewed on real farms. In some countries you may hear some brewers call them by their broader category, the Farmhouse Ale. (ie all seasons are part of the Farm Beers category, but not all Farm Beers are saisons).
The origin
Here we list all the important points about the style so that you don't miss any important information:
- Saison comes from French, which means "season", and is completely defined by its name.
- This is a seasonal style, according to its origin in Wallonia (Belgium), around the 19th century.
- Brewers at this time relied on the seasons of the year to carry out fermentation and plan their preparations.
- It is said that farmers brewed their beers in winter, so that they could ferment and mature at the correct temperature, until the harvest came around. This way, they could also have mature beer for the hottest months.
- Since these beers were brewed during the winter, a period of very low activity on farms, it also provided work for farmers. In addition, the spent grain from the production of the must would be used to feed the cattle, a tradition that continues to exist today.
The taste and appearance of the Saison
Since the seasonings were made by and for the farmers, we can imagine that there were important variations between the preparations, since they made this style based on the availability of the ingredients from their crops. But remember that:
🌾 These variations define the essence of the Saison-style beer: a beer that captures local flavors and embraces the notion of terroir (of the land).
🍊 In general, Saison-style beers are known for their combination of spicy and fruity flavors, supported by the somewhat mild malt character.
🍋 The perceived fruitiness is often citrus. The addition of one or more spices serves to add complexity to the beer, but should in no way overpower the other flavors.
📌 The bitter taste can be moderate to high, but it should never hide the fruity touches, the spices or the malty character, which will be light to give room to the other flavors.
👅 Spices, bitterness and hop flavor contribute to the intensity of the beer, while sweetness is reduced.
Now that you have a lot of information about the style, celebrate Saison Day!