Hunting Saison

It's Chicago again, six days of book-signing, beer-tasting and carrying on in front of small groups of people who bought The Short Course in Beer ,  maybe to get in out of the rain.

Farmhouse (Saison) is usually described with the words spice, grass and barnyard, an earthy, elegant beer derived from a Belgian style that was brewed in the winter to be enjoyed in the summer. The essence of the style is in the flavors created by its particular yeast. There is a fair amount of fakelore about the style, but it’s fair to say that sometime in the 1880’s, the Dupont brewery in Belgium's  Wallonia brewed and bottled a Saison that became the standard. Dupont now provides the yeast to most of its neighboring breweries.

• The dean of farmhouse ales―in fact the very definition―is Saison Dupont (Vielle Provision). It has all the characteristics of the style plus a bit of new-mown hay. It has a spectacularly long and lovely finish.

• A bit more aromatic and alcoholic, Dupont also makes La Biere de Beloeil. It’s hard not to compare it to red Burgundy.

• Lost Abbey Brouwers Imagination Series Saison is a stronger version of the style with a hint of sweetness, a suggestion of honey and a fair amount of yeast and grassiness. (Note the word "brouwers." It’s the Flemish word for brewer and part of the tribute that American craft brewing is paying to its Belgian roots.)

• Fantôme Saison is a high ABV (8%) farmhouse, fruity and acidic with a Riesling-like finish: hard to find and definitely worth the hunt.

• Smuttynose Farmhouse from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the best American example: earthy and peppery with a hint of sweetness. A work of genius that’s only available seasonally.
• Two Brothers Domaine DuPage is a malt-centered saison with bits of spice and citrus and a slightly woody aroma. Drink it for the chance to wallow in luxurious maltiness with just enough hops to keep things in balance.