Saison

Saison (French, "season") is the name originally given to low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, for farm workers during harvest season . Modern-day saisons are also brewed in other countries, particularly the USA, and are generally bottle conditioned, with an average range of 5 to 8% abv,[1] though saisons at the more traditional 3.5% strength can still be found.

Although saison has been described as an endangered style,[2] there has been a rise in interest in this style in recent years, with Saison Dupont being named “the Best Beer in the World” by the magazine Men’s Journal in July 2005.[3]

Historically, saisons did not share identifiable characteristics to pin them down as a style, but rather were a group of refreshing summer ales. Each farm brewer would make his own distinctive version.[4] Modern saisons brewed in the USA tend to copy the yeast used by Brasserie Dupont, which ferments better at warmer temperatures—29 to 35 °C (84 to 95 °F)—than the standard 18 to 24 °C (64 to 75 °F) fermenting temperature used by other Belgian saison brewers.[5]

Contents

Origin

"Saison" is French for season, because these ales were traditionally brewed in the autumn or winter for consumption during the late summer harvest for farm workers who were entitled to up to five litres throughout the workday during harvest season. Today they are brewed year round. As the saison style originated before the advent of refrigeration, Belgian brewers had to brew in autumn or winter to prevent the ale from spoiling during the storage period. After brewing, the ale was stored until the late summer harvest. Although now most commercial examples range from 5 to 8% abv, originally saisons were meant to be refreshing and thus had alcohol levels less than 3%. Because of the lack of potable water, saisons would give the farm hands the hydration they needed without the threat of illness.

The ale had to be strong to prevent spoilage during the long storage, but at the same time could not be so strong as to incapacitate the workers. Additionally, these beers were strongly hopped, as hops act as a preservative and have antiseptic properties. Saisons brewed in early Spring would often be blended with saisons brewed the previous Autumn, or even blended with lambic beers to increase the refreshing acidity of these beers. Blending also occurred to reduce the abv, and thus increase its refreshment value.

Composition

The type of malt determines the colour of the saison, and although most saisons are of a cloudy golden colour as result of the grist being mostly pale and/or pilsner malt, the use of darker malts results in some saisons being reddish-amber. Some recipes also use wheat. Spices such as orange zest, coriander, and ginger may be used. Some spice character may come through due to the production of esters during fermentation at warm temperatures.[6]

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter - Beer Styles: Saison". www.beerhunter.com. http://www.beerhunter.com/styles/saison.html. Retrieved 2008-07-06. 
  2. ^ "Saison". www.allaboutbeer.com. http://www.allaboutbeer.com/style/24.4-saison.html. Retrieved 2009-10-17. 
  3. ^ "MJ FEATURE: Best Beers in the World". www.mensjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20080705054825/http://www.mensjournal.com/feature/0507/bestBeer_world.html. Retrieved 2008-07-06. 
  4. ^ Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the European Tradition, page 98, Phil Markowski, Brewers Publications (2004), ISBN 0937381845
  5. ^ Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the European Tradition, pages 168 - 173, Phil Markowski, Brewers Publications (2004), ISBN 0937381845
  6. ^ Phil Markowski (2004). Farmhouse ales. Brewers Publications. p. 166. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LutJAAAAYAAJ&q=Saison+spice+character&dq=Saison+spice+character&hl=en&ei=bbC0TJKgJY7Hswbtv52mCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 

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