 Saisons, French
for "season", are regional specialities
brewed in farmhouses or small breweries in Wallonia, mainly in the
province of Hainaut.
Traditionally, these beers used to be brewed in the
winter to be consumed during the summer. The specific character of a
saison beer owes much to the quality of the water used, and because of
the handcrafted methods of brewing and the
relatively small quantity produced, it is often "wild" and quite
different from one year to another. |
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The
brewing involves the use of malt, sometimes wheat, sometimes
additional ingredients (spelt, honey,
Liège
syrup, mustard,...) and hop. Some saisons are unfiltered and undergo a
secondary fermentation in the bottle.
Saisons are typically golden to orange in color, fruity, yeasty, hoppy
with moderate bitterness, and medium in alcoholic strength. They are
refreshing beers.
A few years ago, the style was on the decline, but it regained
popularity recently, up to the point that Saison Dupont was nominated
“Best Beer in the
World” by Men’s Journal in July 2005.
The style does not exist in Flanders, although there is a
pale,
flowery, hoppy beer called Sezoens, made in the province of Limburg. |
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