Saison

Lore & Background

The term 'saison' (French for 'season') first appears in the early 19th century. It was most widely known as a beer from the industrial city of Liège, where professional breweries produced it as a keepable version of the city's spelt beer. That beer was made with malted spelt, unmalted wheat, and only a small amount of barley malt, typically brewed in winter and drunk after four to six months. After the First World War, Liège's saison disappeared, but the style continued in the province of Hainaut, where professional breweries sold it as a 'cuvée réservée' luxury beer, to be served at room temperature like a good wine and poured with care.

In the late 1980s, American importer Don Feinberg, urged by beer writer Michael Jackson, began importing Brasserie Dupont's saison to the United States. Feinberg re-styled saison as a 'farmhouse ale' to answer questions about whether it was a wheat beer or a lambic, calling it a hoppy farmhouse ale. The style's reputation was further cemented by Phil Markowski's 2004 book 'Farmhouse ales'. In older sources, saison was never indicated as a farmhouse ale, and though there has been a limited tradition in Belgium of brewing on farms or for farm workers, it seems to have been conflated with saison only from the 1980s onwards. Modern saisons are not exclusively brewed seasonally.

Reader's Guide

Saison's significance lies in its transformation from a regional Belgian specialty into a globally recognized style. The style's modern identity was shaped largely by American importers and writers in the late 20th century, who redefined it as a 'farmhouse ale'—a term not used in older sources. This rebranding, along with the influence of Brasserie Dupont's version as an archetype, helped saison gain worldwide popularity. The style is defined by its dry character, achieved through diastatic yeast strains that break down sugars normally unfermentable. These strains, however, can cause cross-contamination in breweries, leading to over-carbonation and recalls. Modern saisons may include spices such as orange zest, coriander, or ginger, and their color ranges from cloudy golden to reddish-amber depending on malt choice. The style's legacy is one of adaptation: from a winter-brewed, low-alcohol beer to a year-round, often higher-alcohol ale that continues to evolve in the hands of brewers worldwide.

Did You Know?

• Saison was historically brewed with low alcohol levels, but modern versions have moderate to high alcohol.
• The diastatic yeast strains used in saison can break down sugars that are normally unfermentable, leading to a very dry beer.
• Cross-contamination of diastatic strains in breweries has caused over-carbonated bottles and cans, necessitating recalls.
• American importer Don Feinberg re-styled saison as a 'hoppy farmhouse ale' in the late 1980s.