The 'Season' for Saison

I wanted to kick off this inaugural Corner Stool blog with reviews because that in essence is what beer tasting is all about. Over Memorial Day weekend, myself and a buddy of mine gathered a gaggle of prime examples of our favorite style of beer – Saisons. The Franco-Belgian tradition of saison brewing goes back thousands of years as the beer was made during the winter and stored for seasonal farm workers. In French, saison means “season,” and the beer was made for “saisonnières. There could be arguments made on whether American versions of the style should fall into a different category, much like American-made champagne should be labeled as sparkling white wine (has anybody else watched the Rob Lowe balcony scene in the first Wayne’s World lately), as it does not originate from Champagne, France. But that should be something left to more enlightened individuals than myself. There is recently a trend of American-made sour beers that use wild yeast strains and a new-ish category of American Wild Ale has been termed. These brews are influenced by Franco-Belgian sour brewing traditions emulating saisons and unblended lambics. Give Jolly Pumpkin's La Roja or Ommegang's Ommegeddon a taste, both are pretty easily available right now.

So, as you can tell from the accompanying photo my friend and I did not mess around when it came to this important mission. The best part about this review is that most of these beers are pretty available throughout Michigan and northern Ohio, but some of the brews, such as the Fantômes we were able to procure, are fairly difficult to locate throughout Washtenaw and Wayne counties anyway; but it’s out there. So, I decided not to review everything we drank but rather what I felt were the best examples of the style. So, without further delay, here we go:

Brassiere Fantôme – Brise BonBons and Fantôme Saison

Fantôme (French for Phantom) beers carry a bit of a Holy Grail air about them. While some areas of the country have easy access and good distribution, they are still regarded by saison lovers as probably the best traditional representation of the style, next to Brassiere Dupont which makes Saison Dupont and Foret among others. I like to say that the regular Fantôme Saison, Saison Dupont and Foret, make up a holy trinity of sorts for saison brewing. You simply can’t go wrong.

I chose to package my review of the Brise BonBons and Fantôme Saison because they are pretty similar in appearance, nose and drinkability. Both brews poured very flat but I have heard that has been a long running characteristic of Fantôme beers, during the tasting there was a comment made that Fantôme doesn’t fully ferment out their beers leaving behind soluble sugars thus lessening the carbonation and head. But I have also heard that Fantôme is famous for their inconsistency, I read a review not too long ago where a couple friend put together two different vintages of the Fantôme Printemps, opened them at the same time, and got completely different results. Either way, these kinds of things only lend credence to the brewery's rustic character and charm.

The appearance is a hazy, turbid copper with absolutely no head – it was a bit odd to see a beer our like that to be perfectly honest, I had seen it cask conditioned ales.

Both Brise BonBons and Fantôme Saison come at you with a very strong and spritzy nose, with notes of red wine, seltzer and aromatics. The taste for both (like I said, they’re pretty similar at least the two bottles we had) is a wonderful mélange of winey notes, lots of fruits and esters, and a strong complexity of mustiness or moss in the finish which lingers around. The consistency of the brew reminded me more of an unblended lambic (without massive tartness) rather than a smooth drinking saison like Saison Dupont or Foret.

Drinking these two beers was more of an experience than just a tasting. There simply is nothing like it in the American craft beer market, unfortunately.

Flying Dog – Wild Dog Colorado Saison

And just when I make a comment on the lacking nature of American style saisons, we come to probably the best state-side representation in the market. This beer, like the Fantômes, is very hard to find in our retail area, at least I have never seen it and if there is anybody who has let me know so I can corner the market.

This tasting marked probably the fourth or fifth time I have had this beer and each time I have found something new. This beer pours a more lemony, pale yellow appearance more likened to Saison Dupont and distributes a nice, foamy two-fingered head. The taste and mouthfeel of the beer features large citrus notes, candied fruit and there is some mustiness and hay/straw in the background. On a sidenote, much like Saison Dupont as the beer warms up, the tint slowly evolves from a pale yellow to a deep and turbid burnt amber. It's like a magic trick!


Brooklyn – Sorachi Ace Saison

Unlike the previous two, this is a brand new endeavor from famed Brooklyn Brewery (can you guess where it’s located?) and I believe it’s a one-time, seasonal production.

What makes this brew stand out and why I chose to review it out of the rest of the beers we had that weekend, was because of its pleasantly alternative take on saisons. The brew uses the Sorachi Ace hop, usually reserved for citrusy India Pale Ales, and which adds lemon, grapefruit, clove and juniper-type notes in the nose and taste. It pours with a large, pillowy white head over and although it is more subtle than traditional representations of saison, I feel it was an overall good beer and did a nice job balancing something new with something traditional.