Spring is Saison Saison

If it hasn't already become apparent I am a huge fan of the saison and other farmhouse ales. A lot of you are already familiar with this style so bear with me! The saison is a bottle-conditioned ale usually made from pale malts and known for complex citrusy, grassy, spicy, and barnyard notes.

This is achieved either by mixing strains of Belgian yeast and/or sometimes by adding spices. Brettanomyces yeast can also add varying levels of tartness and rustic flavors. It's also typically hazy golden with very high carbonation a mild presence of noble hops. This style is closely related to the bière de garde, its maltier cousin, also associated with Francophone Belgium.

So I was pretty over the moon to read that San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Co. has released a seasonal saison style ale. It's described as having flavors of "banana esters and cloves" with a citrusy character from locally sourced lemon grass, lemon peel, and a touch of ginger. I'm on it.

As I mentioned the other day the saison, a style considered endangered in recenr years, is having something of a moment and experiencing increased sales in the U.S. Well, Brewery Ommegang's Three Eyed Raven saison can only accelerate this rise in popularity.

Three-Eyed Raven is the latest release of Ommegang's wildly popular Game of Thrones series of beers released annually and this brew is described by Ommegang as:

The ominous Three-Eyed Raven inspired us to brew a Dark Saison ale, a hybrid style open to brewer’s imagination. In the end it is neither a pure saison nor your typical dark beer, but instead a delectable blend that both deceives and thrills the senses.

I'm the only human who doesn't watch Game of Thrones so the name and ominous undertones don't mean a great deal to me but I'm very excited to try this saison with a twist. It becomes available this month and to nobody's surprise, the bottle looks dope.

And lastly, this hasn't made the news yet, but I went to the grocery store yesterday and a cold bottle of Goose Island's saison style mix. Named after the granddaughter of Goose Island's founder, this mix is 80% Belgian style ale and 20% a similar Belgian style ale aged in wine casks with orange peels. It sounds fresh and punchy and I'm very, very excited to drape myself languidly on some patio furniture while I drink it.

Image from Aspen Peak Magzine.