Change my mind about Saisons

Funny... I like Saisons a lot but didn't care for Pepe Nero that much. It is a good beer but to me it just doesn't have the characteristics of a Saison. Boulevard Saison-Brett is a world class beer though.

 

Saisons brewed by Hill Farmstead, Grassroots, Crooked Stave, Jolly pumpkin, Anchorange, Logsden, and Upright are some of the best in craft beer. All favorites of mine!

 

I really like Heavy Seas Red Sky At Night. I really dont care for Lagunitas Sapient Trip.

 

I feel you on Hill Farmstead, Grassroots, and Crooked Stave. I haven't had any others really do it for me though. But those are some of my favorite beers in general. I'd choose their saisons almost any other beer if given the choice (except some Belgian Gueuzes maybe)

 

Saisons as a style category have a ton of variability now - they didn't use to. I suggest trying as many as possible, making notes about what you like & dislike about each one, thereby narrowing down what your palate particularly enjoys. Once you've determined that, go on the sites or blogs and look for reviews that describe those characteristics. I adore saisons as a style, but there are many with certain individual profiles I don't go for. Sorachi Ace is one of them - I want to taste the yeast-induced spiciness in a dryish saison, not a single-hopped, high IBU version - simply because I don't care for really hoppy beers that interfere with my enjoyment of the spicy dryness I particularly enjoy. I will still try them all with gusto - but I will always come back to that profile as most personally enjoyable for me.

 

Its okay that you don't like a stye of beer. I despise sours. That's the beauty of craft, for everyone that you do not like. There is dozen of styles that you will like.

 

I really liked Tank 7, but I really haven't tried any of the others yet.

 

I prefer my saisons with a little Brett in them. Two of my favorites:

Lost Abbey's Carnevale
Logsdon's Saison Bretta

 

I think you meant Dark Horse Sapient Trip (Ale), which is a tripel, not a saison (see the name TripAle= Tripel)

 

I'm surprised more people aren't suggesting the Fantome Saison.

I know they have been known to have bottle bottles here and there, but I'm not a huge saison fan and this beer has impressed me several times.

 

Funk in saisons is my latest passion, but the dry yeasty presence is still there in the ones I love most. As for Fantome, everything Dany Prignon brews is a virtual one-off - very little consistency batch-to-batch. So it can be exciting to try the latest Fantome release, but I have not always been pleased due to quality-control issues. Dany is a raging free spirit, (which I love!) but it doesn't mean I can afford to buy all his "variants" blindly without finding out how they size up first. They are truly the "wild card" of the saison category!

 

Hennepin is absolute beauty. If you like spiciness and a dry finish then you can't dislike Hennepin from Ommegang.

 

I hate anything darker than an amberish red ale but my girlfriend loves em so I'm trying

 

Based on the list of what you like, it seems like you gravitate toward beers that are similar in character to champagne (though not necessarily champagne beers). If that's the case, maybe stick to some that are true champagne beers. There's also this list of some similar beers that may help.

 

Don't know if u can get st Arnold's their but I doubt it,at any rate if u could they had one in their icon series I think it was gold,it was a saison and probably the best I have had.

 

Anything from Hill Farmstead's Saisons are amazing... without exception. If you don't like theirs I feel like the style may not be for you. They have a ton of good ones that all accuratley represent the style. There are a lot of crappy saisons out there, in fact I would say more than any other style.... IMO

 

How about this: what is it that you liked about the saisons you DID like, and what is it about the saisons that you DISliked that displeased you?

 

Sad it took two pages for somebody to raise this highly salient set of questions.

 

Hey, what can I say? I'm a Saison Advocate.