Change my mind about Saisons

Maybe you just don't like them? Just because everybody else loves something doesn't mean you should as well. I myself don't care for steak, yet everybody else loves it and freaks out when I say I don't like steak.

 

I brought this up on the first page!

 

I used to like them, then had a slew of not so great ones.... but I also wonder if I was affected by a change in the seasons.

Regardless, thanks to montrealbcr89 and his HF Arthur I am once again open to enjoying saisons.
Cheers, sir.

 

The only Saison I've ever had is Sneak Attack by 21st Amendment brewing. I liked it a lot and highly recommend it but I honestly don't know much about the beer style.

 

Anna

 

Sante Adarius

 

Not liking Saison Du-Buff? BLASPHEMY!! but seriously it just may not be your style, you listed a lot of good ones you thought were ok or that you didnt like, so maybe the general style isnt for you. I wouldnt fret about that, keep enjoying styles you know you love and revisit others on occassion to see if your tastes have changed.
Happy drinking!

 

I thought this style had/has inherent variability because it was brewed in lots of places, was sort of "wild" fermented, and brewers had the habit of using anything that provided fermentable sugars as the "grain" base? At least that is the impression I get from reading Markowski's book on the origins/evolution of the style. From his book, I could almost interpret saison and other farmhouse ale (he includes biere de garde in the book as separate but related) as having less variation than it had before due to the application of modern brewing methods. Granted, that is one person's interpretation of history I am reading.

Me...I like the variability even though there are certainly shared characteristics. Not arguing, just curious about the comment - like anything else, the modern variants are subject to interpretation.

 

Was citing style benchmarks like Dupont, Pipaix, Thiriez, etc. as opposed to new domestic variants.

 

I think that you are using a pretty good strategy. Tastes do change over time but you don't need to force yours to like something. When I first got into craft after basically avoiding beer for years as being too bland I didn't like "bitter" beers. I started with non-adjunct lagers and heft's. Now I love big IPAs! I am a fan of Saisons and you don't like one of my favorites - Tank 7 but you do like some saisons like Sophie. You may find, with time, that you palate will expand to like more flavorful saisons. I think occasionally sampling them at your local pub is a easy way to do this. You may even want to find a place that offers 1/2 pours. This may work for you as you do seem to like some saisons. If you didn't like any, I wouldn't even recommend your current strategy as there is little sense in buying something you don't like at all. Then you would just wait until someone offers a free sample.

 

I love saisons, but will admit many of them just don't strike me as good beers. It seems to be a very picky type to make at least to my liking. I tried brewing one once, and it was ok, so I stopped as it's apparently a tricky one to nail down. You have 3 excellent ones there. My fav hands down is from a Minnesota brewery actually Ovalde, Auroch's Horn is it's name. The version he does with rhubarb is an amazing beer, one I enjoy on a different level than many beers.

 

I guess I love the IPA/DIPA flavor profile more so than anything else. I've tried Stone's Saison, and several other Saison's rated at 4 or above. However, I get a weird sour/funk flavor. Are there any saisons that have a more malty/hoppy/fruity taste? Or is this style suited for people with iron stomachs. I had wicked heart burn, much similar to when I tried Flander's and sours.

 

Rather new to the style myself, but Off-Color Apex Predator was pretty malty, and Allagash saison was on the more balanced side as well.

 

Saisons are awesome, but it took me a while to appreciate them. Some of my beer drinking friends still aren't really fans.

But when you fall for them, you can fall hard.

 

Funk is one of the most common characteristics of a saison-but every saison has a different amount and approach to the funky aspect. There are some really soft saisons out there. Most are not sour.

Without knowing specific saisons that you have tried- a good, standard saison to seek out is Saison Dupont. Its pretty traditional and offers just about everything you'd expect in a good example. Brooklyn Local 1 is supposed to be saison-like but is filed under BSPA here-its not very funky.

Saisons are one of my favorite styles-but a lot are quite experimental and they can get really funky/sour so be sure to look over the text of the review more than the score when making a purchase. What other saisons have you tried?

 

What do you think of Orval? Spendy stuff but try that and see what you think.
It might be a stepping stone for you to the subtle but enjoyable complexities of a good Saison.

 

Try a Tank 7 floral hops some spice very good Also Like Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

 

Didn't know Local 1 is more saison. Actually, it's one of my favorite BSPA's. Orval was way too foamy, but quite good. I may have to try Hennepin. Sounds intriguing. I think it is the funk and horse blanket that's turning me off from this style.

 

Orval is a brett bomb so I doubt OP will like it.