A Salute to Saisons (2020-2021)

I thought there was something different about the label when I picked up a bottle last week, I didn't realize it was a brown bottle now! I'm color blind so I'm used to not noticing when the color things change, which is super handy when the girlfriend gets her hair done. Looks like I'm drinking that bottle tonight!

 

I am late but am in.

 

Actually it's only one, Saison D'Erpe-Mere from KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren. The other beer I was thinking of is really more of a funky wild ale from OEC.

 

Mmmm. Can I drink Tank 7 every Saturday??

 

Early 2018 I believe. My bottle had a date on it, and I want to say it was something like February or March '18. Whether or not there are later bottlings on the shelf or not, is another question.

@Stormfield's incident is unfortunate. My bottle was treated quite well, and I did not experience any light-struck effects. I can definitely see it being an issue with a mistreated or improperly stored bottle. I did a little when I see beer shelves directly beneath windows in shops.

 

I'll have to look for a date on the next bottle but sounds like I'd better get on those lest they go bad!

 

It's America. I 'say' yes!

Cheers to you!

 

Count me in for #SaisonSunday. I haven’t posted routinely in the WBAYDN thread for several years so maybe this will bring me back...

 

And permit me to 'remind' you of the ongoing New Beer Sunday thread which is a great community of folks IMO.

Cheers!

 

It's #SaisonSaturday. But you can drink some on Sunday too.

 

Drink and post whenever, I say. @mrmattosgood, our de facto leader in this thread, likes Saturday as a day to rally around the saison, but I bet he won’t discriminate against Sunday.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Sure is. This past week I had:
Dupont, Vapeur's Saison de Pipaix, Blaugies La Vermontoise, De Glazen Toren Saison d'Erpe-Mere, and Barrier's Makin' Waves 001 (a local that was very nice).

But despite that indulgent list above, I normally don't buy many these days since I mainly want Belgian imports and it's hard to find ones that aren't old.

I feel that we overprescribe the term, and use it to describe an entire output from some brewers rather than just a select few beers from them. With that in mind, sticking to beers that are labeled saisons by the brewers, these are my favorites:

Saison Dupont (standard, dry-hopped)
Vapeur Saison de Pipaix
Blaugies Saison d’Epeautre / La Vermontoise
Saison Cazeau
Fantom Saison
Jandrain-Jandrenouille IV
and any saison from Brasserie de la Senne

If I was getting an American beer, pretty much the only producers that I buy are:
Allagash, Cambridge Brewing Company, Hill Farmstead, Blackberry Farm

Tell me about it.

I haven't had any problems with a Blaugies beer being light-struck yet (but be careful with those corks!). I have encountered it as a problem with Thiriez before though (but I certainly still buy them).

La Vermontoise has been in production since 2013 or something similar (if that's what you mean). The bottle I just had was a 2018 750ml bottle. I don't know the year that the smaller bottles started to show up. I do not like "aged" saisons, but beggars can't be choosers. That 2018 Blaugies bottle had a character that I also get with old Duponts - something that I can only describe as having a diacetyl-like slickness. I'm not saying that it's diacetyl, and it could totally be my imagination. Perhaps the age factor isn't even the culprit despite my impressions that it is. Whatever the case, Dupont seems very susceptible to it. I adore Dupont, but I always worry when buying it. Regardless, I don't regret getting that 2018 La Vermontoise, and I definitely enjoyed the beer, but it didn't feel like it was in good shape to me.

Cheers.

 

Chris, do you have a 'cut off' point for a Saison being too old? Is it one year? Or is it two years?

Cheers!

 

Might have trouble participating this week as I will be driving for most of the day. Will do my best.

 

For me sadly I loathe the style more almost than any. Nice idea, but not my jam and I have so many other great options for beer choices. Cheers man.

 

I dig it. Do homebrewed saisons count? It is probably my favorite style to brew at home.

I'm surprised that there aren't more commercial examples (at least that I can find), of saisons utilizing the newer US and NZ/AUS super fruity hops. Right Proper tends to do a good job with them.

 

I don't have one that would be universally applied. Many of these beers don't have dates or they have impossible to confidently decipher codes... so any rule wouldn't even be applicable. I also have different cut-offs for different beers depending on availability. If I saw a well-priced Jandrain-Jandrenouille IV, I'd get one even though I'd assume it was old. I wouldn't do the same for a more commonly available beer. Unless I'm hankering for a Saison Dupont, I won't buy it if it's over a year old... that's IF I can even reasonably determine the age. At the same time, looking at other beers in Dupont's range, I've had both good and bad results buying old bottles (some very old)... with very little predictability. These aren't bulk purchases for me. More often than not, we're talking about a single 750, and it's essentially a fun treat. Needless to say, I believe I'm much more of a glutton for punishment in this realm than you.