The 750 Saison

So when is a saison a farmhouse beer… or when is a farmhouse beer a saison? Brewers and drinkers might use the terms interchangeably. This site puts them in the same style listing, but that doesn’t mean that they are one and the same. At the beginning of Phil Markowsky’s book, he says that the term “farmhouse ale” denotes two style groups - saison and bier de garde. I don’t know where the term originates from. By many’s definition of ales vs lagers, “farmhouse ales” is already inappropriate just for using the term ale. In Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion, he doesn’t link saison and bier de garde, but he does mention “farmhouse breweries” when describing bier de garde.

In an online article about farmhouse ales, Phil Markowski states that, “Today, outstanding versions of farmhouse ale are not and need not be brewed on a farm.” Taking a look at the beer aisle in the store (and ignoring the “outstanding” part), it is clearly the case that brewing location is not a prerequisite for calling a beer a saison, bier de garde, or even a farmhouse ale.

I find it absurd when someone uses their own definition for any of the style terms, but I’m a hypocrite and often guilty of the same. Personally, I think of saison and bier de garde as beer styles (however loose), and farmhouse ales as beers that are brewed on a farmhouse. See, I’m such a hypocrite that I don’t even think of farmhouse ales in the same way as the man who wrote the book on them.

Today, people are using the term farmhouse ale to describe traditional beer brewed on a farmhouse outside of the France/Belgium mold. Here’s a recent article from BeerAdvocate magazine on breweries in Estonia.

The last beer in the thread, Jester King Simple Means, is called a farmhouse Altbier by the brewer… not because it’s a saison, but because it’s brewed at a farmhouse. I’m OK with this. Having said that, whenever I see Long Trail’s Farmhouse Collection variety pack, I always expect to see saisons in it, but it actually has IPAs, Viennas, Berliners, etc. There are packaged “saisons” that don’t have the word saison on the bottle, but use the term farmhouse ale instead. The muddiness does get confusing.

There’s clearly no such thing as right or wrong here and it’s a fool’s game to completely think otherwise. Nonetheless, I’m left scratching my head when I see someone claim that the differences between saisons and farmhouse ales have to do with ABV, attenuation, “funk” level, malt bill, etc. What are they basing this on?

Here’s a blog post with an interesting perspective. The author feels that the equipment and certain techniques are defining factors. Here’s a quote:

There’s also a notion that farmer/brewers used whatever they would have had at hand on the farm… whatever grains, herbs, etc were in season and available. Personally, I feel that this romantic notion (however accurate) has become a ball and chain to saison brewing rather than the other way around. Some modern brewers seem to feel that they have the freedom to put whatever they want to in their saison due to this. It’s a tiresome escape clause that’s diluting the style in my eyes.

All of that brings me to this beer:



Plan Bee Pickle

This isn’t a saison, but I think of it as a farmhouse ale. I can easily imagine the brewers agreeing. They don't call it a saison, so my comment above about diluting the style doesn't apply. I think they call their beers "barn beer" style or something like that. Evan and Emily Watson are the owners of Plan Bee in Poughkeepsie NY. They brew beer on their farm. Their plan is to make their beer from only NY State ingredients… and as much from their own farm as possible. This includes malt, hops… even the oak used for aging and the soap used for cleaning. Plan Bee is a NY “farm brewery,” which means that at least 20% of their ingredients are grown in NY… and this gives them the ability to sell their beer at farmers’ markets. Plan Bee is going for 100% sourcing rather than 20.

The fruits, vegetables, and herbs that they use are grown on their farm. Since their beers are tied to their agriculture, their beers are seasonal by necessity rather than a self-imposed limitation.

The yeast that Evan uses for his beer is extracted from the honey that comes from their bee hives on their farm. He feels that honey is the ideal source for obtaining terroir. He could cultivate yeast from the fruits grown on their farm, but the yeast from the honey reflects everything within a three mile radius.

This particular beer is called pickle because it tastes like one. It has the flavors of dill, cucumber/pickle, and oak. I’m not a fan of beers that emulate other foods and this is no exception even though it’s both unique and a quality product. It encourages sipping rather than drinking. When I was a child, my parents were very serious about their vegetable garden. They would often give me a pickle jar that had nothing left but the pickle juice and order me to go to the garden and “collect” Japanese beetles. Unfortunately, drinking this beer just makes me feel like I’m sipping from the beetle death trap. Insect guilt is a powerful thing, but Plan Bee’s work is certainly admirable.



Plan Bee photo courtesy of @M-Fox24

 

Smuttynose Smistletoe

As I slowly bring this thread to a halt, this is a nice beer to include. It's a Christmas beer, and although I've included the French tradition of a "Biere de Noel," I intend to transition out of these "Farmhouse Ales" as the winter season approaches.

Smuttynose calls this a biere de garde. The bottle/packing is absolutely terrific this year. The name of this beer is also fantastic. It is brewed with cherries, plums, and currants. It is aged on oak.

I was sort of expecting this beer to be like a strong dark Belgian ale rather than a biere de garde. This is probably due to the Christmas theme and the fruit additions. This beer isn't like that at all. The beer is a gorgeous light red. Rather than being very malty, it's quite the opposite. The malt is wispy and barely there. I don't notice any oak, but I bet the aging was critical regardless. The cherries and currants are front and center. It's a little tart and very fruity. I would guess that there were cranberries in the mix rather than plums. Carbonation is a little prickly. Hops are working very well as a balancing ingredient. I think this beer would work very well in a festive atmosphere or with a holiday meal. It's restrained and characterful - which is a great combination. A great beer.

 

I forgot to mention that Smistletoe is brewed with saison yeast. In my mind, it's not a biere garde, it's not to a style.

 

I posted my reactions to that Schlafly beer on New Beer Sunday a while ago. I think you'll agree with some of what I wrote:

That beer is classified here as an "American IPA" which is not a good fit in my mind. If you read the BeerAdvocate description of the "Belgian IPA," it's a much better fit: "Various malts are used, but the beers of the style are finished with Belgian yeast strains (bottle-conditioned) and the hops employed tend to be American." I obviously think saison is a better fit over American IPA too.

 

Your cranberry homebrew is legendary around here, but I think you're misinterpreting me. There are no cranberries in the beer, but I was saying that if someone handed me the beer blindly, I would guess that they were within the mix... and that plums were not. I got some cranberry flavor, but cherry was louder. By saying it was fruity, I was commenting on the beer as a whole, not a cranberry flavor specifically, but cranberries are fruits, so it's also my fault for using such a non-specific term. This is an appropriate time of the year for this conversation.

@LeRose

 

"zid-ism," now I'm getting scared.

I've never been a fan of the term "Belgian IPA." It doesn't help that it's usually used as a tag for a hoppy Belgian beer or an American take on a super hopped up wit.

 

I was just driving up to relatives for the holiday and I stopped the car so my wife could buy a drink. She asked if I wanted anything and I said to buy me something fruity. She came back to the car with an iced tea for me. Disappointed, I said that I asked for something fruity... and she responded that there was lemon in the iced tea. It's very funny how life works out. What goes around comes around.

Cheers Jack and happy Thanksgiving!

( @utopiajane , thought you might enjoy the wife story too)