Saisons

I prefer them fresh but if you can swing it grab two and drink one now and cellar one. I have had some bretty beers age well and others mellow out and get bland. Anything that is pasteurized wont do much changing do to lack of yeast but might still be worth doing just to see. I always try and buy at least two bottles of beer I like and see how some age effects them. Its more of a personal preference than tried and true rules on what ages better.

Saisons were brewed late fall and set back till the late summer harvest. The style has changed but that's how it used to be done.

 

I prefer saisons on the fresher side.

 

Funny that this topic should come up as I am just about to open up a 2010 GI Sofie. Recently had a year old Du Pont that was not as good as it was fresh. not sure how long it had been sitting on the shelf though, and that green bottle... damn that green bottle.

 

Recently had a 2011 Sofie that was kept at 70 and dark for 8 months. Delicious.

 

2010 GI Sofie is still holding up. Still very carbonated and has a good tartness to it. Getting a lot of pineapple and green apple on top of the grassy flavor that comes with a good saison. Not quite as full bodied as a fresh bottle, but definitely still good. Bottled November 2010, I think this one could last up to another year. Definitely worth hanging on to for a while.

 

If you can find any, Fantome is one of the best aging candidates out there. It can do some funky things and you never quite know what you'll get; it varies greatly batch to batch. As others have said, Sofie also improves with age in my opinion.

 

drink them fresh. sure some of the wilder farmhouses may randomly evolve positively, a la fantome (although rarely since they scrubbed yeast about 10 years ago), but the dry crisp estery style is intended for now.

 

IMO, Saison Brett is delicious fresh or aged but I prefer it with at least year on it. The beer becomes more tart and funky if thats what you like. The fresher it is tastes more clean and refined if that makes sense. I can't wait to have my little 3 year vertical pretty soon.

Obviously Saison Brett will age differently then most other saisons due to the brett so I guess I barely answered your question.

 

I'd say in my experience the vast majority of saisons have been better fresh rather than aged.

Now there are certainly exceptions (Most Hill Farmstead saisons get better with at least 4-6 months in my opinion, Saison Brett, Goose Island Sofie, the Logsdon saisons so far, McKenzie bretted saisons to a point), but with the exception of Goose Island Sofie which I still have yet to have an aged bottle that didn't impress, even these are occasionally crapshoots.

Saison is a style that can stay stable and hang around for a few months to a year in most cases (as long as its not hop forward), but rarely do the actually get better with age past a year to 18 months at most even with barrel aging / Brett / bugs / etc...

Cheers!