Saison

Saison (French, "season," ) is a broadly defined pale ale that in modern versions is generally around 7% abv, highly carbonated, fruity, spicy - sometimes from the addition of spices -, and is influenced by Saison Dupont Vieille Provision. As a beer style it originated from beers brewed during the cooler and less active months in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, and then stored for drinking by the farm workers during the summer months. It is believed that these farmhouse beers would have been of a lower abv than modern saisons - probably initially around 3 to 3.5% abv on average, rising in the early 20th century to between 4.5 and 6.5% abv. Modern saisons are brewed in a range of countries, particularly the USA, and are generally bottle conditioned.

Historically, saisons did not share identifiable characteristics to pin them down as a style, but rather were a group of refreshing summer ales made by farmers. Modern saisons brewed in the USA tend to copy the yeast used by the Dupont Brewery, which ferments better at warmer temperatures—29 to 35 °C (84 to 95 °F)—than the standard 18 to 24 °C (64 to 75 °F) fermenting temperature used by other Belgian saison brewers.

Read more about Saison:  History, Composition