36 culturecheesemag.com DRINKS WITH CHEESE 202 3
S A I S O N
I N T H E N I N E T E E N T H
century,beer was made with readily
available ingredients: a handful of hops
and a scoop of grains, fermented by
the yeast hanging out here, there, and
everywhere in the air. Farmers created
these agrarian ales with artistic license,
typically when the weather cooled and
chilly temperatures staved off unwanted
microbe growth. Often aged until
summer, the finished suds were earthy,
dry, and sometimes agreeably funky
thanks to stints fermenting in the barn.
Today's brewers are experimenting wildly
with the basic style, seemingly with
a singular goal: to produce saisons as
invigorating as they are uniquely complex.
So while the saison is hard to define—it's
no one thing—you can always count on
the inspired style to quench your thirst
when the mercury rises.
J OS H UA M . B E R N S T E I N , Summer 2 016
CASEIFICIO TADDEI TALEGGIO +
Goose Island Beer Company Sofie
OLD CHATHAM CREAMERY
NANCY'S HUDSON
VALLEY CAMEMBERT +
Oxbow Brewing Company Saisontino
BREBIROUSSE D'ARGENTAL +
Saison Dupont
PHOTO:
Beer:
venemama,
Adobe
Stock
O L D C H A T H A M C R E A M E R Y
N A N C Y ' S H U D S O N
VA L L E Y C A M E M B E R T