You say Season, I say Saison - Autumn Pack Sneak Peak

Greetings fellow BeerMasons and friends,
 
Autumn is on the way and we are ‘frothing’ in anticipation.
 
As promised last week, here is a sneak peak of BeerMasons Autumn Pack 2010. We rarely pre-announce details of our new-season brews, but we just can’t hold this snippet back.
 
We are all beer hunters at heart and you’ll appreciate it when we say that tracking this beer down took enthusiasm and determination.
 
This beer was created with passion and precision and the brewers are stoked that BeerMasons across Australia will be sampling their wares. We want to send them photos of you guys enjoying their beer, so keep those cameras handy and send in your shots.
 
What excites us other than the taste, is the story of this brewery and what it says about the craft beer scene.  
 
Without further ado – one of the ‘stars’ in your Autumn pack is a 750ml bottle of Saison d’Erpe-Mere, created by Belgian microbrewery, De Glazen Toren.
 
Named for its town of origin and hailing from the Aalst region in East Flanders, this is a rare and delectable beer.
 

In a country where beer is revered and mastered, with strong traditions and even stronger artisanal brands, what does it take to start up a new craft brewery? How does it differ from the experience of new craft brewers in other countries?
 
Closer to Autumn, we will share more of the De Glazen Toren story and introduce you to the brewers, Jef Van den Steen and Dirk De Pauw.
 
In the interim and to get your taste buds warmed up, below is a refresher on the Saison style.
 
Until next time, here’s to better beer.
 
The BeerMasons
 
You say Season, I say Saison...

The Saison style is a firm favourite of many BeerMasons. French for season, a Saison is typically an effervescent, slightly tart ale, pale orange to golden in colour with a glorious, rocky crowning head. They tend to be unfiltered and slightly hazy and feature balanced, dry and quenching bitterness and floral, peppery aromas. To the uninitiated it is a style that is confronting at first, yet quickly becomes a favourite.

Saison was originally a product of farms in Wallonia, located in French-speaking southern Belgium. It was brewed, in part, by using less rich winter barley to quench the thirst of the summer farmhands without getting them intoxicated. Its creation was a clever adaption by the brewers to seasonal produce and an appreciation of the art of preservation. It was brewed at the end of winter with the aim of lasting through the summer without the aid of refrigeration.

An iconic Saison that most beer hunters will be familiar with is Saison Du Pont. Thanks to the likes of Du Pont and De Glazen Toren, the style is hurtling back into fashion with both beer enthusiasts and brewers.

Testament to this was a recent kerfuffle in New Zealand where a major brewery relinquished its trade mark of Saison, having never released a Saison to the market. Had the trademark been enforced, it could have effectively banned the import of true Belgian Saison beers – unless the word Saison was removed from the label. Could you imagine talking to a BELGIAN brewer and saying: "By the way, you just can’t call it Saison!” It could also have prevented any other NZ brewer selling a Saison style under that name.

Not surprisingly, the term ‘farmhouse ale’ is increasingly being used by brewers to describe both the Saison and Biere de Garde styles or anything a little bit "funky" for that matter. The Belgian Brewers Association may soon have to look into protecting the naming convention in similar fashion to the Trappists and the wine makers of Champagne if the trademark shenanigans continue.

Australian craft brewers are producing some beautiful Saisons. Obviously, BeerMasons members have enjoyed Ron Fergulio’s Temple Saison. Ben Krause from Bridge Road Brewers also gets a nod for his Saison.

Fellow BeerMasons – What’s your favourite Australian Saison? Let us know

 

NOT YET A BEERMASON? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? 
 
ORDER NOW - GRAB YOUR WELCOME PACK & GET SIPPING!
There is no time like the present. We only have limited memberships as beer this good is not so easy to get. Our Autumn members pack is close to over subscribed. In the very near future, a membership may be scarce!