Beer: Saison’s new artisans

“Historically, saison—or farmhouse ale—was made from the leftover odds and ends of the grain harvest on Belgian farms,” said Ben Mathis-Lilley in New York. American beer artisans have now rekindled the art of brewing this “hot-weather libation.”

Stillwater Stateside Saison ­

Baltimore

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

“Great flavor: an almost Juicy Fruit–sweet banana taste with a hint of sourness.”

Bruery Saison Rue

Placentia, Calif.

This Los Angeles–area brew boasts “a collision of forceful flavors—tart and fruity.” But it’s also earthy, evoking the farms where the style was born.

Ommegang Hennepin

Cooperstown, N.Y.

Packaged in wine-size bottles, this widely available saison is “deliciously mellow,” a crowd-pleaser because it’s “relatively cheap.”