Springtime Sippers
Saisons are a light but complex beer.
By Daniel Schumacher
Pour slowly, breathe in the cool spring air and watch your humble pint glass fill with a golden Belgian delight known as Saison. Modern brewers revived this yeasty, complex Belgian farmhouse ale, which was popularized in the centuries before convenient refrigeration.
Pouring these beers slowly and gently is of the utmost importance. Since many are unfiltered and bottle-fermented, a layer of yeast coats the bottle’s bottom. Pouring too vigorously upsets the yeast and muddies the yellow to apricot color.
Both of these Saisons are connected to the Belgian province of Hainaut—Brasserie Dupont’s Saison Dupont for its location and Brewery Ommegang’s Hennepin for its namesake, a 16th-century priest/ explorer. Hennepin pours honey-yellow with an slight haze and good head. Appreciate it on warmer nights for its light body, and ginger and tart green apple flavors. Like Hennepin, the sweet and peppery Saison Dupont is assertively effervescent.
A few places to find these refreshing ales include select Western supermarkets, Vulcan Beverage and the new Highland Package Store. Hennepin runs $8.89 per 4-pack, while Saison Dupont comes in a $5.39 12.7 ounce corked bottle or a $16.09 4-pack.
