Traditionally brewed during the colder months, saison is a farmhouse ale that was stored for summer drinking by the seasonal workers, saisonniers, in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium.
In the eighteenth century, when this style emerged, clean drinking water was in short supply and beer was provided to the workers to slake their thirst under the hot summer sun. Therefore, it’s likely that they weren’t that strong – about 3% to 3.5% ABV – and, due to brewers having access only to local ingredients, would come in as many varieties as there were farms. As water became cleaner, so saison ales became scarcer, but breweries managed to keep them going, eventually amalgamating them into a more or less unified style.
Our farmhouse saison, Infinite Improbability, is a very English take on this Belgian classic. While it uses Belgian Belle Saison yeast to give it the peppery notes that are characteristic of the style, this is paired English ale yeast and B.claussenii for a fruitier body. The English twist continues with English malts and a dry-hopped finish of archer hops.
The ale retains the slightly cloudy, golden hue typical of the modern saison, but has a rounder mouth feel than its Belgian relatives and, at 6.7% ABV, it’s more in line with its modern counterparts than the original water substitutes.
Because it’s a farmhouse ale and we only produce a small amount each year, we label it up with our farmhouse-style labels and let the beer speak for itself. If you’d like to get your hands on some (in KeyKeg or bottle), please Contact Us.
