Good Saison Recommendations?

Hey guys, I'm looking to branch out and open up to some new beer styles and I decided to give Saison a go. I just had a Ommegang Hennipen on tap the other night and really didn't care for it. To me it was over the top fruity/sweet. I couldn't get much past half way through it before switching back to a tasty IIPA. I had heard it was a decent Saison, so I'm wondering what you Saison drinkers out there think of it and if this is a pretty good representation of the style? Any other recommendations/favorites?

I wasn't a huge fan of Hennepin either, for me it was a little too wine-like. I'm still up for giving it a second shot though. I'm pretty sure you can't get Boulevard in CA, but if you could find somebody in the Midwest to trade with their Tank 7 is really good IMHO. Great Divide's Colette is also one of my favorite Saisons, but it doesn't come out until April I think.

Saison Dupont is a classic. I really dig it.

i second tank 7. i just bottled a tweaked clone recipe

Third for Tank 7.

4th for Tank 7.

Sounds like I'll be on the lookout for Tank 7 for sure. I'll keep an eye out for the other suggestions as well. Feel free to keep the suggestions coming if there are any others. Thanks guys!

twinturboa51 said:

i second tank 7. i just bottled a tweaked clone recipe

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Care to share the recipe?

I dont think youll really find it but if you find reprieve by jailhouse brewery i highly recommend it!!

The Brett'ed version of Tank 7 (Saison - Brett) is incredible.

Also a big fan of Fantome, Funkwerks, Bruery's rye saison, all of the Stillwater saison versions, and Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

I guess I'll fifth the Tank-7. Only one in that style I've tried but made me want to try more.

SW33K said:

I dont think youll really find it but if you find reprieve by jailhouse brewery i highly recommend it!!

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Agreed, Reprieve by Jailhouse is rather tasty.

I love everything by Fantome. My favorite from Dupont is Foret, I like it a lot more than their standard saison.

bovineblitz said:

I love everything by Fantome. My favorite from Dupont is Foret, I like it a lot more than their standard saison.

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Never tried foret, I'll have to look fir it at the store. Tank 7 is awesome like others have mentioned, have a local place with it on tap.

Farmhouse hatter isn't strictly a Saison but its really good

Has anyone brewed a Tank 7 or other Saison and bottled normally without bottle bombs while still achieving a good carbonation level? I'm not equipped to bottle in corked 750s at this time. Kinda makes me not want to bother, if I can't get it just right.

Fantome, Foret, Stillwater, then they go a little farther astray with Russian River and The Bruery

I'll agree Hennepin isn't very saison-like. In my opinion, many of the American beers (or at least most that I've had) labeled as saison or "farmhouse ales" are quite different than those from Wallonia labeled as such. Too big. Too little attenuated. Too much brett. Too dark. Too many spices.

I personally like the following:

Brasserie de Blaugies La Moneuse's and Saison D' Epeautre
Fantôme Saison
Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille's IV
Brasserie Thiriez's Flandre-Kent Les Frères De La Bière and La Blonde D'’Esquelbecq
Brasserie à Vapeur's Saison de Pipaix (although there seems to be a lot of bottle-to-bottle variance)
KleinBrouwerij De Glazen Toren's Saison D'Erpe-Mere
Saison Dupont Biologique

In the US, Southampton Publick House (NY) used to do a very accurate take, but I haven't had access to it in years, and it looks to be retired. McKenzie Brew House (PA) has done some nice examples. I've heard good things about Hill Farmstead Brewery's (VT), but I've yet to have them.

Jack D'Or by Pretty Things is awesome but I've only seen it in the Northeast part of the country. Saison Dupont is good too.

40watt said:

Has anyone brewed a Tank 7 or other Saison and bottled normally without bottle bombs while still achieving a good carbonation level? I'm not equipped to bottle in corked 750s at this time. Kinda makes me not want to bother, if I can't get it just right.

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Yeah I've never had any problems with bottle bombs with my Saisons. I do make sure to ramp the heat up on them (high 70's to high 80's) in the fermenter around 3 or so days into fermentation so as to make sure they attenuate down to 1.002 or so. And also give them about 4 or 5 weeks in the fermenter for that "just in case" factor. Add 5 oz. of corn sugar at bottling and I end up with a nice bubbly Saison in a few weeks.

Interesting the flavor comments on Hennepin. I've only tried it once and thought it tasted like Heineken. Pure skunk. Definitely not wine like or sweet in any way. I must have had a bad bottle, because the rest of Ommegang's beers are top notch IMO.

I love Orval(?) Saison from a partnership with sierra nevada, had on tap at sierra nevada and also in bottle, both awesome. Have one in the fermenter now ready to bottle, hope it is 1/2 as good.

bmckenzie said:

I love Orval(?) Saison from a partnership with sierra nevada, had on tap at sierra nevada and also in bottle, both awesome. Have one in the fermenter now ready to bottle, hope it is 1/2 as good.

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?? I haven't had that one, I have had their Quad (Olivia or something like that) which is damn good.

Saison Dupont is great. A saison shouldn't be "sweet" but it should be very dry, maybe some sweetness flavor from the pilsner malt, but it is a perception of sweetness, not actual cloying sugary taste.

smalliewader said:

Interesting the flavor comments on Hennepin. I've only tried it once and thought it tasted like Heineken. Pure skunk. Definitely not wine like or sweet in any way. I must have had a bad bottle, because the rest of Ommegang's beers are top notch IMO.

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Could have been a bad bottle you got, I found it nothing like heiniken. Hennipen may not be a bad beer, just way to fruity and sweet for my taste. Thanks for all the saison talk guys. Just from all the talk here it looks like I have quite a list to try!

I don't know if Funkwerks makes it over to you in KS, but their flagship, just named "Saison" is great, as well as their imperial saison "Tropic King", formerly "Maori King".

And yeah, Tank 7 is great, and Saison Brett, and Saison Rue, and Saison Dupont, and many many others.

Saison-Brett and Tank 7 are my favorites. Goose Island Sofie is also pretty good, but personally I try not to buy Goose Island since the buyout.

hennepin

Wish I could get (or had even heard of) any of those beers besides Hennepin, Orvila, and Saison Dupont.

SE Virginia is not yet big in the craft beer world. Perhaps it comes from being right next door to a major production point for AB/In-Bev....

I liked North Coast LeMerle.

It's not a Dupont, but it's a nice Saison.

bovineblitz said:

I love everything by Fantome. My favorite from Dupont is Foret, I like it a lot more than their standard saison.

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Not to hijack, but the Moinette from DuPont is also very good. They can do no wrong, imo. Back on topic, their saison is perfection in a bottle.

hogwash said:

Not to hijack, but the Moinette from DuPont is also very good. They can do no wrong, imo. Back on topic, their saison is perfection in a bottle.

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Agreed, everything of theirs that I've tried has been excellent

Ton of great recommendations here. I could pretty much drink only Saison and be completely happy. Here are some of my go to's, a lot have been mentioned.

Stillwater-only avail in the Mid-Atlantic-Outstanding Saison only brewer
Funkwerks- another Saison brewery from CO-outstanding
La Merle
Dupont, Foret, Moinette
Seirra Nevada Ovila
Orval
Hennepin-I love it, it's really the cheapest good Saison available, I buy cases of it
Tank 7
Jack D'or
Sophie, and Pepe Nero
Sorachi Ace-Love this one
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
Saison de Lente
Siason D'Erpe Mere from D'Glazen Toren

Hennepin is a little different, but for me it's a good interpretation. The thing with Saison is that they are all different and you can't really put a them into a stylistic box easily.