Just curious - is a Saison a session beer?

[Cromwell]

I know it's not a session beer now, but I wonder if that's the origin of the word "session". Since a Saison was originally low alchohol, and since "session" could easily be a bastardization of the word Saison, it seems logical.

Anyone have an etymology?

 

[SlimeyBooger]

Saison is French for season. But it does seem that they were traditionally session beers.

 

[COLObrewer]

Saison = Season, there's some info in the wiki here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Saison

You can find more if you want in the Farmhouse Ales book, not sure if thats the whole title.

 

[trimpy]

Yea, it was the harvest time seasonal beer from whatever they had on hand. Most saisons and recipes I have tried are north of 5% ABV so, while easy drinking because of the dryness of the style, it isn't a beer I would call a session beer. Traditionally they were much lower in ABV... like 3.5%, which would definitely be something you could drink a lot of in a sitting.

 

[Cromwell]

As I understand it, a Saison was originally a low-alchohol beer, used basically as purified water for farmers to drink in the fields without getting drunk.

Drinking a lot of low-alcohol beer without getting drunk is exactly what a session beer is.

Seems logical that "session" is a linguistic corruption of "Saison". I was curious if anyone could provide support for this, or counter it?

 

[dankev]

Take a look at this article:

http://beeradvocate.com/articles/653

 

[eastoak]

any beer can be a session beer if you brew it below a certain ABV. that ABV varies, some people think anything under 5% and others think nothing over 4% and there are probably other opinions on that too.

 

[COLObrewer]

. . . . . .Seems logical that "session" is a linguistic corruption of "Saison". I was curious if anyone could provide support for this, or counter it?

Saison is the french word for Season, there's some info in the wiki here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Saison

 

[TromboneGuy]

I think "session" beer just comes from the idea that it's a beer you can consume multiples of in one drinking session. I don't think it has anything to do with a Saison.

I also think the term "session beer" is kind of goofy and don't ever use it, myself.