Made my way out to Pizza Peel tonight for what they said was 1 of 12 kegs in the state of North Carolina filled with Sierra Nevada’s Brown Saison. Before the review, let me say that I like Sierra Nevada’s brews, but I’ve never been a huge fan.
Also, I’ve never heard of Saison-style before, a quick Wikipedia search gave me:
Saison (French, “season”) is the name originally given to refreshing, low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, to refresh farm workers during harvest season. Modern-day saisons are also brewed in other countries, particularly USA, and are generally bottle conditioned, with an average range of 5 to 8% abv, though saisons at the more traditional 3.5% strength can still be found.
Although saison has been described as an endangered style, there has been a rise in interest in this style in recent years, with Saison Dupont being named “the Best Beer in the World” by the magazine Men’s Journal in July 2005.
Historically saisons did not share identifiable characteristics to pin them down as a style, but were rather a group of refreshing summer ales. Each farm brewer would make his own distinctive version. Modern saisons brewed in the USA tend to copy the yeast used by Brasserie Dupont, which ferments better at blood warm temperatures (85 to 95 Fahrenheit) than the standard 65 to 75 Fahrenheit fermenting temperature used by other Belgian saison brewers.
So, definitions and confessions aside, let me simply say that I loved this beer – beautiful brown draft pour, with the perfect slight head to top it off. The beer itself, upon tasting, was pretty complex. Definitly a lot going on and the spice flavors and ale tastes combined nicely. The big payoff came on the finish, where it was unexpectedly dry and delicious. I almost felt as if the taste evaporated off my tongue, encouraging me to have another sip. Remember I’m drinking this at a place where the Beer Club gives points for trying different beers… I wound up ordering nothing but the Sierra Nevada Brown Saison for the rest of the evening. If your local pub is serving it, give it a try. If you’re in Charlotte, check it out at the Pizza Peel in Cotswold.
Rate: 9.5 of 10 - One of the best, if not the best, Brown I’ve ever had.
