Saison

Funky Fauna Artisan Ales in Bend, Oregon, ferments their light, quenching house saison with their own locally captured mixed culture.

Inspired by Wallonian farmhouse brewing but rooted in Oregon terroir, Funky Fauna in Bend makes its Wild Saison beers from local ingredients, fermenting them in oak barrels with their wild-caught house culture. Here, cofounder and brewer Michael Frith shares tips on leaning local, developing your own mixed culture, package-conditioning, and more.

There are many interpretations of modern saison. This one, from Oxbow in Newcastle, Maine, features local grains and multiple strains of yeast and bacteria—gently tart and funky, and highly drinkable.

Inspired by Wallonian farmhouse brewing yet distinct from classic saison, today’s modern, funky, mixed-culture creations—whatever you call them—enjoy a refined niche.

From Scratch in Ava, Illinois, this saison recipe features 131 ingredients, all told—their use informed by deep expertise in what to forage, what to grow, and how the different components can safely be used to contribute worthwhile flavors to beer.

Scratch in Ava, Illinois, has won a national reputation for its combination of foraging and flavor finesse. Here’s how the brewery’s duo ended up putting 131 different botanical ingredients into one (very tasty) beer.

From Upright Brewing in Portland, Oregon, here’s a recipe for their light, easy-drinking saison that features a citrus-tropical fruit character balanced by yeast-driven earth and spice.

While modern brewers continue to push the creative envelope with their evolving takes on farmhouse beers, there is nothing quite like the old-fashioned Wallonian ales that inspired them in the first place.

Seattle’s Floodland Brewing may be hyper-focused on saison, but its founder’s broad love of beer inspired this collection of favorites that span modern interpretations of lager, pale ale, cask ale, and—of course—saison.

Looking for a light spring dish with character? This simple salad bring the perfect mix of bitter, sweet, crunchy, creamy, and tangy—and an opportunity to support your local saison.

Topher Boehm, cofounder and brewer at Wildflower in Marrickville, Australia, shares this recipe for their low-strength yet satisfying ale—an ideal framework for conveying a sense of place via local malt and a foraged house fermentation culture.

With local malt and a mixed fermentation culture foraged and harvested from native Australian flowers, Wildflower is focused on producing satisfying table beers with a true sense of place. Cofounder and brewer Topher Boehm explains their approach.

Checking in at just 3.2 percent ABV, Bourgeois Daydreams is the delicate, aromatic table beer at Chicago’s saison-focused Is/Was Brewing. Cofounder and brewer Mike Schallau describes it as “a balance of rustic grains, fresh-hop character, yeast esters, and a sprinkle of Brett funk.”

Simple yet dazzling, farmhouse-inspired beers on the lower end of the ABV spectrum present brewers—and drinkers—with an enthralling riddle.

From Fifth Street Brewpub in Dayton, Ohio, this farmhouse ale gets a dose of cacao pulp at packaging, showcasing the fruit’s sweetness and tropical character while amplifying similar notes from the strain of Brettanomyces.

The former Blackberry Farm Brewery in Maryville, Tennessee, is now known as Peaceful Side, but they continue to brew Classic Saison the way it was envisioned: with Wallonian inspiration and a slight Southern accent.

The team at Peaceful Side in Maryville, Tennessee, shares the process behind the Blackberry Farm Classic Saison—including how they work with a notorious finicky yeast strain.

Much like a great schwarzbier, the combination of color and drinkability makes this one as rewarding in winter as it is refreshing in summer.

Beer color can defy expectations while offering intrigue—such as this creative riff on the saison tradition.

From Beachwood Brewing in Los Angeles, El Verano is a traditional Belgian-style saison with a multigrain twist. This beer won bronze at the Great American Beer Festival in 2012, the brewery’s first year in operation—and Beachwood has taken home at least one GABF medal every year since.