Where can I buy a bottle of Saison?

[brewhaha]

The Tesco St Austell "Sayzon" is a good example of the style in my book. It's not up there with DuPont's but for £1.50, it's pretty darn great. The Belgian pale of theirs in Tesco is also nice.

 

[dad_of_jon]

What’s it like?
St Austell brew the M&S Cornish Saison that’s a bit naff.

It was ok actually.

 

[bigshineybike]

bridgend service station is a good place to buy rare bottles.

https://www.ratebeer.com/p/bridgend-service-station/47549/

 

[-Bezza-]

The trouble with "saison" is that it got used as a name for anything experimental for quite some time and so a lot of stuff that is called a saison simply isn't reflective of a traditional saison. For example: https://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/beer/ba-applelation/ To be fair, their non barrel aged version was a tasty beer, irrespective of what the style was.

 

[Brew_DD2]

The trouble with "saison" is that it got used as a name for anything experimental for quite some time and so a lot of stuff that is called a saison simply isn't reflective of a traditional saison. For example: https://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/beer/ba-applelation/ To be fair, their non barrel aged version was a tasty beer, irrespective of what the style was.

Absolutely agree with that. Same thing happened with Gose a couple of years ago too.

 

[Bobtheblob]

Had to laugh at that description of the Barrell Aged Applelation...a wet forest floor with hints of marshmallow.

 

[Sadfield]

What's a traditional Saison though?

 

[Alex.mc]

I doubt there is a traditional Saison. French or Belgian..... so many different versions and approaches. And it's probably a style that has morphed and changed over time.
Pushed... I would say that like it or not, Dupont Saison probably would be accepted as the primary example of the basis of the style.... these days anyway.

 

[Hoddy]

Does anyone know of any supermarkets or high street shops that sell Saison?

What are you looking to achieve? Do you want to taste a “to style” beer or are you trying to see if you like it? As others have said there are two distinct style groups. French and Belgian. Both are subtly different.

Me personally I am a bit of a French Saison lover and I brew a few versions of it with diff yeasts. I’m personally less into the Belgian saisons.

So knowing what you are after will help pointing you at the right beer to try.

 

[Sadfield]

I doubt there is a traditional Saison. French or Belgian..... so many different versions and approaches. And it's probably a style that has morphed and changed over time.
Pushed... I would say that like it or not, Dupont Saison probably would be accepted as the primary example of the basis of the style.... these days anyway.

It's an interesting one. Of the two beers mentioned.

Saison DuPont, a post industrial revolution Saison brewed on a Belgian farm, with all the knowledge of yeast strain isolation and selection. Other than the location of the brewery, probably has little connection to the brewer making a beer from 'on hand' ingredients for their labourers.

Beavertown Applelation. Similarly, no real connection to the true Saison brewer being brewed on an industrial estate in England. Yet, fermented with a mixture of wild yeasts and containing apples, an ingredient familiar to a true farmhouse brewers. Known by brewers of old as being key to fermentation, even if they didn't know the finer details of yeast, when making beer or cider.

Personally, I think it's hard to pick which is the most authentic. I think brewing a Saison is more about adopting the spirit of a farmhouse brewer than following a rigid style guide. Anything goes, if it feels appropriate.

 

[Jon75]

Tesco have recently started selling St Feuillien Saison which is one of my favourites.

 

[Bobtheblob]

Thanks. Will keep an eye out for that next time I'm there.