Beer Spotlight: Great Divide Brewery Saison Ale

Beer: Saison
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co.
Style: Saison Farmhouse Ale
Suggested Glassware: Beer Chalice

Originally brewed in Belgium by the farmers of the Wallonia Valley for there own drinking pleasure, saison style ales have found their way to the shores of America and have seen a huge growth over the past few years. Entries in 2006 at the Great American Beer Festival showed saison style ales had a 76% increase. This style of beer is slightly tart and refreshing — just what the farmers from Wallonia were looking for during a hard days work. Saison is the French word for ’season’ and the beer is named such because it was brewed during the cooler months and consumed during the summer months by those working in the fields.

Great Divide Brewing Company out of Denver is releasing its own version of this now popular ale. According to the brewery, Saison is Great Divide’s homage to the beers that have quenched the thirst of Belgian farm workers for centuries. The beer is brewed with barley, wheat and rice and fermented at high temperatures with a special blend of four different yeast strains. “This is the perfect time of year for a saison,” says Great Divide founder and president Brian Dunn. “We recognize that most craft-beer drinkers probably aren’t farm workers, but Saison would be an inspired choice for any occasion that calls for a lively and thirst-quenching beer.” For more information about Great Divide visit their website.

Also, if you like Saison style beer try:
Brasserie Dupont, Saison Dupont
Brewery Ommegang, Hennepin
The Bruery, Saison Rue

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