There are few beer styles that feel more like “summer” than a Saison or a farmhouse ale. These Belgian beers are most often known for their complex, fruity, and sometimes spicy flavor that’s often accented by funky, grassy, yeasty, and barnyard flavors. There’s something about that combination that just feels like the end of summer so here we are.
Before we dive in, let’s get a little footing on what we’re talking about. All Saisons are farmhouse ales, but not all farmhouse ales are Saisons. In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a “farmhouse ale” in Belgium (and Europe in general) since they prefer the term “artisanal ale,” which muddies the water a little more. Basically, Saison is a single type of Belgian farmhouse ale specifically from Wallonia in Belgium. And then there are a ton of other farmhouse ales from all over as well.
Still, the styles are very similar since both Saisons and (most) farmhouses ales are brewed with local grains and hops with wild yeast strains that float in on the air from the farmlands surrounding the breweries along with some (good) bacteria here and there while being left to mellow in barrels before bottling. That makes these beers especially funky and fresh — think fresh-cut grass or dry hay, walking around a farm, and a sweet malted base all in one beer. All in all, it’s a great summer beer.
Since it’s so widely popular in Europe, it’s no surprise that American brewers love this style too. That’s why we asked a few brewers, craft beer experts, and brewing professionals to tell us their favorite Saisons and farmhouse ales to drink as summer winds down. Keep scrolling to see them all.
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Brewery Ommegang Hennepin
Brian Wendt, brewer at Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, Vermont
ABV: 7.7%
Average Price: $13 for a four-pack
The Beer:
Ommegang’s Hennepin is one of my favorites. It’s a Belgian-style farmhouse style ale spiced with coriander, ginger, orange peel, and grains of paradise that bridges the gap between American and European Saisons.
Tasting Notes:
Hennepin’s classic flavors include orange peel, yeast, ginger, coriander, and fruity sweetness. It’s spicy, sweet, and perfect for a late summer day.
Keeping Together Everything Glistened And Sparkled
Tim White, Director of Marketing at Half Acre Beer Company in Chicago
ABV: 6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
I’m partial to the Saisons from Keeping Together. In particular, Everything Glistened and Sparkled is wonderful. As summer Saisons go, it’s difficult to beat this beer.
Tasting Notes:
There are orange and cranberry aromas with summer fruits like tangerine and plums. There’s also a bit of toasted bread and vanilla.
Jester King Americaine
Fal Allen, Brewmaster at Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Boonville, California
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $18 for a 22-ounce bottle
The Beer:
Jester Kings Saison Americaine is super crisp and refreshing with delicate and tight carbonation. It’s packed with flavors from several months in a foudre with mixed culture fermentation. And at only 5.2% ABV, it is very a sessionable beer indeed.
Tasting Notes:
Hoppy, slightly tart, and subtly sour, this is a unique and refreshing beer well-suited for the end of summer.
Blackberry Farms Anniversary Saison
Ryan Pachmayer, Head Brewer at Yak and Yeti Brewpub & Restaurant in Arvada, Colorado
ABV: 6.3%
Average Price: $18 for a 750ml bottle
The Beer:
Blackberry Farms Saisons is fantastic. It’s usually available in Colorado where I live, and it’s a go-to that I don’t have to worry about being incredibly old or in rough shape from a journey overseas filled with questionable storage and transportation temperatures. That said, every Saison I’ve had from the brewery has been good. A few, like the 40th anniversary Saison, have been unforgettable. With Saison, it’s really all about the yeast, and the Blackberry Farm’s strain is one of my absolute favorites.
Tasting Notes:
That 40th-anniversary beer had a yeast-forward flavor that melded very well with the additional alcohol of the 8% ABV beer. Hops were subtle and balancing. The other part about Saisons is that they can vary quite a bit, from dry, yeasty, and hop-forward. Blackberry Farms has carved out its own unique offering and deserves to be mentioned among the greats.
Saison Dupont
George Hummel, Grain Master of My Local Brew Works in Philadelphia
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Let’s face it, every time I brew a Saison or sample someone else’s, I compare it to Saison Dupont. Why? Because it’s the most widely distributed archetypal version of the style from the land where it originated. Add to that, it’s a damn good beer.
Tasting Notes:
It’s dry, peppery, spritzy, and quenching. The only negative is it can drink a little too easily for its ABV.
Speciation Artisan Ales Genetic Drift
Zach Fowle, Head of Marketing at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, Arizona
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
Speciation was founded by Whitney Ermatinger and her husband Mitch, who once brewed at Denver’s Former Future Brewing Company and helped create a few of the wild ales produced at Black Project (RIP). Genetic Drift is dry-hopped with Mosaic and Saaz hops.
Tasting Notes:
This “wild Saison” intertwines classic ground white pepper and pear aromas with mint-sprinkled strawberries, mown grass, and coriander. Green apple skin and dried mint float above the palate upfront. The swallow is like a bite of pear dusted with grains of paradise and wiped clean with wet hay. The yeast character is crazy expressive, vacillating between dried fruits and pepper while allowing neither to completely take over, while the beer’s body is like a silk kimono for the tongue.
Oxbow Farmhouse Pale
Matthew Steinberg, co-founder and Head Brewer of Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company in Framingham, Massachusetts
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack
The Beer:
Oxbow Farmhouse Pale is always my go-to for this style. It steers clear of trying to be a traditional Saison or farmhouse ale. It is in its own lane and stays there shining bright. Just to hammer the point, this beer is one of the finest within the style and in the modern beer world. It defines the style of modern Farmhouse Ales in my opinion.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of wheat, citrus peels, and ripe bananas moves into a palate of tart, funk, cloves, and more citrus fruit.
Hacienda Smallish
Garth Beyer, Certified Cicerone and owner of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
ABV: 4%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
Smallish is a petite barrel fermented Saison by Hacienda. It’s so delicate but at the same time complex. The low ABV, tight tartness, and stone fruit finish make it the perfect summer beer.
Tasting Notes:
You get slight oaky notes, tannin-forward white wine sweetness, and a deep cherry bitterness from the funky fermentation.
Honest Weight Gate 37
Frederic Yarm, USBG bartender at Josephine in Somerville, Massachusetts
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
Gate 37 from Honest Weight is one of my go-to farmhouse ales that is rather flavorful yet light enough for summer.
Tasting Notes:
As a grisette, there is a delightful contribution from the grain aspect including a cracker malt elevated with elegance from the buckwheat. The yeast conjures up honey, floral, grassy, floral, fruity, and clove flavors that work so well with the season.
Jester King Gotlandsdricka
Wim Bens, president and founder of Lakewood Brewing in Dallas
ABV: 6.6%
Average Price: $12 for a 750ml bottle
The Beer:
Gotlandsdricka from Jester King is my pick. Most of the farmhouse ales they release are bangers and this one is no exception. Based on Scandinavian farmhouse ales, it’s brewed with smoked malt, juniper, and myrica gale.
Tasting Notes:
The Juniper really comes through, lending a nice pop of freshness. There’s also a unique hint of the smoked malt coming through.
