A Sunday afternoon before heading off to work allowed me the opportunity to introduce my friend to the wonders of Beer Revolution and enjoy my first Sunday Beer Skool session, this one focusing on the wonders of saison. Starting off with a classic, the Saison Dupont (6.5%) from the Hainaut province in Wallonia is an absolute beauty. Highly refined fruit with essence of peach and mellon, bordered with a spicy focus and savory notes. Very refined stuff. Moving up to West Flanders, the De Ranke Saison De Dottignies (5.5%) had a much more pointed nose and was more obvious about the fruit. Much more tart and herbal, it struck me as more rustic and more aggressive than the refinement of the Dupont. Fantastic food beer. The Odonata Saison (6.4%) from the brewer-no-more in Sacramento in Northern California had a much sweeter nose more suggestive of flour and pastry sugar. It was clear that others around the table seemed to appreciate this much more than I, as my previous experience with this beer has been very meh. A bit more bold on the nose, the taste feels much more hollow and doesn't have the savory center I yearn for. Strikes me more of very simple fruit. The Jandrain-Jandrenouille IV (6.5%) from the Walloon Brabant southeast of Brussels seemed to flip those results, as I was a huge fan (and have been in the past) while others felt it a bit too light in comparison. The nose was quite distinct from the previous beers thus far and reminded me somewhat of raisin jolly rancher, but a rather fantastic beer to just sniff. Light and delicate, peppery and kissed with spice, I loved its brightness. This would be a phenomenal pair with some very delicate whitefish. Superb lightness. Next onto Norway for a delicious Nøgne Ø Saison (6.5%). Rounded, juicy and complex, the earthy crunchiness of the flavors and the superb finish made for a rather stunning mouthwatering entry. Just plain good. Hopping to yet another country for the closely-related biére de garde style, the Page 24 Biére De Printemps (6%) from St. Germain again introduced new aromas into the mix, much more mahogany and vanilla. Rich, rounded and vibrant, the malt feels more present here but is balanced by a faint stoniness. Interesting, as I've had very limited experience with this brewer in the past.
After a break enjoying the sun along with my compatriots in tasting, we returned for another biére de garde from France, the Jenlain Printemps Bière De Mars (5.4) from Duyck (yet another brewer I lack experience with, clearly I have a lot of French research to do!). Bright, candied, malty nose that reminded me of peach drops, it was lowly carbonated and felt very mellow and unfinished (not in a bad way). A very casual, easily approachable beer. Contrast that with the Bruery Saison Rue (8.5%) from Placentia in southern California brewed with rye and some brettanomyces yeast. Tightly bound, yeasty nose with slight roast to it. The carbonation here is bright and scrubbing the the flavors more explosive and effervescent. The funk is slight and the fleeting flavors make it a great palate cleanser. I'd be interested to see how this pairs with some more complexly-flavored foods. It is a very interesting beer, but clearly crafted for food. Slightly out of style, but fitting in well, the La Chouffe (8%) from the Belgian province of Luxembourg is actually a strong Belgian pale, but the spiced element made it feel at home among the saisons. Bright, herbal, slightly candied nose, it strikes me as a bit too mellow and undefined (especially at that alcohol level), but, hey, it is highly drinkable. So a fun beer. Finally, the Fantôme Saison (8%) also from the Belgian province of Luxembourg had a nose that reminded me of going to the dentist, dental flouride cleaning sweetness. Very cool, actually. This beer is notorious/notable for bottle variation and indeed this bottle was a striking departure from my last experience with the beer. A bit tangy and more simple sweetness than the overwhelming rush of complexity from my last bottle. Still, there's a whole lot of there there and it was a delicious closer to a very informative and interesting class.
Followed up quite ideally with a couple of bottles on the sunny patio on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Oakland including the Hop-Ruiter (8%) from Schedlebrouwerij right on the Dutch border in the Belgian province of Limburg. Bright, vibrant, clean, very even and precise in its peachy-yeastiness. Pleasant. From nearby (but actually a pocket of Belgium surrounded by the Netherlands) the De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse (9%) is rich, beautiful, malt-driven complexity that pairs amazingly with the charcuterie and cheese that my friend brought. Now, that's how you spend an afternoon!