The hottest summer days tend to confuse the argument for good beer, because quite reasonably “ice cold” seems so much more important than “full flavoured.” Saisons like this one from St. Feuillien are ideally suited to bridge the gap between refreshing and interesting, and hold super-chilled fizzy lagers at bay.
As warm afternoons become cool evenings, they do just as well paired with a variety of food. Actually, I think the style's flexibility when it comes to matching with different food makes it the Riesling of the beer world.
The St. Feuillien Saison pours a hazy gold with a touch more copper than is usual. The impressive aroma—with floral notes, lychee, Asian pear, and a hint of banana—stands out as its most notable characteristic. An exploratory sip adds a light sweetness and a crisp finish to the list of pluses.
One of the various explanations for the style is that they were brewed in March for consumption during the harvest season, so the usual recommendation is to age them for six months, but not more than twelve. If you can manage the patience, I think it's worth pushing saisons like the St. Feuillien into their second year. If all goes well, you'll be rewarded with more complexity and finished flavours.
There are a few very nice Ontario saisons—ones from Great Lakes, Amsterdam, Nickel Brook, and Beau's coming quickly to mind—but it is nice to have one from the style's home province in Belgium as a point of comparison. With a price that puts three bottles within reach of a ten-spot, the idea of putting together a head-to-head tasting seems even more attractive.
St. Feuillien Saison, $3.25 for a 330 ml bottle, LCBO #356204
In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including his own site, Food With Legs. He is the author of The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook; now in stores and available for ordering online. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter or get in touch at info@foodwithlegs.com.
