15 Refreshing Beers to Drink on Saison Day
With spring and summer just around the corner, Saisons are the perfect beer to bring in the warm weather. Celebrate National Saison Day by drinking your favourite Saison or Farmhouse Ale with your closest friends. Undecided on a Saison beer? Here’s a list of our 15 favourite Canadian Saisons!
By The Beer Community on Apr. 11, 2019
What is a Saison?
French for “season”, Saisons were originally brewed during the cooler temperatures from autumn to early spring in order to be ready for the scorching heat of summer. Saisons offer the perfect dual personality: crisp enough to quench some major thirst but tough enough to fight off spoilage.
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Top 15 Beers to Drink on Saison Day
3-Point Saison – The Collingwood Brewery (Barrie, ON)
Collingwood Brewery’s award winning Saison is the colour of the golden sun. This beer has a lively carbonation which releases aromas of luscious tropical fruit. A mellow, honey sweetness is followed by a crisp, tart finish. From a backyard party to a cozy night in, this Saison is of a fine quality and for all occasions.
ABV%: 7 | IBU: 20
7800 Saison – Townsite Brewing (Powell River, BC)
A classic unfiltered Belgian-style Saison as brewed in the southern farmland of Belgium where Townsite’s brewmaster Cédric was born and raised. The name is a reference to the distance as the cuckoo flies between his hometown of Horrues and his new home of Powell River. This refreshing beer uses a blend of yeast and is hopped with Columbus, Saaz and Hallertau – the perfect beer for a late summer harvest evening.
ABV%: 6.5 | IBU: 28
Baby Original – Burdock Brewing Company (Toronto, 
ON)
This is one of Burdock Brewing’s best vintage Brett Saison to date. The beer was bottle conditioned seven months before it was released. Burdock Brewing finds that their saisons hit the sweet spot with about six months of cellaring. This Saison has a beautiful texture and is all around a squeaky clean funky brew.
ABV%: 4.6
Bord Du Lac – Amsterdam Brewing Company (Toronto, ON)
Bord du lac is French for, “Edge of the lake.” This Ontario beer is the result of a quest for a classic saison. It is highly carbonated with a classic wallonia yeast aroma and little to no bitterness. This beer won a silver medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup.
ABV%: 6 | IBU: 15
Charleston – Ale Architect (Edmonton, AB)
This YEG brew contains a delicate combination of rye saison’s complex pepper character, the bright aromatics of fresh grapefruit zest, and French tarragon’s signature anise notes. It’s like a warm ray of sunshine on a crisp day.
ABV%: 5.5
Chinook Saison – Banded Peak Brewing Company 
(Calgary, AB)
Refreshingly complex, this Belgian farmhouse / saison style ale has a dry body, hoppy finish and a bright straw-coloured hue. The yeast lends a mild spice and earthy characteristic. This beer is as approachable as a patio on a Chinook day in Calgary.
ABV%: 4.5 | IBU: 25
Dark Rye Sour Saison – Bridge Brewing Company (North 
Vancouver, BC)
Bridge Brewing created this dark, complex, and exceptionally balanced Saison. The beer has been fermented with a blend of Saison yeasts as well as Lactobacillus bacteria resulting in a tart, peppery, and slightly fruity character. A combination of dark specialty malts, including rye gives this Saison some deep fruity layers, and the Nugget and Galena hops used contribute characteristics of spice and blackcurrant.
ABV%: 6.5 | IBU: 31
Are we forgetting about your favourite Saison beer?
Let us know and we will add it to this list!
Fresh-Hopped Saison – Category 12 Brewing (Victoria, 
BC)
This light, crisp, zesty, seasonal saison captures the essence of the fleeting hop harvest season! Cashmere and Ultra hops, picked fresh in the morning, are used in the afternoon’s brew, imparting a fresh hop aroma and delicate grassiness that’s a natural fit for this classic style.
ABV%: 5.1
Hibiscus Saison – Royal City Brewing Company (Guelph, 
ON)
Hibiscus Saison starts off with a refreshing, almost juice-like tartness. Effervescent and bubbly that transitions into the delicate, light, malt sweetness and crisp, herbal hop character that is the backbone of this beer. Lastly the spice and clove character from the yeast comes through in a dry, clean finish. This beer is pink due to the inclusion of actual hibiscus tea leaves in the boil. It is rather more tart than other saisons, and as such is has a somewhat juice like character on its front end. This beer is very good for those not familiar with craft, or who don’t like overly bitter beer. This beer is very light tasting, and drinks very refreshingly. The finish, with a clove-like phenol taste is what brings it back into the Saison style.
ABV%: 4.8 | IBU: 16
Homesteader Belgian Saison – Troubled Monk Brewery 
(Red Deer, AB)
Homesteader Saison is a refreshing celebration of a classic brewing tradition. Conceived in the farmhouses of Belgium and recreated with local ingredients, the Homesteader Saison tastes of banana, apricot, and clove. It is smooth and finishes with a familiar hint of bubble gum. This delicious, classic beer is the perfect end to a long day and goes great with BBQ anything.
ABV%: 6 | IBU: 20
Isseki Nicho – Brasserie Dieu du Ciel (Montréal, QC)
In Japanese, “Isseki Nicho” means to kill two birds with one stone. This rich imperial dark Saison is largely defined by its bitterness and roasted malt character. Compared to other brews, the Saison yeast adds a surprisingly delicate, dry and spicy complexity to the lingering finish.
ABV%: 9.5
New Wood Brett Saison – Cameron’s Brewing Company 
(Oakville, ON)
The New Wood Brett Saison was crafted adventurously with fruity Saison yeast, new world tropical hops and multiple strains of wild Brettanomyces yeast. The fresh infusion of wild yeasts, long aged in a large, untamed oak barrel results in a mingling of flavours that are unique and refreshing.
ABV%: 6.2
Peared Up Saison – Central City Brewers & Distillers 
(Surrey, BC)
The Peared Up Saison is a single hopped Saison brewed with Jarrylo Hops and real pear juice. The Jarrylo hops bring out a natural banana, pear and citrus spice flavour in this light and sessionable ale. The natural hop flavour is augmented with pear juice in the brew for a fruit-infused flavour experience.
ABV%: 5 | IBU: 25
Tidal Series: Harvest Saison – Vancouver Island 
Brewing Company (Victoria, BC)
As part of Vancouver Island Brewing’s Tidal Series, this harvest beer was brewed with the twilight of summer, and dawn of fall in mind. This rustic saison pairs perfectly with the spicy, complex flavours of quince, while the addition of tart cranberry, and hearty spelt herald the fall season.
ABV%: 6.8 | IBU: 25
Une Saison en Enfer – Avant-Garde Artisans Brasseurs 
(Montréal, QC)
Une Saison en Enfer is a fruity and peppery saison. This beer was inspired by the Belgian seasons of Wallonia. The title and the visual concept of the label are inspired by Rimbaud’s canonical eponymous work, because he too liked to drink.
ABV%: 6.66 | IBU: 25
Check out these links for other great posts you might enjoy:
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