Have the cows been milked? Fence mended? Hay cut and raked? Time for a saison, one of the beers of summer. As you know, we here at the Brewniverse like to support our local breweries when we can. In our case is New York State. Summer is nigh, so we have thrown together with the utmost dispatch a small list of New York saison-style beers. We have included the links to the brewers’ websites as well as their description of their saison offering.

We limited the list specifically to saisons that were named or described as such, brewed in New York and possibly available at your local beverage center. Saisons offered on tap only are not included. But as always, we welcome suggestions—are there any saisons available only on draft that are worth the trip to the taproom? Are there any currently available in the bottle that we missed? Do you particularly enjoy or detest any of the saisons listed below? Let’s hear it.

In the meantime, put your feet up, reflect back on your day in the fields, and enjoy a saison.

Ommegang
www.ommegang.com
Hennepin Farmhouse Saison
Ale Brewed with Grains of Paradise, coriander, ginger, sweet orange peel. Hearty and rustic golden ale. Full-bodied, hoppy and crisp.

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
www.captainlawrencebrewing.com
Saison
Originally, Saisons were brewed in Belgium for the farm workers to enjoy after a long day in the field; and while we’re not working in the fields all day we are thirsty! The recipe for this beer was formulated with input from the entire CLBC brew crew, fermented with a traditional Belgian yeast strain, and dry hopped with US grown hops. Straight from the Captain’s cellar to yours, we hope you enjoy!
Sensory profile: Aromas of spice and fruit, this beer has notes of grass, pepper and pine. The pallet is dry and spicy with a clean hop bitteness to round it out.

Newburgh Brewing Company
www.newburghbrewing.com
Saison Farm Style Ale
Saisons were traditionally brewed to very low alcohol content in order to refresh farmers while they worked the fields. In keeping with that drinkable tradition, our version weighs in at a very thirst-quenching 3.8% alcohol. Brewed with pale malted barley, raw oats, raw rye, Belgian yeast, and English, American, & French hops. Left unfiltered, it refreshes while giving a subtle spice from the yeast and grains and a gentle hop bitterness.

Brooklyn Brewery
www.brooklynbrewery.com
Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
Most Brooklyn beers are made with a blend of hop varietals. As a chef does with spices, we look to get the best qualities of each hop and create a harmony of flavors and aromas. However, a few years ago, our brewmaster ran into a hop unique enough to deserve its own moment in the sun. A large Japanese brewery first developed the hop variety “Sorachi Ace” in 1988. A cross between the British “Brewer’s Gold” and the Czech “Saaz” varieties, it exhibited a quality that was unexpected – it smelled really lemony.
The unique flavor of Sorachi Ace was bypassed by the big brewers, but we thought it was pretty cool. So we made a special beer with it, and added the beer to our Brewmaster’s Reserve special draft beer program last year. Most Brewmaster’s Reserve beers are only available for a short time, and then they’re gone. But we liked this one so much, we decided to bring it back and give it the star treatment. Brooklyn Sorachi Ace is a classic saison, a cracklingly dry, hoppy unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, but made entirely with now-rare Sorachi Ace hops grown by a single farm in Washington. We ferment it with our special Belgian ale strain, and then add more Sorachi Ace hops post-fermentation. After the dry-hopping, the beer emerges with a bright spicy lemongrass / lemon zest aroma backed by a wonderfully clean malt flavor.
It tastes like sunshine in a glass, and that suits us just fine, especially with seafood dishes and fresh cheeses. It’s just the thing on nice summer days and beyond.

Lake Placid Brewing Pub & Brewery
www.ubuale.com
Belgian-Style Saison
A strong, spicy Belgian Ale with a distinct toasted malt character. Unmalted, toasted barley flakes were used in the mash, in addition to Munich and Vienna malts to create a unique toasted, nutty malt profile. In addition to modest amounts of imported hops, we added Paradise seed and Black pepper to create a bold spicy character. We then fermented the beer at an unusually high fermentation temperature of 84 degrees F. This high fermentation temperature creates some very wild fruity flavors. To finish it off, we added 25 pounds of Belgian Candi Sugar to the beer on its second day of fermentation which helped it to ferment out to almost 9% alcohol.

Hamburg Brewing Company
www.hamburgbrewing.com
Small Town Saison
Saison is the traditional Belgian farmhouse beer, first brewed on farm estates primarily for the workers tending to the fields. This Saison consists of pilsner malt and white wheat malt for a dry, refreshingly lighter beer. The Belgian yeast enjoys a warm fermentation to impart a fruity/spicy undertone so as to give this beer its distinct characteristics.

Saranac
www.saranac.com
Lemon Ginger Saison
We use lemon peel and ginger in this Saison style beer to create a unique twist. The fruity and estery aroma from Belgian yeast used in fermenting complements the lemon peel and ginger. Look for lemon citrus, ginger spice, and a slight hop nose that tops off the experience. It’s a traditional Saison, yet even more refreshing!