Saison really is the latest sexy thing in beer. The whole Farmhouse Ale rage is really becoming quite noticeable. You know a trend is popular when beer that don’t resemble the style try to use the name anyway (sorry, Olds College). It seems everybody – including many prairie brewers – are doing up a saison or some other traditional Farmhouse Ale as a seasonal this summer.

I remember back when I was studying for my BJCP beer judge exam (way back in 2003 before we had cars and people had to walk to school uphill both ways), Saisons and Biere de Gardes were rare, quirky, odd styles that only a beer geek could love. Their peppery, earthy character and their notoriously finicky yeast strains put them out of reach of most beer drinkers.

No more apparently. Which speaks volumes at how quickly consumers’ palates have shifted in this country. I have long appreciated the spicy yet refreshing character of farmhouse ales and have tipped a glass of Hennepin or Saison Dupont often. Now it seems my range of options has exploded.

The other day I picked up a bottle of Alley Kat’s entrant into the Summer Saison Sweepstakes, Old Jake’s Farmhouse Ale, and gave it a try last night (I also got the Wild Rose, too, but haven’t had a chance to crack it open yet).

It pours bright medium gold with a moderately tight white head. Slightest hint of haze in the beer, but nothing distracting. The aroma rises with soft, crisp grainy malt sweetness and a musty, earthy aroma on top. I detect a background of pepper spice, lemon and a touch of honey. Overall a moderately spicy aroma.

The first sip is surprisingly full upfront, with a moderate crystal and pilsner malt sweetness along with some honey. The middle brings up some zesty orange and a bit of peppery spice. Along the roof of the mouth builds a sharp lemony ctirus and along the bottom comes a musty, earthy rusticness. Finish is a blend of sweet orange and soft pepper spice. Finishes a bit sweeter than expected, but still fairly refreshing. The more sips I take, the more the earthy spiciness builds giving it a sharper final note.

I argue they have created a fuller, more robust version of the style. The malt remains delicate enough to keep it in the Saison camp, as opposed to becoming a Biere de Garde, but it definitely is sweeter in its profile than, say, Hennepin. Still I appreciate the deft hand at the spicing which still rings through as a pleasant feature of the beer.

I will post on the Wild Rose Sahti once I get a change to try it.