The Bar Towel

Interesting, I had originally been exposed to that idea (rich foods) when I was reading about pairing saisons with Christmas dinner. Many people claimed that the crisp/dry finish was great for cutting through fatty gravies and resetting the palate.

I guess this is both sides of the coin and you've turned it over for me.

You'll probably find lots at Habits to pair their saisons with. My experience with saisons is basically summed up by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster, Garret Oliver's book The Brewmaster's Table:

"If I were forced to choose one style to drink with every meal for the rest of my life, saison would have to be it. At any given time there is at least one case of saison in my cellar. Saison is not just versatile -- it's downright promiscuous. It seems to go with almost everything. The combination of dynamic bitterness, scouring carbonation, bright aromatics, spicy flavors, pepper notes, dark earthy underpinnings, and racy acidity gives these beers a hook to hang their hat on for a wide range of dishes."

I've had saisons with lighter, more delicate food like seafood and fish. I've also quite enjoyed it with richer, fattier foods. Go for whatever you want -- they're your tastebuds.

I don't find it to be a richness thing for saisons, but they do tend to hold up better against lighter flavours. Christmas dinner is a fine example, lots of gravy there but it's not the same as trying to stand up to say, pasta with meat sauce, which might blow a saison away. As a rule of thumb, I think the comparison to white wines for food pairings works pretty well. I would also agree that it's probably the most versatile beer style for food pairings out there.

A saison tap takeover is a fun idea. Takes me back to the old IPA showdowns Volo used to do.

nickw wrote:You'll probably find lots at Habits to pair their saisons with. My experience with saisons is basically summed up by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster, Garret Oliver's book The Brewmaster's Table:

"If I were forced to choose one style to drink with every meal for the rest of my life, saison would have to be it. At any given time there is at least one case of saison in my cellar. Saison is not just versatile -- it's downright promiscuous. It seems to go with almost everything. The combination of dynamic bitterness, scouring carbonation, bright aromatics, spicy flavors, pepper notes, dark earthy underpinnings, and racy acidity gives these beers a hook to hang their hat on for a wide range of dishes."

I've had saisons with lighter, more delicate food like seafood and fish. I've also quite enjoyed it with richer, fattier foods. Go for whatever you want -- they're your tastebuds.

my only worry about saisons with heavier fares is based on me using Dupont as the watermark for a saison. i think it's acidity and slightly bitter finish, grassy yeast notes and dry finish would be lost on something like ribs or brisket. it wouldn't clash, but you're kind of hiding the niceties of the beer underneath the food.

same thing with IPAs and heavy, bbq'd food. it works, but then the beer works with the food but the food doesn't compliment the beer

Love this discussion! My own feelings closely follow Mr. Oliver's, I think. Our main saison (Habits Saison) plays well with both in my opinion, since it's bright and citrusy to make light foods pop and peppery and dry enough to cut through heavy foods. Had a glass at lunch the other day with a takeout pulled pork (at lunch when we're not open but we are brewing!) from Buster Rhinos (which is really, really good) and really liked how it worked.

But this is partially why we're brewing our takes on Dubbels and Quads in the next few months, too. They are mixed fermentation saison yeast and brett strains, but still a little richer for those who prefer some malt character with roasted foods.

Our main brands are going to be an old world saison (more like dupont but mixed fermentation), a new world saison (dry hopped with Amarillo, more citrusy and white wine like), a hoppy saison (farmhouse IPA kinda thing with big tropical and spicy notes from saison yeast and brett c), and our farmhouse dubbel (caramel, special w rasiny malts, with a light peppery finish and red fruits from brett l). Each will have suggested parings from our menu when we rebrand.

Though, for now, here is a current menu! (https://nlbeerhistory.files.wordpress.c ... g_4146.jpg)

Looking to make the jump a little more toward barsnacks and brewpub food as we move towards becoming Folly. Little more casual! Those Lamb Chops with the saison are pretty tasty though.

groulxsome wrote:Love this discussion! My own feelings closely follow Mr. Oliver's, I think. Our main saison (Habits Saison) plays well with both in my opinion, since it's bright and citrusy to make light foods pop and peppery and dry enough to cut through heavy foods. Had a glass at lunch the other day with a takeout pulled pork (at lunch when we're not open but we are brewing!) from Buster Rhinos (which is really, really good) and really liked how it worked.

But this is partially why we're brewing our takes on Dubbels and Quads in the next few months, too. They are mixed fermentation saison yeast and brett strains, but still a little richer for those who prefer some malt character with roasted foods.

Our main brands are going to be an old world saison (more like dupont but mixed fermentation), a new world saison (dry hopped with Amarillo, more citrusy and white wine like), a hoppy saison (farmhouse IPA kinda thing with big tropical and spicy notes from saison yeast and brett c), and our farmhouse dubbel (caramel, special w rasiny malts, with a light peppery finish and red fruits from brett l). Each will have suggested parings from our menu when we rebrand.

Though, for now, here is a current menu! (https://nlbeerhistory.files.wordpress.c ... g_4146.jpg)

Looking to make the jump a little more toward barsnacks and brewpub food as we move towards becoming Folly. Little more casual! Those Lamb Chops with the saison are pretty tasty though.

mm those beers sound delicious!

Got some friends from out east meeting me in Toronto next weekend for Cask Days. Heading to Folly next Thursday for dinner. Looking forward to trying your stuff, groulxsome!