What is a Farmhouse Ale / Saison?
Farmhouse Ales or Saisons (French for ‘season’) originated in Wallonia, a French speaking part of Belgium, in the 19th century. They traditionally brewed in the winter before the hard labour started and stored until the summer months when they were given to farmworkers for refreshment. By brewing in the winter, the farm workers were given work to do in what was otherwise a quiet period.
Saisons had almost died out until a few farmhouses became full time breweries and helped increase their popularity and there was quite a revival, especially in North America.
There was a lot of variation in flavour between Saisons as farmhouses would use their own brewing techniques and whatever local ingredients were on hand. Because of this, Saisons are hard to describe as a style but a modern Saison does have a few common characteristics: they are typically spicy, fruity, light bodied, yeasty, effervescent and very refreshing!
Gigi Farmhouse Ale
GiGi is a bottle conditioned, Belgian-influenced farmhouse ale. The flavour is sweet at first, due to the use of pilsner, oat, and torrified wheat malts, but the subtle influences of Bravo, Select, and Cascade hops add spice and a little mystery to her personality.
Draftmag.com describe Gigi:
"Faint white pepper scents give this otherwise sweet bubblegum-caramel aroma a nice kick. Engaging tartness grips the sides of the tongue as clove peppers the top with earthy spice; a flash of pineapple in the back gives this beer brief tropical fruitiness to balance the sharpness. Hop bitterness, spice and warming alcohol converge to usher this bold saison to a dry conclusion."
Gigi Farmhoues Ale is a wonderful beer for food pairing! Rustic and herby foods work well with the floral and grassy flavours in the ale. The spicy hop flavour and lightness partners nicely with spicy and aromatic cuisine. Seafood, gouda cheese and mint also work well with this ale… but we’re always experimenting and trying out new pairings. We’ll let you know on Twitter every time we discover a new great food and beer pairing!
Gigi Farmhouse Ale is 7.2% ABV, 18 IBUs, imported in 355ml bottles and available through Beers of Europe or various wholesalers throughout the UK for trade. Contact us for more info