Belgians get the seasonal brews right with their golden Saison ales. Fortunately for us, American craft brewers often come up with their own special recipes that are equally thirst quenching and exciting. This week I picked up a bottle of Stillwater Artisanal Ale’s Stateside Saison: Stillwater’s traditional Saison ale.

Stillwater Artisanal Ales’s Stateside Saison sits cloudy and golden, similar to the appearance of unfiltered apple juice, and is topped with a clean, white head that quickly pops away. Grassy hops are prominent in the nose, along with bready yeastiness and refreshingly sweet notes of honey and citrus. The beer’s hop characteristics add bitterness to complement the fruity malt, which appears as white grape, orange and pineapple. Undertones of chamomile and clove add to the overall complexity of the beer, and the light carbonation and body contribute to its overall ease in drinkability. It’s a summer beer that stands well on its own or with a light meal and would best be paired with an aged cheese, to bring out the nuttiness, or a zesty salad.

Stillwater made this a very pure Saison ale with the right body heaviness, flavors and hop bitterness to make this a great beer for any occasion. It really speaks for itself, so go ahead and try it while it’s warm out.

Photo credit: whatweredrinking.blogspot.com

• Tag: beer, craft beer, farmhouse ale, saison, stillwater