Simply seeing the word “saison” on a beer label these days tells us less as beer drinkers than it has at any point in the past, because this particular style of American craft beer has never been more varied. There was a time that “saison” implied something very classical, very Franco-Belgian—dry, spicy, phenolic, with a bit of funk. Today, though, who knows? It could be hop-forward. It could be fruit-infused. It could very well boast in-your-face tartness. “Saison,” even with no other modifiers, can mean a whole hell of a lot.
This, combined with the fact that I’ve never sampled a beer before from San Francisco’s Almanac Beer Co., had me going into tasting their Saison Dolores with what amounted to a completely blank set of expectations. The brewery describes its aesthetic as “farm-to-barrel” brewing, with selections of “the best in locally sourced fruit” and other agriculture. It sounds indicative of the current zeitgeist of locality and culinary collaboration thriving in the American craft brewing landscape, but the description belies a beer that, in reality, isn’t terribly complicated. Saison Dolores falls well on the more simplistic side of American saison, but the flavor profile it hits is a well-chosen, delicious one.
Aromatically, this saison is complex but subtle, with notes that take a little time and effort to pick up and identify. Light citrus and mild tropical fruits are the easiest to pick out, along with an exotic spicy note—white pepper is probably the best descriptor. There’s a very light, underlying graininess as well, but in general the beer isn’t intensely aromatic, despite being dry-hopped.