Late Summer Fare

The Dupont Brewery, Brasserie Dupont, sprang up in Wallonia, a French-speaking region of Belgium in 1844 on the site of a farm that had its own spring. The farm itself dating back to the 1700s. Dupont at Tourpes-Leuze is world famous for brewing a special style of beer — Saison. The classic variety of this ale is only made by six or seven breweries in the world, and Dupont is known as the standard.
Saisons are an old world beer, brewed strong by farmers in the winter and the months up to spring to be consumed and to last through the hot days of summer. Not long ago, the saison style was in danger of vanishing, as fewer and fewer breweries were making this type of beer. However, it has had a revival, especially in the craft beer scene in the United States, and is seemingly safe from extinction. For years now, saison has been the darling of the revolution.
Historically, the key to a successful saison was making a beer that was robust enough to last up to and during the summer season, yet be refreshing. While typically fruity, from the esters, and spicy, from the hops and yeast, these beers should have enough malt to give a foundation to the other flavors, yet are often tart and can be quite sour.
The Dupont Brewery specializes in top fermenting beers that undergo a second fermentation in the bottle through the addition of extra yeast before being corked or capped. It is this active yeast, visible in the bottle and possibly in the glass, which is often daunting to the uninitiated. However, a high carbonation should keep these beers sharp, and from becoming overly creamy.
The classic of the style is Saison Dupont. A slightly strong ale, cloudy, dark yellow and fluffy, that is not only well hopped, but also fruity, dry and refreshing. The yeast is distinct and perfectly suited to satisfy a summer thirst.
Dupont’s website claims that, in its Saison: “the finest aromas and a strong bitterness transform this beer into a thirst-quencher with no equal, just the way it was created.” Served from a corked, tall, green 12.7 fluid ounce bottle, Saison Dupont pours up a hazy light orange color, with champagne like abundance of bubbles. The head of this beer stayed around for quite some time, and tons of spiderweb lace could be seen down the glass. Smells of fruit, possibly lemon and even slightly sweeter, possibly a garden like smell emits from the glass.
The flavors are quite similar, yet every sip delivers a different or changing taste. Lemons and oranges give way to pears and yeast, which segues into pepper and flowers, a touch of hops and a bitterness at the swallow. There is even a hint of alcohol on the sides of the mouth. This ale has a somewhat wheaty taste, but in a good way, and not exactly like a witbier or hefeweisen.
There is a great mouthfeel on this one, Saison Dupont is nicely carbonated and tingly, and the finish is dry, just what you want on a sweltering day. Saisons are unique and unusual beers, with characteristics of pilsners, wheats, malty lagers and even pale ales. Certainly try this little Belgian ale with a twist, and see what the wide world of beer has to offer. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy.  225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.