Farmhouse Ales – Phil Markowski

They were essentially very local beers developed in farmhouse breweries, brewed only during part of the year and rarely distributed outside of their immediate region or even outside of their village. The recipes varied greatly from one brewery to another and very few written records exist for these beers. At most, one finds incomplete, sporadic references in brewing texts from the nineteenth century and first part of the twentieth century. It is those references, conversations with past and present saison brewers, and a contextualization of the brewing techniques and purposes of the ancient times that permit us to trace the general profile of these beers.

Tasting notes of saisons from breweries that have unfortunately disappeared have also helped to better define them. Furthermore, several breweries still produce them and fortunately these saisons are similar to those of the past. The term saison refers to a type of beer that was once found in different brewing regions; they were beers destined for storage or keeping (bières de garde).

They differed from beers brewed for immediate consumption, the majority of beers produced at that time. Production conditions were the opposite of the aseptic ones, controlled from A to Z, that one finds in modern breweries. Brewing science was still in an embryonic stage. Pasteur’s discoveries on fermentation in beer were published in 1876. It would take many years before their applications would become widespread, and they would first affect the large industrial breweries before the small local ones.

Therefore most beers became infected quickly and were drunk quite young—approximately one to three weeks after production. It was almost out of the question to brew in the summer, a period extremely vulnerable to infections that would have made the beer undrinkable. Brewers needed to make a beer that would keep for the warm season.

© 2004 by Phil Markowski All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Neither the author, editor nor the publisher assume any responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book. ISBN: 0-937381-84-5 E-ISBN: 978-0-9840756-7-6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Markowski, Phil. Farmhouse ales : culture and craftsmanship in the Belgian tradition / Phil Markowski ; with contributions from Tomme Arthur and Yvan De Baets. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-937381-84-5 1.

Ale–Flanders–History. I. Title. TP578.M34 2004 641.2′3′094931–dc22 2004023123 Publishing Editor: Ray Daniels Technical Editor: Randy Mosher Copy Editor: Jill Redding Index: Daria Labinsky Cover Design: Julie Korowotny Cover Illustration: Naomi Shea Photos: Scott Morrison, Dan Shelton and Matt Stinchfield OceanofPDF.com Table of Contents Acknowledgments Foreword by Tomme Arthur OVERVIEW Introduction Farmhouse Brewing Then and Now A Word On Style BIÈRE DE GARDE The World of Bière de Garde Drinking Bière de Garde Brewing Bière de Garde SAISON A History of Saison by Yvan De Baets The World of Saison Drinking Saison Brewing Saison Ingredient Sources References Index Photo Gallery OceanofPDF.com T Acknowledgments he list of people to thank is a long one.

At the top is my wife, Maryann, for her patience and support—before, during, and after this project. More of the same goes to the Sullivan brothers, owners of the Southampton Publick House, who allow me the freedom to endlessly experiment in a commercial brewery. Thanks go to Yvan De Baets, a native Belgian whose passion for his country’s brewing tradition is equaled only by his willingness to share and exchange information. To Daniel Shelton, for all his help and for importing the best of these artisanal ales into the United States.

To Randy Mosher, for lending more than a helping hand. To my translators, B. R. Royla and Yvan De Baets, and to the Belgian and French brewers who were willing to share information, enthusiasm, and insight into their methods and techniques. With regard to visual content, this book would not be the same without significant contributions from several people. I would like to thank Scott “The Dude” Morrison for his photos as well as his enthusiasm and superior navigational skills.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• ISBN: 9780984075676, 0937381845
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