Saison 1858

Saison 1858

Du Bocq Brewery

Purnode, Belgium

Imported by Merchant du Vin 

Saison 1858 is a classic Belgian saison brewed by Du Bocq Brewery. Founded in the Condroz region of Wallonia, Belgium, the brewery is owned by the same family that started it more than 150 years ago.

ABV: 6.4

ABW: 5.1

COLOR: 3

BITTERNESS: 38

ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1070

AVAILABLE: All U.S. states and Europe

The beer celebrates the founding year of the family brewery in Purnode, Belgium. Saison is a specialty from the French-speaking region and was originally a seasonal beer brewed to refresh farm laborers getting the harvest in. The unfiltered beer has a hazy blond color with a spicy cinnamon aroma with hints of lemon and nougat-like malt. Bitter, peppery hops build in the mouth, balanced by rich, slightly perfumed malt and spice. The finish is dry, bitter and spicy with a continuing honey/nougat note. There’s a late hit of lemon fruit in this refreshing beer.
- Roger Protz

Is saison actually a style, or a loose term to bind together farmhouse beers from southern Belgium? Whatever, 1858 seems to tick most of the boxes of what most people assume a saison to be. The aroma is spicy, bready and citrus-fruity, leading to a taste that bursts with zesty hop fruitiness (oranges and lemons) and bubbles over with carbonation. Underneath are a soft, bready texture, a creamy underbelly and a gentle, peppery warmth, and these are joined by a bold, clovelike bitterness that takes over the dry, perfumed finish. It’s not particularly subtle but packed with taste.
- Jeff Evans

Roger Protz
Author of 300 Beers to Try Before You Die and 300 More Beers to Try Before You Die. Respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and www.protzonbeer.co.uk.

Jeff Evans
Jeff Evans is author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide, The Book of Beer Knowledge and Beer Lover’s Britain. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.