This is my first experience with a Saison and also my first beer from Yards Brewing.

Since I’m not at all familiar with the Saison style, I decided to check Wikipedia and find out what I could. Here is an excerpt: “Saison (French, “season”) is the name originally given to low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, for farm workers during harvest season. Modern-day saisons are also brewed in other countries, particularly the USA, and are generally bottle conditioned, with an average range of 5 to 8% abv,^[1] though saisons at the more traditional 3.5% strength can still be found.”

Here’s what they say on the Yards Brewing site:
“Saisons were historically brewed to keep the farmhands happy and hydrated during the warm summer months. Crafted using Belgian pilsen malt and candi sugar, this golden Belgian style ale is a refreshing change from your usual beer lineup.“

I was warned that the Yard’s Saison is an uncomplicated beer. Usually you would expect me to be discussing the hops or malts or citrus, or some such thing.

Not with this one. It is truly a simple beer, but that makes it all the more enjoyable. Brewed right down the road in Philly, I’m always happy to find a good, solid, local brew. This Saison certainly fit the bill.

It pours a nice, light golden color with a decent amount of carbonation. I poured a couple tonight into pint glasses and had about a one-finger, clean, white head on each. It has a light, fruity aroma. It actually made me immediately think of the fermentation process. Really, all I could smell at first was the yeast, but then a little citrus and even a light peppery aroma come through.

Right away, I was pleased with the taste. It’s by no means a great beer, but it IS a GOOD beer. The predominant taste on my tongue was of wheat,  sweetened up by a little bit of a honey flavor and some fruitiness. Frank told me that a little pepper kick was kind of a hallmark for the style, but that it was off-putting for some. Frank knows me well. I think a pepper taste to this would have killed it for me.

Yard’s Saison is a very well-balanced beer. Nothing spectacular, but it goes down easy. It’s another one I can see myself enjoying on a hot day. I have to admit, I was a little surprised at how much my wife enjoyed this one. We had it over dinner, a basic breaded chicken and the Saison was a good match for that. While I don’t see myself seeking it out, I could see it making a return once or twice during the summer months.

The more I think about this, the more I think Yard’s Saison would be a fantastic introduction for the non-craft crowd to craft beer. There’s nothing overwhelming happening, but it’s significantly more flavorful than the big American beers.

I’ll give Yard’s Saison a 5 out of 10. It’s a good, average, VERY drinkable beer.

After researching, it looks like this one is a little to the high side for the style at 6.5% and I can think of better beers at the $9.99 per 6 mark, but unlike some I’ve had, I think I can find the value in it.