BRASSERIE DUPONT- Six or seven breweries make Saisons. The undisputed classic of the style is Saison Dupont. It comes from an artisanal brewery that is also a working farm (eggs are sold in the ‘executive’ offices!) and produces beers with exquisitely hand-made character, and unruly clumpy yeast. When Saison Dupont first arrived in this country, we had to do quite a bit of explaining about the look of the beer. The brewery has cultured their yeast for taste and aromatic qualities. Because Dupont basically only sells beer from the brewery, they haven't concerned themselves with developing a yeast that travels well. For the uninitiated, the look of the beer is daunting. However, the sweetest rewards await the adventurous.

Saison Dupont is a delight to the taste buds. Snappy, yeasty, with a clean, bright quality. The Dupont brewery is run by Marc Rosier (brewer) and his sister (microbiologist). They also operate the farm, and are interested in sustainable agriculture. This has led to Foret, a Saison beer that is the first certified organic beer in Belgium. Foret is 5% abv, has the recognizable house yeast character, but it is more angular in its taste. Moinette is their homage to the Abbey Style. It is stronger and darker and richer than Saison Dupont. A favorite at our tutored tastings. Bon Voeux is the brewery’s rich Christmas ale.

"Today, some of the best know Saisons are made by Brasserie Dupont, a farmhouse brewery in western Belgium. Its Saison Dupont Vieille Provision is crisp and well balanced, with a hint of citrus and a slightly bitter finish that leaves you eager for more. Foret, an organic saison made by Dupont, shares the bitter finish of Vieille Provision but is spicy and earthier-tasting. It evokes newly mown grass, another sure sign of summer."

James Rodewald
Gourmet Magazine, June 2002

"[Foret] is an unfiltered organic Belgian ale from this well respected artisan brewery, better known for their classic Saison. It has a lumpy, rocky head and a pleasing pale golden colour. The nose is a complex blend of spices and fruit- coriander, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, figs, and a hint of toffee. In the mouth there are lots of phenols and esters adding lightness to the texture, with complex spicy malt and a subtle burning strength in the back of the throat. However, the strength is well disguised on the tongue- it is smooth and not too lively ( despite the 'pop' when pulling the cork ). Aftertaste is long, zesty, malty and spicy. This was for a long time the most interesting organic beer in the database, and is still one of the best. It's certainly well deserving of the World Beer Championships Top 10 award..."

Oxford Bottled Beer Database

"A hazy, pale bronze beer, from one of the pioneers of organic beer in Europe. Dupont is based on a farm and uses its own spring water to make classic Saison ales, originally brewed in the spring to refresh farm workers through the summer and harvest. Foret has a malty/toffee aroma with hints of spice (nutmeg) and tart citrus fruit. Bitter hops dominate the palate, underpinned by silky malt. Th finish is long and bitter, dominated by hops and tart fruit."

Roger Protz

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