The Bowsing Ken

 1212 : Saison Dupont

OK … So here we go…
Saison Dupont is/has been described as a farmhouse ale, a saison (season) ale, and as a farmhouse saison ale. So, which one is it - the first, the second, or the third? Or, perhaps all of the above? Or, none of the above? I guess to figure this out one must delve into the murky depths of beer characteristics, a topic of which I acknowledge must exist, but one that I don’t really care to often seriously engage. Too many people take this style stuff much too seriously. Anyway, so, here we go…

Being a traditionalist, I am one who tends to harken back to the day from which the style began. Oftentimes, as in this case, even going back as far in history as one can, the actual elements of the style are impossible to definitively determine. Thus the style is impossible to set in stone. I actually don’t really like using the word “style,” because it connotes a specific set of elements which go into defining a certain type of beer. I think this is way too restrictive. But, we’ll go there anyway.
Let’s start out with “farmhouse.” In the era before the establishment of the commercial brewer, whether big or small, most farm folk all over Europe, and in particular the farm wife, made their own beer. Of course, they did this out of necessity, after all, where were they going to get their beer but to make it themselves. And, it seemed that everybody made their own beer, which amounted to thousands of individual farm breweries. This is the basic concept of what we call the farmhouse ale. The trouble is defining the style, since back in the olden days no two farm brewers made beer to the exact same recipe. Sure, the basic idea of making beer was known, and even some very early cookbooks, written for the farm wife, if she could read, had a list of ingredients and how to brew them. The thing was that variations in the availability of ingredients - grains, hops, herb, spices, and whatever natural yeast was floating around in the air - meant that often no two brews were exactly the same. Even two brews consisting of nearly the same ingredients, could in this day before set controls, turn out to be different tasting beers. So, in the most basic sense, a farmhouse ale is one that was made on the farm, by farm folk, vice a commercial brewer. Simple.
OK, now, how about a “saison” beer? Well, this one is a bit more easy to define. Most would agree that a saison beer was lighter bodied beer, also usually out of necessity brewed on the farm, that was brewed in the wintertime, and that was stored until the spring and summer when it was consumed by the hardworking field hands. It was a thirst quencher. Yes, I can accept this as an accurate description, as it does not define the individual attributes of the beer, but just rather when it was made. This, of course, raises the question of what a saison beer should taste like. In my mind, as with a farmhouse ale, this is impossible to define. Again, no two farmhouse brew wives made the same beer. Thus it is quite impossible to taste two beers, and proclaim this one is a saison and this one isn’t. If you want to go old school, a saison beer should only be served in the summer, after all, the “saison” we are talking about is summer.

  So, can a farmhouse ale also be a saison ale - yes. Can a farmhouse ale not be a saison ale - also yes. Can a farmhouse ale be made by a big brewer - well, with a couple of caveats - no. Can a saison ale be made by a big brewer - I guess it can. Can we, with any semblance of certainty, say what any of these beers should taste like - in my mind - no. Yes, I am a traditionalist, and I have used this sense of history to answer the above questions. And….discuss.

The Brasserie Dupont is located in the little village of Tourpes, in Wallonian Belgium, in the municipality of Leuze-en-Hainaut, province of Hainaut. Records are somewhat scarce, but the village dates back to at least the 5th century, during the Germanic invasions of the region. It was first referred to as simply Dorp, which is a Germanic word for “village.” Beginning around 1162, the spelling was morphed into Tourp, and finally, around 1686, into Tourpes. So the name of the town simply means village. Back before the French Revolution (1789), Tourpes was part of the principality of Burbant, which was ruled from the fortress and castle at Ath, located on what was once the high road from Brussels to Paris, an area that included some five towns and over 100 villages.
The 1856 edition book “A Gazetteer of the World” (A. Fullarton & Co., London) describes Tourpes as: “a commune and a village in Belgium, in the province of Hainault (sic), on the Dendre [River]. Pop. 1,350.” Another book - “The Imperial Gazetteer” (Blackie & Son, Glasgow and Edinburgh), which was published in 1874, describes Tourpes similarly as: “a vil. and com. [village and commune], Belgium Hainaut, on the Little Dendre [River], 18 m. NW Mons: with manufactures of hosiery, a brewery, a flour-mill, and a trade in agricultural produce. Pop. 1,325.” It seems that between 1856 and 1874, the village of Tourpes lost a bit of its population, but gained a brewery.
Actually, records of the Brasserie Dupont date the establishment of a brewery on the site at least back to 1844. It was here, on a farm that itself dates back to the mid-1700s, that the Rimaux-Derrider brewery was established. I am not sure who Rimaux was, but it seems that Deridder was a local family. In a book called “Atlas Cadastrat Parcellaire de la Belgique” (“Atlas Land Register Parcels of Belgium” published back in 1858, by the Belgian Ministry of Finance), and covering the “Commune de Tourpes” it is recorded that there was one brasserie in the area. Further in this book, it is noted that one Adolphe Deridder, his wife Francois, as well as other family members, owned a piece of land in Tourpes which included a house, an orchard, a nursery (perhaps for livestock) and a brasserie. The Rimaux-Derrider brewery was apparently known for its honey ale, as well as saison beers.
In 1920, enter one Louis Dupont, an agronomist who was on his way to Canada to start a farm. Not wanting him to leave, Louis’ father Alfred Dupont bought out the Rimaux-Deridder brewery and gave it to his son. The Brasserie Dupont has been in the family ever since.

This brings us to Saison Dupont, brewed by the aforementioned Brasserie Dupont. It is described, in its name, as a saison ale, and on its label as a farmhouse ale. Based on everything written above can this be accurate? I say yes, based on the history of the brasserie, and its direct connection, long before it became the brewery of today, to a farmhouse in the village of Tourpes. Although it is not for certain, it is a reasonably guess that this old farmhouse, most likely by the farm wife within, produced its own brew. And, most likely this beer was made solely for the people that worked on the farm. Also, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that this same farmhouse brewery produced a special batch, or batches, of beer that were stored away until needed on the summer months to keep the farm workers happy and hydrated. Unfortunately, there are no extant records that chronicle the timeline from when the farm was established to the Rimaux-Deridder brewery, and its saison beer, but at least there is some connection. Was it an unbroken chain of history - from back then to now? Well, probably not, but again, the connection with the olden days lends some credibility to the Saison Dupont of today.
The bottom line is that Saison Dupont is a fine ale, one that has happily been imported to the United States for years. Hoppy, but not overly hoppy, it is a nice cool refreshing drink on a hot afternoon. Can it be called a farmhouse saison ale? Yea, I think so, in a way. At least it has some history to validate the claim. My advice - don’t get too wrapped up about conforming to some style. Just get a Saison Dupont and enjoy.