Saison is sometimes also referred to as "country beer". It was designed to be medium in alcohol, around 5%-8ish% ABV and refreshing. I have seen several references to it being a beer that was served to the hard working people of rural Belgium, though that is clearly a thing of the past. This hertitage reminds me a little of the story of English porter, a medium but satisfying beer produced for the working class. Considering many of the few producers of saison are located on what is or was a farm, the "for the worker" status seems worthy of note.

Saison is typically golden to orange in color, but there are brown and incredibly pale examples. Some - but not all - examples exhibit a slight tart character, though not to the extent of lambic. There is something about this that seems very consistant with the "country" nature of the style. Brewing on a farm as opposed to a facility ladden with stainless steel seems condusive to a little "wildness" in the fermentation department. The grist is generally comprised of pilsner malt but some recipes use some wheat. The deeper color some of them have is a result of adjunct malts, such as crystal, to acheive their orangy tone. Lastly, some but not all do a bit of spicing. This practice really reinforces the old feel of this fading style as hops were not commonly used in brewing until 400 or 500 years ago.