One of the reasons I decided to review a series of saisons this spring is the diversity of flavor profiles that fall under the saison umbrella. Since the saison style originated in farmhouses in Belgium and France there was never any attempt to conform to a particular recipe or list of ingredients. In a couple of weeks I have already covered beers with very different hop, malt and yeast flavors, in addition to various adjunct ingredients. Idle Hands Brewing of Everett, MA has a very unique saison as their Spring seasonal. They have combined a Belgian saison yeast with a dark malt profile typical in a stout or porter, resulting in a “dark saison” named D’aison. Idle Hands D’aison was originally a one-off release, but it won a fan vote to become their new Srping seasonal release. D’aison is available on draft and in 750 mL bottles.
Idle Hands D’aison pours a pitch black with a mild off-white head. The smell is pretty mild, some fruity esters from the yeast and some dark fruit scents from the malts. The taste starts with the dark malts, touches of dark chocolate, raisins and plums. The Belgian yeast is present but not strong, some notes of pear, pepper and spice. The beer doesn’t have much hop character, there is a little bitterness in the backbone for balance. Idle Hands D’aison is medium bodied and a nice sipper at 6.7% ABV. The finish is quite clean, with a bit of malt and spice in the aftertaste. Overall this is a very unique take on the saison style, with a compatible interplay between the dark malt and yeast. Hoppy Boston score: 4.0/5.
Previous Idle Hands Reviews:
Hoppy Boston 
