Rise of the Saison?

So in my recent posts about Drygate in Glasgow and Batch in Marrickville I have drank and discussed the "saison" beer (among others). 

Well on a cheeky mid week meal out we wandered home via the London Hotel in Balmain. Here I tried the Little Creatures Saison and it was an interesting beer. As Little Creatures is a bigger brewer their Saison was a bit more mainstream in taste (i.e. the bitter finish isn't there in such quantities but the light body and fruits flowed through) but it was a really nice beer and released in perfect timing for the hot summer evenings.  

A light but refreshing beer for summer

A saison was originally brewed in Northern France / Belgium as a "Farm House Ale" - i.e. in the hot summer days, it was a light but refreshing drink for staff to drink after a hard days work. It is usually low to medium strength alcohol. What you find with it is a light body, bright yellow in colour with fruit and a bitter mash finishing the taste to make it a really refreshing but highly unusual drink.

Bright yellow colour and a light body

What I find amazing is the stellar rise of Saison - from a few craft breweries (like Batch) to the larger, more established brewers, like Little Creatures, are now producing great quality saison's. I wonder if part of the appeal is that it is less of a hoppy beer which is very 'vogue' just now making the brewery stand out or if it is because of the hotter weather? 

Either way, what is clear is that from Europe through to Australia, brewers are producing more unusual beer styles which is great for us punters to try... 

Is this the start of a new beer craze?