The Saison is a tough beer to confine within a general description. There is a wide birth you need to give saison when describing exactly what it is. An exact definition will vary depending who you ask. My definition would be a beer brewed in a smaller brewery with farmhouse status or heritage and an artisanal quality.
This quality is enhanced by the presence of spicing components other than hops – though hops are definitely a part of the style. Color and alcohol content are not factors.
Saison is sometimes also referred to as “country beer”. It was designed to be medium in alcohol, around 5%-8ish% ABV, and refreshing.
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 consistent with the “country” nature of the style.
Brewing on a farm, as opposed to a facility ladden with stainless steel, seems conducive 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.