Everybody loves Belgian beer, but not everybody can handle a tripel, and it would be unthinkable to try to get anything done after sipping most Trappist ales. But saison is different: this style, as the legend goes, was the result of giving farmhands something to make in the winter out of whatever was left over and put aside to drink during the day in spring and summer. It’s usually an unfiltered ale, slightly sour, full-bodied but with ABV in the 4-6% range, the characteristic high note of Belgian ales, with some spices, a lot of fizz and finish somewhere between malty and refreshing. It’s got everything, and just enough of it. The idea is to have a few, spread out over several hours.

More and more American breweries are adding a farmhouse ale to their seasonal menu. Most aim for a serviceable copy of the best known old world examples of the style, such as Saison Dupont, Silly Saison (there really is a Brasserie de Silly) or Saison de Pipaix. These beers are tremendous, and if you’re going to copy a beer you could do a lot worse. Most Whole Foods carry Dupont, the champagne of saisons. If you want to have a rarer experience to brag about, hunt down a four-pack of Silly. And if you find Fantome or Lefebvre, let me know — I looked in several states, no luck.

Some breweries take the permissive whatever-you-have-on-hand nature of the style to get creative. We tried several, pairing them with late winter and early spring meals from hearty stew to spicy pesto pasta, and found that whether you get a tall bottle for the table or a pack to extend the beer across the day or among friends, a good saison is a pleasure.

The finest if most attention-grabbing saison we found is The Bruery’s Saison Rue, slightly sourer than the Belgian models, with the barest hint of funk from brettanomyces yeast, and at 8+% ABV it’s on the heavy side. The balance of hops and malt in the Saison Rue is perfect, and the start and the finish both have a lot going on. I wasn’t sure after a few sips whether it was for me; by the time I finished a glass I wished I’d had the sense to get more than one bottle for another day.

Dogfish Head in collaboration with Stone and Victory makes Saison du Buff, an herb ale with the Scarborough Faire garden of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. It’s pleasingly full bodied (6.8% ABV still high for a saison), though I imagine there are drinkers for whom being able to taste sage and thyme every sip might not be pleasant. I like it. Buff has less carbonation than most saisons but makes up for it with flavor.

Allagash excels at brewing spiced beers, and at 6.1% ABV their Saison was the most drinkable of the beers we tried. Good body, not too strong, not too far in the direction of hoppy or spicy (or too far away from them either), Allagash is a reasonable choice to go all in on a six pack, or a case if you’re having a to do. Ommegang specializes in American versions of Belgian beers, and their Glimmerglass (5.1% ABV) is probably the best domestic simulation of Saison Dupont available. Very drinkable if on the unexceptional side, and a shade thinner than the Belgians. Victory makes Swing Session Saison, the hoppiest of the saisons we tasted, and the closest to an IPA, but not at all offensive or unbalanced between yeast, malt, and hops, and at 4.5% ABV it’s on point with the saison mission. Side by side with other saisons, though, the hops are distinctly more noticeable in Victory Swing.

You can taste the table spice in every sip of Elysian’s Oddland Peppercorn Saison. I’d get this one again to pair with steak or broiled fish. Fans of capsaicin beers will want more heat, but this good fizz good flavor good body (7.0% ABV) beer ought to be enough of a departure from the norm for most. Saranac High Peaks Lemon Ginger emphasizes the sour and spice notes of the style, and at 8.5% ABV it’s the heaviest saison we tried, but tasty.

We tried 21st Amendment’s Sneak Attack and Green Flash’s Saison Diego, too, and found them ok if not equal to the best beers from those breweries. Sneak Attack is flavored aggressively with cardamom, and the two bottles of Saison Diego had a quality of metallic apple juice at the front and a vanishing finish.