A grisette is a variety of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

originating from the mining regions along the border of France and Belgium. It is a close relative of other

farmhouse ale Farmhouse ale is an ancient European tradition where farmers brewed beer for consumption on the farm from their own grain. Most farmers would brew for Christmas and/or the late summer work, but in areas where they had enough grain farmers would u ...

s of the region including

saison Saison ( French, "season," ) is a pale ale that is highly carbonated, fruity, spicy, and often bottle conditioned. It was historically brewed with low alcohol levels, but modern productions of the style have moderate to high levels of alcohol. ...

s and bières de garde, though unlike those beers, which were prevalent among agricultural workers, grisettes were consumed primarily by miners. The name, which means "little grey one", may come from the name of the local grey-colored stone or from the grey frocks worn by the women who served the beer in local pubs. It is a low-alcohol beer that is light in body, with a noticeable tartness similar to other farmhouse ales and in some ways to the

gose Gose () is a warm fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. It is usually brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat. Dominant flavours in gose include a lemon sourness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltin ...

beers of Germany. As of 2016, only one Belgian brewery was still making the style in the traditional manner, though the American

craft brewing Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

industry has started producing several varieties, often working from historically researched recipes.

References

* {{beer-stub Beer in France Beer in Belgium Beer styles

See also

References