Nearly two-thirds of these, by value, involved foreign firms, such as Britain's Bass, which bought a hotel chain from the troubled Saison group.

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The first course, marked "La Saison, " was Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Sage Croutons made with Boulud's current favorite vegetable now available at the produce markets.

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For the chocolate and cheese plate, order a saison (farmhouse ale).

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Five to six cases of pale ale per week, for example, are reserved for Soho steakhouse Flat Iron, while Indian restaurant Gujarati Rasoi in Dalston favours the lemongrass saison.

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When I caught up with Andy Smith, the founder of archway-located brewery, Partizan Brewing, he and his small staff of part-timers were busy packaging their latest creation, an easy-drinking saison brewed with mangoes and peppercorns.

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The Stillwater Cellar Door Saison from Baltimore, Maryland.

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Among consumer lenders, Credit Saison Co.

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The Seibu Saison group of companies, of which Seiyu is the nucleus, owned track running from the Chichibu mountains west of Tokyo to Ikebukuro and Shinjuku in the city centre although the railway and the retailer parted company in the 1970s.

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Devil's Canyon dosed a saison.

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