Do Americans not appreciate imported saisons?

Prairie Artisan Ales
Stillwater
Saint Somewhere
Fonta Flora
Wicked Weed

These breweries make some of the best Saisons in the nation and arguably the whole world. I've had many DuPont beers which I agree are fantastic. D'erpe-Mere was kind of a let down for me. I agree that the poorly made American saisons end up just tasting like witbiers but, if you have any of the above mentioned breweries' saisons, I think you'll see we're fully capable of being true to the style and even improving on it (i.e. by using Brett and using different malts like rye).

 

I'm not sure how a quick look at the saison review list on this website would support either part of the hypothesis... Dupont, Fantome, etc are well reviewed, and so are many widely-available offerings from US breweries, some of which have been doing it for a decade or so (Jolly Pumpkin, St. Somewhere). From the same distributor as most of the Belgians that hit the east coast you've got Prairie, JP, Stillwater... try them! (Also... The Bruery, Hill Farmstead, etc. etc.)

 

Dude...and to think I used to liked you and your opinions...such a shame

 

At it's price point and distribution around here it's hard not to find "pre-aged".

 

I spout ridiculous shit fairly non-stop. Don't give up on me now. Some of my other extreme opinions will appeal to you in the future if they have in the past. I don't hate you or think you have bad taste just because you like belgian ipas. Everyone can be wrong sometimes, and I bet you have decent taste in other things.

It wasn't your idea, was it? Because if it was I don't really think you should be shot. I'm a peaceful man. It's just my way of saying it's a really bad idea. You're good. I don't even own a gun.

 

I've run into those, too- and consider it a lucky thing these days. I think we pay like $10-11, which I find very reasonable for a four-pack.

My first experience with that beer was pretty OK, I suppose, but that was when it first hit the area and the bottles were fresh. It wasn't until about 9 months later, when I tried it again with one of those 'store aged' bottles that it really clicked with me.

I'm really quite fond of it now- it's got a very tight-knit cohesive quality to it, although all of the separate elements are there if you go looking for them (spices, yeast sig, wine barrel, brett, malt, hops). It's pretty dry and light on the palate, too, and drinks like a much smaller beer than it is.

 

LOL. All right, I'll give you another chance.

 

Anchorage brews mind-blowing Saisons. Love Buzz is one of the best beers brewed ever. Also, Jolly Pumpkin.

 

But seriously, I'd love it if you made me eat me words. Tell me the belgian ipa that will change my mind and I'll go try it and let you know...
I don't mind being wrong, because every time I'm proven wrong I have learned something.

 

Try oxbow or allagash or HF or Night Shift. Rest of the saisons in NE are crapola lab yeast.

 

Any chance you want to explain exactly what you mean by that?
Bryan
Mystic Brewery

 

Stillwater Why Can't IBU. If you don't like that beer, there might be something wrong with your tongue. Also, do you not like Green Flash Le Freak? Everyone's entitled to their opinion but those are both excellent examples of Belgian IPAs IMO.

 

not a fan of green flash in general so I haven't tried that one. I don't think stillwater gets MA distro, but I'll keep my eyes out. Green flash tends to be old when i see it, and I honestly don't know what the deal is with age on belgian ipas, so I don't know if I need to try it fresh or are they more bearable with age when the hops and the yeast have had some time to fight it out?

 

Saison Dupont is my favorite saison period, but like most have said I love the diversity that saisons have. Stillwater does a very good job with mixing up the style. Yes there are quite a few very mediocre saisons but they aren't only coming from America.

 

Definitely need to have it fresh and GF usually has bottle dates. Also, Stone Cali-Belgique and Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Wild are both great. Oh and both Allagash Hugh Malone and Clown Shoes Tramp Stamp are underrated IMO. There, that oughta be enough suggestions to get you to reconsider the style before you go around murdering people!

 

Stillwater is in MA.

 

I love a good Dupont or Foret, but the majority of my favorite saisons are American-made and super funky and/or sour...

Saison-Brett, Love Buzz, Tank 7, Prairie Ale, Peche N' Brett, Eliza5beth, Gillian, Halia, etc.

That said, I agree that there are a lot of American-made saisons that are boring and uninteresting.

 

I walk past the import section everytime en-route to the craft IPA cooler. I have not had luck with imported beer. I'm probably as ignorant as the guy who walks past the craft cooler en-route to his/her case of Miller Lite. I'm not trying to troll or be rude in any manner. I'm just saying this is what happens nearly every time and there are others doing the same thing.

 

I love fantome and dupont. Just wish they'd stop using those green bottles.