Why so few exported Belgian Saisons in US?

There is a ton of them available. I think you need to look at the shelf again.

 

From the style description: "Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US." And what is available isn't enough to cover the demand. Fantôme is a great example of that. I used to see their beers in NYC and Brooklyn all the time. Now there is a massive demand for their stuff and nowhere near enough supply, so it's all spread out very thin.

Once again, America saves Europe! USA! USA!

 

Never stopped to think about it but sounds like you may indeed be right. If we are willing to accept (love them or hate them) that TW is a good baseline for beer selection, than your guess serves you well. Other than three types of Dupont Saison, these are the only other Belgian Saison available there:

St Feuillien Saison, Brasserie du Bocq Saison 1858

 

I will agree that US made are easier to obtain but I will say that in Chicago there are many different ones available, It could vary greatly based on where you are located.

 

Sometimes Belgian breweries' labeling of styles can be cryptic, leading me to wonder what's inside the bottle, exactly.

 

THIS. I didn't realize that 3 Monts produced two (or is it three?) types of Bier de Garde, a now much-loved style for me. Those bottles are not descriptive of what's inside them.

Edit: They have at least 5 (St. Sylvestre).

 

I have reviewed 16 import Saisons plus probably a dozen more that were listed wrong. The reasons you don't see much as American Saisons is a) you're in America and b) your bottle shop sucks or is limited by the area you live

 

You are correct - they are just not as readily available here.

I think the thing to keep in mind is that the style is not associated with the Trappist breweries and as a result is just less marketable over here.

Perhaps, but this site makes it even worse by (in certain cases) using different classifications than what you'd get over there.

 

In support of your observation, of the 50 most frequently rated ones on BA, only 3 of them are imports. As you say most likely not as easily obtainable, also there's the price difference. According to the Total Wine web site, a four pack of 12 oz Saison Dupont bottles at Total Wine in Delaware is priced at just about $22. So I'm spending my money on Boulevard's Tank 7 and GI Sofie.

 

"Saison/Farmhouse Ale" is a very broad and hard-to-define style. I've had half of the top 10 - while they were all delicious, none of them are remotely similar to the ones coming out of Belgium.

And as another poster pointed out, we're in America, so it shouldn't be that surprising that American beers rule the roost. I mean look at IPAs as a comparison point. Even though they've been sub-divided into American IPAs and English IPAs, out of the top 10 English IPAs, seven are from American breweries.

 

Sixteen imported Saisons reviewed out of how many total Saisons reviewed? Without that information its hard to determine relative frequency and if you've reviewed enough Saisons 16 isn't all that big a number.

 

I have seen a number of imported Saisons on local retailers' beer shelves but I just 'walk on by' since the prices are ludicrous.

I always look forward to Hill Farmstead beers coming to town; Shaun Hill brews OUTSTANDING Saison beers!!

Cheers!

 

Being in America of course there are more locally done versions of style than imports and being a ticker I've tried vastly more than imported versions. This is true of nearly every style as I've spent pretty much all my time in the states and not abroad.

 

I manage to find quite a few imported saisons from time to time, don't seem to have too much trouble, but must admit that vast majority I've had were made in the US, with quite a few breweries who are big on making them.

and I agree HF saisons are stunning, at least the few that I've had....

 

Yes, I always 'walk on by' those pricey imports and grab those reasonable bottles of Hill Farmstead instead.

(Honestly, the nice American saisons that are available on the shelf seem just as pricey.)

 

@drtth posted above: "...a four pack of 12 oz Saison Dupont bottles at Total Wine in Delaware is priced at just about $22. So I'm spending my money on Boulevard's Tank 7 and GI Sofie."

I am just like Tom, I buy American brewed/packaged Saison beers for about half the price of the imported Saison beers.

I am not sure what American brewed/packaged Sasion beers you are buying.

Cheers!

 

I would say that the saison 'style' is now an American style. There are now undoubtedly far more being brewed in America, since it became fashionable. Many if not most of the fashionable newer British breweries produce this type of beer, which is one of the indicators that they are American style brewers (all fashionable British brewers are American style). I think the answer, then, is simple: it became fashionable in America; perhaps there are thousands more brewed there (than in Belgium). There are probably far more brewed in Britain than Belgium, since American thinking became the most influential factor in contemporary brewing here.