Why are Saisons so expensive?

Yeah- the time in the barrel and dealing with the time it takes for something like brett to do its work can make some of them expensive.

There are some affordable ones in cans, though:

St. Feuillien

 

I homebrew Saisons frequently. There really isn’t anything special about brewing a Saison that would require higher pricing. My guess is that breweries just charge more for Saisons because they can. Most Belgian style beers are more expensive regardless of where they are brewed (US, Belgium, etc.).

Maybe it is time to consider homebrewing?

Cheers!

 

I say it's not true. Maybe a few years ago this was true, but now I am seeing a bunch of great US made Saisons sold in the 12oz format (4-packs or 6-packs):
Great Divide Colette
Allagash Saison
Foolproof La Ferme Urbaine
Two Roads Worker's Comp

 

If its barrel aged or bretted, it will probably be more expensive because of the time and space required for aging

 

I think it's consumer driven niche marketing, as somehow saisons have gotten a reputation for being something delicate to be sipped out of a tulip. As such, the consumer should pay more for this privilege. There are plenty on the market that don't buy into this garbage, my favorite being Surly's CynicAle.

 

I can't see how saison yeast is THAT much more expensive than any other ale yeast to necessitate higher prices. Saison is one of those beer buzzwords nowadays though... oh well.

 

I thought Collette was excellent. I'm going to see if I can find some next time I'm in the store. I was thinking just the same thing recently - that I wished I could find some more Saisons in wallet-friendly packaging. I should probably give Worker's Comp a shot too. Never tried that one.

 

I've got 10 gallons of it waiting to be bottled at home.

 

I'm not familiar with distribution in IL, but I can find saisons in all price ranges and even some in cans. But, as mentioned by @Mag00n the soured or barrel aged saisons are probably more expensive due to extra time/resources the brewer spends, and their marketability is more niche, so if you favor those you might be out of luck finding a cheap regular option.

You could also explore some american pale wheats because pale wheat and saison are both fairly broad styles with some overlap. For example Bell's Oberon is marketed as a pale wheat, but it has a spiciness and some hopping that I think treads into saison territory and it's in cans. Follow your tastes, not the labels....

 

Orpheus Atalanta is a real good canned Saison. little on the sour side but verry refreshing

 

No idea how many are canned but I've one that I just picked up that is chilling in my fridge right now:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22150/91189/

It wasn't any more expensive than the other canned singles on offer at the same shop.

Haven't tried this one yet, but the other Saisons from Stillwater have all been quite good (and reasonably priced).

 

Stone had one out last year (I really liked it got a 3.54 average rating) and it was the typical reasonably priced Stone...says seasonal release, but I didn't see any this spring

 

I believe it's in the current Stone mixed 12 pack. I looked for it last night and ended up with the current Sierra Nevada Summer mixed 12. Life could be worse. :-)

 

I'd like to find that here

 

Because american beer geeks pay high prices for them?

 

21st Amendment has a winter/spring seasonal called "Sneak Attack" that is really great and definitely well-priced (and in a can). Collette is great as well. Boulevard Tank 7 is also excellent but a little pricier. Allagash isn't really worth it IMO. Stillwater Classique is good and canned but a little overpriced.

 

I love Sorachi Ace and it's only $9 a four-pack. Tank 7 is a little more but still very reasonable for the quality.

 

In most cases, its the expensive format or mixed fermentation that drives up the price. But straight-forward ones, made with all the same yeast everyone is using, kind of baffles me when I see it highly priced. They are incredibly easy to make and because most of the flavor comes from the yeast you dont really have to rely on other costly ingredients to produce something tasty.

Maybe saisons are thought of as a premium style of beer.