Kansas City, Missouri’s Boulevard Brewing Co. Brewmaster Steven Pauwels is responsible for one of the most popular saisons in the United States. Here, he handpicks his dream six-pack of world-class beers.
Pauwels began a presentation about saisons at this year’s Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines festival saying, “I grew up in Belgium. You think, okay this guy from Belgium knows everything about saisons. Well, actually there’s a bit of a language barrier. . . . The saison beers are brewed in the French region [of Belgium], and my parents don’t even speak French.”
The transplanted brewmaster has degrees in biochemical engineering from KaHo Sint-Lieven and experience brewing at Brouwerij Krugar, Domus brewpub, and Brouwerij Riva. “It was only when I came back to the United States that saisons [appeared on] my radar screen,” he says.