Category Archives: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, USA

Sante Adairius Long Distance Neighbors

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Brewery: Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: Barrel-aged Saison co-fermented with fresh pear juice

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Meaningful connections often extend beyond mere physical proximity, and such is the case with Long Distance Neighbors. Beginning as a saison that utilizes California-grown raw grain from Sonoma County-based Central Milling, Long Distance Neighbors was then co-fermented with fresh pear juice from our friends at Mission Trail Ranches in San Luis Obispo County. The end result blurs the line between beer and perry, and stands as a testament to our kindred spirits who share a connected approach to their craft, while existing beyond our immediate region. Cheers to all of our neighbors, both near and far!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw blonde colour with a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, pear, lemon zest, grapes, oak, and a touch of funk.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, lemon, pear, oak, with notes of apricot and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An interesting perry and saison mix, but probably not among my favourite SARA saisons.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie de la Sambre, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit

De La Sambre Ceréjhe (Etre Gourmet Blend)

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Brewery: Brasserie De La Sambre
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: 2021 harvest. 25 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Wallonian Saison with cherries.

Ceréjhe is the word used to designate cherries in Wallonian dialect. A delicate blend of saison (spring barley, Wallonian Winter barley, spelt & wheat) fermented with our own strain, 1 year old lambic and cherries. The cherries come from the lovely lands of our friends Sandra and Stephane next to the beautiful Mont Ventoux. The cherries underwent a 7 months long fermentation at cold temperature and were left intact (no pressing) during the entire process to allow the aromas to slowly diffuse into the beer.

The maceration was then back blended with the base saison to reach a balance between the saison, the lambic and the cherries. Not meant to be a cherry bomb, we hope that you’ll enjoy the delicate notes of these beautiful fruits, coming from an outstanding terroir.

An authentic farmhouse beer, Brewed in our 800 years old farm.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml white waxed bottle, the Etre Gourmet blend, 2021 harvest, with a best before date of 7th April 2025. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice lightly hazy ruby red colour with a one finger slightly pinkish head, with good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet candied cherries, raspberry, strawberry, with light notes of wood and funk.
Taste: Much like the aroma, sour, tart, candied cherries, raspberry, strawberry, red fruit jelly, and wood.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking, nice and refreshing.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Plum: 2021 Harvest

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: Farmstead ale aged in oak barrels with plums. Source: Elmore Roots Nursery, Elmore, VT

Brewer Description: (from website) Each harvest season, we choose various barrels of our Farmstead® ales that exhibit sympathetic characteristics for pairing with local fruit varieties, in this case, organic plums from the 2021 harvest season at Elmore Roots Nursery in nearby Elmore, Vt. Once again, the care and intentionality with which David and his team work with the land translates fully into the fruit’s seasonal expression each year, especially with these varieties of plums. Regardless of the base beer’s composition or blend, the ideal outcome remains the same: a thoughtful representation of the fruit in season and one of our favorite offerings within this collection.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml bottle, plums 2021 harvest, bottle conditioned since March 23, 2022, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange pinkish colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, plum, plum skin, grapefruit rind, citrus zesty, oak.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, plum, grapefruit rind and zest, oak, slight tropical notes, funk, with a light salty touch on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable and really easy to drink fruited Saison, with balanced plum flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Jester King Brewery, USA

Jester King Farmhouse Ale Refermented with Texas Summer Melons

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Brewery: Jester King Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: Watermelons, Casaba Melons, Santa Claus Melons, Sugar Kiss Melons

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Farmhouse Ale with Texas Summer Melons seeks to express and preserve the savory, decadent, and highly aromatic character of Texas melons in a way that only wild fermentation with native yeast can do. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, and 100% naturally conditioned.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch #1, bottled on October 2020. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: It was a clear straw yellow golden colour, with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, citrus zingy, tart, cucumber, melons, and lemon zest.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, melons, cucumber, lemon zest, with a moderately funky finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Light, refreshing and really easy to drink. I’m not familiar with most of the melons involved, but I do generally enjoy melons and this was no exception.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Chien Bleu, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Switzerland

Chien Bleu Abricot 2021

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Brewery: Chien Bleu
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: 720 bottles

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The frost has led us to change the variety of apricot for the 2021 season. We chose the Bergarouge. The apricots were infused for 6 weeks in a 12 month saison.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.89
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, cuvee 2021-2022, with a best before date of June 2024. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, apricot, wood, light funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, apricot, green, oak, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not as complex as I hoped, and while the apricots were front and centre, they seemed a little underripe and green (or this is just a variety that isn’t one of my favourites).