Tag Archives: saison

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hudson Valley Brewery, USA

Hudson Valley Valley Beer Winter 2020

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Brewery: Hudson Valley Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 5%
Style: Farmhouse – Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Blended and bottled in the Winter of 2020. Valley Beer is our Hudson Valley Sour Farmhouse Ale brewed with 100% New York ingredients. It is fermented in our foudres with wild yeast and souring bacteria and aged for up to a year in oak barrels. This beer is bottle conditioned with local wildflower honey, so please open cold, pour carefully, and expect some sediment.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml baby blue waxed bottle, bottled in the winter of 2020, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice very slightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funk, damp wood, hay, yellow stone fruit, with light notes of honey and orange peel.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, funky, damp wood, apple cider vinegar, green apple, yellow stone fruit, honey, and a touch of citrus peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’ll accept that they call it a Farmhouse Ale, but it does trend more towards a Wild Ale in my opinion. The funky notes in both the aroma and taste keep it interesting along with the fruitiness and honey.

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).

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

Hill Farmstead Charlie

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 2%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: A low-alcohol Farmstead ale. Hops – Mosaic and Simcoe. Yeast – Farmstead ale yeast

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Charlie: Our faithful, loving, and steadfast companion. A golden retriever of renown, he effortlessly adopted everyone on Hill Road and beyond. Tail wagging and tongue lolling, Charlie never failed to charm. He was a cheerful rogue who approached without prejudice or judgment – a furry four-legged foreman who monitored all construction, managed events, and kept dutiful watch over his roads and wayward tacos. In his honor, we have created a beer to suit his spirit: a lively, cheerful, low-alcohol Farmstead ale with a touch of playfulness. Share. Consider. Enjoy…

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottle conditioned since 2nd March 2022. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw yellow colour, with an almost two finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical, mango, citrusy, lemon zest, with light floral, funky, and grainy notes.
Taste: Tart, citrusy, grapefruit, lemon zest, tropical, mango, with a touch of grains and funk.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable, refreshing and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Burning Sky Brewery, England, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit

Burning Sky Cherry Saison

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Brewery: Burning Sky Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Morello cherries from Kent were delivered to us fresh and added to a nine month old foudre aged saison. Further ageing and refermentation has drawn out a beautiful colour and complexity of cherry fruit, almond and oak flavours.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 23rd August 2021, with a best before date of 23rd August 2031. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice pinkish orange colour with a just over one finger white head that had good retention and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and tart cherry, candied grapefruit, light funk, with a touch of almond and oak.
Taste: Tart, funky, sour candy cherry, candied grapefruit, with notes of lemon and oak.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, refreshing, light bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Really refreshing with a good balance of sweet, sour and funk. Especially great on a hot summer day.