Murray's Bob's Farmhouse Ale
Murray's Craft Brewing Co.

Pours a straw-gold colour, slightly cloudy with off-white foamy head, decent retention. Nice haze, looks like a decent farmhouse ale.

Fruity and slightly malty on the nose. Plenty of funky and floral characters backing up to a decent saison-style complexity. Quite subtle oak with a nice slightly sour funk. Not bad.

Spice dominates the palate with lots of saisony organic funk as well. Slight alcohol warmth as it travels through. Rubbery, sprucey and quite herbal overall. Oak comes through more as a subtle dryness than as a big bold flavour that I'm used to. I could use more oak flavour to be honest, but otherwise it's a nice decent saison.

Bit of warmth from the booze, lots of pull from yeast on the mouthfeel. Alright.

Decent saison, but I kind of have a high yardstick for Murray's beers. It all seems a bit subdued here and in the company it's keeping it could really have made a bigger, more explosive impression.

Hazy deep straw colour with a smooth and long lasting white head. Good head retention. The aroma comes in with a spicy hit of clove phenols followed by a nice fruit aroma dominated by banana. Not bad at all. The flavour is nicely spicy with a good Saison type palate. It is a little sweet and lacking in oak given the supposed barrel aging. THere is a light tartness which is nice. The moderate body and high carbonation is suitable. A delicious beer on the whole that I really do like. It isn't however quite what it says on the packet.

Had on-tap at GABS in Melbourne.

Pours a light yellow colour, fully hazed and with good weight behind it. Head is full and pleasant, and a bright white that almost strains towards pink. Looks good.

Bit of acid on the nose, but only a light, barnyard or rustic funk to it. The yeast is relatively clean and crisp, leaving just a bit of dustiness in the aroma. It's smooth enough overall, but not all that complex.

Light pepper comes forward on the front palate, before we get that bane of Murray's Belgian styles: the big phenolic upswell mid-palate, which really seems characteristic of all their Belgian-style beers. It really pushes the Belgian characters without subtlety. Finish is peppery and spicy, with some vegetal finishes.

Feel is peppery but in some way muted and blunted.

Overall: yeah, it's not bad. But Murray's seem to be doing a lot of Belgians in styles that are very difficult to get right. This is a classic example of that, and shows what a big gap there is between a "decent" Saison, and a "good" one.

Reviewed from scrappy notes taken at Murray's Manly.

Murky apricot with a resilient white head fed by a conspicuously fierce bead. Looks ready to take off.

Mild straw-like funk, stewed apples, cumquat and noticeable booze. Oak is discreet.

Very yeast driven flavour profile. Marmalade, pear, oaked granny smith apple and a hard to place gritty, earthiness.

Medium bodied with relatively high carbonation. Hot and relatively harsh.

Not one of Murray's best. For mine, Libertine has greater charisma delivered at 5% This is big and brash, but lacks the complexity to justify it.

On tap at GABS. From notes.

A - Poured a cloudy golden colour with two fingers of fluffy white head. Rings of lace were left with a film of retention.

S - Aromas of nice fruity hops, a little oak, grass, and lemon.

T - Fruity with some funk. Light spice. Strong hop note and some oak with lot's of orange. Oaky but not enough funk.

M - Good carbonation, medium to full body and a dry finish.

O/D - Lacked funk that I really wanted. Otherwise pretty nice. I wanted more flavour for the ABV. Wouldn't seek another for ABV versus payoff value.