Farmhouse Pale Ale - Wet-Hopped
Oxbow Brewing Company

12oz bottle purchased from the fridge as a single, don't remember the price. No bottled on date, says enjoy within 1 year on the label.

Look: Pours a beautiful golden color with a compact white head and nice lacing. A very faint haze and effervescent bubbles quickly rising to the surface. After pouring the yeast, it became very hazy.

Smell: This smells like a quintessential saison. Yeasty, peppery, clovey, along with some barnyard hay and straw. There is a bit of medicinal notes here too, but they are subtle. There's a subtle fruitiness as well - soft citrus and apricot, a bit of papaya and cantaloupe melon too. After pouring the yeast, I get more juicy stone fruit character - mango and peach come in big.

Taste: This is good. My palate needs to take a few sips before I can acclimate myself to the flavors. It's very dry and effervescent. The finish is mildly fruity and a bit spicy with the pepperyness. This was good before adding the yeast, but something was missing. After adding the yeast, it became much rounder and the dryness was toned back. I also appreciate the mild juiciness and subtle acidity that comes through. The bitterness is moderate; it's consistent and not aggressive.

Feel: Nicely carbonated - the mouthfeel is soft and this beer is medium bodied. The head is so creamy, it's very impressive. Go bottle conditioning!

Overall: Another winner from Oxbow. These guys make some delicious saisons. This isn't my favorite farmhouse style ale, but it's definitely nice to try wet-hopped beers and I make no exception for a wet-hopped farmhouse pale ale. For me, it's a bit too spicy/medicinal/herbal for me (the combination is a bit too much for me). I don't mind super dry beers, but I guess the high medicinal and herbal qualities make this a bit less enjoyable for me. Still a nice beer though. This would be a great beer to enjoy with food.

 

 

750ml bottle, "Goods from the Woods edition". ABV unknown.

Pours hazy gold with an inch of white head. Moderate retention and some decent lacing. Aromatics lead off with apples, cloves, bubblegum and cut grass. Medium bodied with a crispish mouthfeel. Wet hay with a minerally dryness start the palate along with a firm bitterness. A hint of dank, grassy hops follows through. Finishes bone dry with zero malt and a lingering chalky bitterness.

Not bad but a bigger wet hop character would be nice and the bitterness is a bit tiresome.