Petite Ferme
Strange Roots Experimental Ales

 

Look- murky amber liquid, huge Beige soapy head that finally settled to about 1 finger after 5 minutes of staggered pouring. This bottle opened with such a loud "pooffffttt" that I thought it was gonna gush.

Smell- super crisp and black peppery must transitions quickly and smoothly into orange fruitiness and tartness

Taste- follows the nose, starting with that crisp bretty funk blending into mild orange tartness. Ends lightly bitter

Feel- light to medium bodied with bone-dry finish owing to the high carbonation

Overall- not too complex but with very pleasant flavors that blend together quite nicely. The lighter flavors and crisp finish make this a very refreshing and enjoyable brew.

 

It was difficult to contain my excitement when the FGBS initially began receiving distro from this Pittsburgh-area brewery, so I purchased what was then available & subsequently added to them. It was never my intent to create a Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody, but its eradication allows me the opportunity to conduct horizontals as I go. I am finding the results to be VERRRRY interesting & not at all stupid, per Arte Johnson of "Laugh-In".

From the bottle: "Ale Brewed with Wheat Straw and Fermented with Honeysuckle Flowers"; "Wild by Design"; "Original Gravity: 11.9 (deg.) P (1.048 S.G)"; "Apparent Degree of Attenuation: 79%"; "Made With: Brettanomyces Claussenii, White Wine Yeast and Indigenous Wild Yeast"; "The 'Little Farm' is truly a barnyard beer made with locally sourced raw wheat straw and yeast strains. Its complex profile boasts rustic flavors of must, barnyard and horse blanket (trust us, you want that). Finished with citrus hops and honeysuckle, this ale captures the essence of Little Farm funk."

As with their Geestelijke, I am going to perform two separate pours, one leaving the lees in the bottle, the second with the lees swirled in.

I Pop!ped the cap and began a very gentle pour. No swirling was necessary as just over a finger of foamy, fizzy, eggshell-white head formed without any outside bidding. It was like Doctor Who in that even as it was falling, it was regenerating from within. Needless to say, this was a very active, effervescent beer! Color was a gorgeous Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) with NE-quality clarity & before I could finish typing, I was beset by The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Midas & Mammon, all clamoring for a taste. Nose had the aforementioned horse blanket barnyard funk, but it was light as compared to some beers that I have reviewed. It also had a pleasant honey-lemon aspect, akin to my favorite cough drops. As a retired high school English teacher, I speak from deep experience on that last point. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, but very effervescent on the tongue. This one was more pronounced in its funkiness than Geestelijke, giving it a lip-smacking tartness. I was also put in mind of a sharp cheese, like bleu or gorgonzola. I know that funky cheese may not be the most appealing of descriptors, but this was actually quite refreshing & drinkable. I could really envision eating this while lounging on The Porch at Chez Woody during the summer, eating cheese & crackers, washed down with this beer. Finish was semi-dry to dry & very thirst-quenching. Man, I could really go for some cheese & crackers right about now ...

Next up, the bottom-third of the bottle, its lees swirled back into suspension before the pour. It was MUCH muddier than the previous pour with an Amber to Deep Amber/Light Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13) color. Nose had a greater lemonyquality and less of a funky one. Mouthfeel increased slightly. The taste was less bitter & funky, but many of the subtle nuances seemed to have been lost. Finish was unquestionably semi-dry, but much less compelling than in the previous iteration.

 

 

 

 

 

Orange with large head, smells grassy, like a saison should I guess. Pleasant grass taste without much aftertaste though. Medium mouthfeel. I like it.

 

 

Wheat, musty. Some latex.

 

 

Smells funky bleu chz, earthy, grassy, tinge of floral.
Flavor is earthy, grassy, straw/hay
Well carbed, creamy head, sticky, slightly tart and bitter