Higashino Farmhouse Ale
Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co.

Higashino Farmhouse AleHigashino Farmhouse Ale
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From:
Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 13.03%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
26
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 08, 2023
Added:
Jun 03, 2014
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Hagbert:
Photo of Hagbert
Rated by Hagbert from California

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%

Nov 20, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Gobzilla from California

Oct 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4.08 by DaPan from Canada (ON)

Jan 22, 2022
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

4.04/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from 500mL bottle into a tulip. Date on the bottle appears to be 8/15/16; not sure if that's bottled or best-by, but based on the dates of other reviews here it could be either. Either way, kind of surprised my bottle shop still had it!

This is apparently a Brett beer brewed with tea, pear juice, rose hips and spice. So there's probably gonna be a lot going on.

Appearance: rich orange-amber hue with a nearly haze-free body. There's minimal effervescence, and the head is a thin layer of frothy ivory foam that doesn't stick around too long. But that color -- incredible.

Smell: definitely a lot going on. There's a sweetish but very slightly tart malty character that comes across as candylike, along with a light but balanced funk from the Brettanomyces. There's even a bit of woody character here -- I'm not sure where that comes from, but I like it.

Taste: malty, with a dry and possibly even cider-like flavor. There's just enough funk to know Brett is present, and a slight hit of sourness; this complements the malt well. The pear comes through as a cidery type flavor; overall it's a pretty solid funky farmhouse beer.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good amount of carbonation and creaminess. I dig it.

Overall: this beer is surprisingly good. Was it, indeed, left on a loading dock for 3 years? Maybe! But whatever happened on that loading dock, I approve. If you manage to find one of these California Japanese-inspired Brett pear tea rose farmhouse beers -- pick one up and drink it!
Oct 15, 2019
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Thanks to Sheldon for bringing this to March Madness 2015. Comes in a medley of colors, if you took normal saison yellow and dropped some purple/pink shit in it and got the end result with some slight haze. Slight 1/5" off white head. Aroma was bready and floral, like they literally put some flowers in at the end.

A little bit more bread without the heft in the taste. A little bit of lemon. Roses. Carnations. Some green pear and apple notes. I dunno, is this all yeast driven? Slight brett, but other than that, i'm confused as to the saison yeast used or if there is some adjunct flowers or something going on here. There is a lot to unpack in this beer, and I really should try it again just for that reason alone. Of course, Tahoe Mtn is one of the more expensive breweries out there (expensive real estate will do that) so it doesn't make multiple tries of beers you don't love less likely.
Apr 14, 2018
Photo of hopsputin
Reviewed by hopsputin from New Jersey

1.98/5  rDev -47.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 1.5
a: hazy mixture of rose, mahogany, and amber with a touch of purple. no head on the pour

s: interesting....tart cherry and vinegar up front. there is a light florally rose along with some peppery spice. a hint of oak and lemongrass. this is not at all what i would expect from a saison, we'll see what the flavor does

t: tart cherries and vinegar. there is a little funk in here but thats it. this must be infected :(

m: lighter side of medium, heavy carbonation

o: infected. i'm keeping the review so people know it is infected. will re-review if i can get another bottle
Jan 21, 2017
 
Rated: 3.16 by Vylo from New Jersey

Jul 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.06 by fthegiants from California

Apr 10, 2016
Photo of Phil-Fresh
Reviewed by Phil-Fresh from California

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle.

A: Complex and slightly funky, light pear, tea, light hops and spices.

A: Amberish color, totally clear with a moderate white head of uniform micro-bubbles. There is some lacing in the glass.

T: Slightly funky, light pear, mixed with hops, light spices with very little malt character. Even though the funky brett is noticeable in the flavor, the finish is semi-dry.

M: Medium light bodied with moderate carbonation. The rice gives the beer a very light body.

O: Pretty solid; interesting combination of pear, hops, light spices and bretts. As the beer warms the aroma of tea and spices becomes a bit more pronounced. I am not a tea fan was happy the flavor leans more toward pear, hops, rose hips and bretts - rather than tea.
Mar 16, 2016
Photo of Kurmaraja
Reviewed by Kurmaraja from California

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Holy crazy adjunct saison. Looks great - nice carbonation, a bit darker amber than expected. Nose is spicey, fragrant, a bit floral and earthy ... dried grass and crushed leaves, chomomile, cherry blossoms, white pepper, roses, apples / pears. Flavor layers in a lemony, sauvignon blanc sort of flavor. Definite pear sweetness. The tea zips through in the middle and the toasted rice note follows. Finishes surprisingly bitter. As it warms there is something off and vaguely musty / vegatal but it's fleeting.
Aug 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.16 by Goatdavemac from North Carolina

Aug 25, 2015
Photo of nmann08
Reviewed by nmann08 from Virginia

3.67/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From a bottle, pours light amber orange color with a white head that disappears quickly.

The nose is very floral, white pepper, and pears. It smells little acidic with some barnyard character. The flavor is very flowery, rose petals, hibiscus tips, matched with pear juice, apples, yeast, and a faint hop presence. This was interesting, nothing special, but interesting.
Aug 04, 2015
Photo of popery
Reviewed by popery from California

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The beer is a medium to light amber color. It’s fairly cloudy and has a nice, big white head. Lots of fine bubbles. The aroma has apples, pears, earth, pepper, oranges and a little phenolic medicinal note. It has a fair bit of sweetness and fruit, but it doesn’t dominate the flavor as much as expected. I thought that this beer would be a mess of oddball flavors. It’s mostly just a bit too much pear-ish sweetness. Otherwise, it’s a nice saison. The taste is sweet with that pear juice. Mild pepper spice. Some funk. Lots of fruit. Mild bitterness. Some citrus. Medium body. Some heft from that extra sugar. Decent saison. If this had dried out more, I think it would have been a winner.
Aug 03, 2015
Photo of PHBoiler
Reviewed by PHBoiler from Illinois

3.96/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This beer delivers on the label. You get the pepper, pear, and floral notes. The body is close to amber and does have some sweetness. This 9/2014 bottle had developed a bit of dryness and bite from the Brett but could use even more time for my tastes. A very lively saison due to the added flavors. I could use a bit more funk and a bit higher carb level but this was very tasty.
Jul 13, 2015
Photo of ICMTM
Reviewed by ICMTM from California

4.5/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
One of the best saisons I have had this summer. There is a complexity to this beer other saisons do not have. I'm really writing this review because BA says I have to. That's crap! Just because I really like this beer and nobody else does...crap

Anyhow:

A: It looks like a beer. Bubbles like a saison and a bit darker than a traditional one. A shade lighter than amber

S: It smells like a saison with pear juice. It's a saison with pear juice...so spot on!

T: It tastes like a beer. A saison style beer...with pear juice. Just like it says. Saison flavors. Slight hay, lemon hop bitter, pear juice

F: It feels like a normal beer. Smooth, refreshing, overall easy to drink

O: I like the beer more than anyone else, therefore I had to write a review. I love saison varieties where most people do not. I'm going to rate them higher than IPAs because I like them more than IPAs. That is absolute crap BA has decided to make me review this beer because I think higher of it than most people. It's a damn fine beer. Don't buy any. I'll get to it all by myself.
May 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by GRG1313 from California

Mar 15, 2015
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Rated by shleepy from California

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Murky light amber. Slightly spicy but very fruity (peach, plum). Quite tasty. Relatively light bodied and drinkable.
Mar 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by define333 from California

Mar 01, 2015
Photo of notchucknorris
Reviewed by notchucknorris from California

4.2/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
A: Pours super dark. An almost copper color with a one finger light tan head that leaves some great lace down the glass with each sip.

S: Wowzers. A TON going on here. I don't even know where to start. Some light graininess, lots of fresh pear juice, some light cracked pepper, tea and some lemon meringue. I've definitely never come across anything like this before. Not getting "saison" from the smell, but I am getting "tasty."

T: This is a really, really strange beer, but I like. Opens with some pear skin, faint graininess and some freshly cracked pepper. Then moves into juicy lemon pith and underripe d'anjou pear. A very interesting beer, For sure worth a try.
Feb 19, 2015
Higashino Farmhouse Ale from Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 26 ratings