FLX Farmhouse Saison
Nedloh Brewing Company

 

 

 

This beer was served on tap at Nedloh Brewing Company’s taproom in Bloomfield, New York. It arrived in flared tasting glass, showing a shimmering dull yellow coloring. It held a robust one and a half finger tall head of tight white bubbles, showing excellent retention. Wet islands of lacing were eventually left in its wake. A mild, persistent haze reduced clarity, but no sediment was noted. Carbonation appeared to be high. The aroma was spicy, with airs of soured pale grain, bittering wet wheatiness, gingerbread, allspice, reasonable barnyard funk, wet and moldy straw, lacto bite, black pepper, plastic and cloven phenols, cooled pumpernickel bread, lime and lemon zest, dried rose petals, slate, and green bell peppers. The flavoring gave much of that same spicy and funky knock, with chives, rolled oats, steel, Magic Marker phenols, crisply toasted pale and wheaty maltiness, wet clay, wild lacto yeastiness, burlap, dried brown grassiness, sesame seeds, black pepper, allspice, ammonium, corny and metallic adjuncty graininess, lemony tartness, and a gentle herbal hoppiness. The body was light, and the carbonation was medium to light. Each sip gave nice cream and froth right off the top of that big head, with subsequently appropriate slurp and smack. The mouth was initially wetted and foamily coated, with a following dusty dryness to the mucosa. The abv was light and appropriate, and the beer drank back as a nice and easy sipper.

Overall, this was a nice saison. We love that a lot of brewers are taking cracks at them these days, and this one is spicy, malty, and funky in all the ways you would hope for. If we had to pick a negative, however, it would be the feel. It seemed a bit too light to support all it was carrying in the aroma and taste. The malts did also cheapen a bit as the beer warmed, to include harsher adjuncty grain than initially expected. As far as their “less traditional” styles goes, this is one of Nedloh’s better successes. We would wager that this beer is clean enough to be able to introduce new crafter drinkers to the style with, and to get people moving in more adventurous directions.