Farm Fresh Ale
Brewery Ommegang

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear golden-orange color with a tall puffy head of white foam. The head has a fantastic level of retention, very slowly fading over time and leaving tons of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is very strong of a honey and caramel smell mixed with lots of dough and yeast. Along with these smells comes a strong showing of clove and coriander, along with notes of wildflower and honeysuckle. Other aromas of a hay, funk, and pepper round it all out, producing a very inviting aroma overall.
Taste – The taste begins with a bready and biscuit malt flavor mixed with some sweetness of honey and caramel and a bit of yeast. Along with these flavors comes a moderate showing of clove and coriander mixed with some of the wildflower that was in the nose. As the taste advances, a bit of funk develops, while some of the sweet fades a touch and while the yeast and spice get more intense. A bit of an orange and hay flavor develop along with the way, and in the end, leave one with a rathe easy natured taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body is of medium thickness with a slightly higher and more effervescent carbonation level.
Overall – A rather nice easy drinking brew overall. Something good for a hot summer day.

The initial pour is gem clear, pale straw (SRM 2). Two and a half inches of frothy white head gradually retreats, leaving Belgian lacework coating an Ommegang goblet. Fine, lazy carbonation rises throughout the beer. The second pour added a haze of fine yeast particles that remain in suspension.

The aroma opens with a fruity farmhouse funk that fills the nose. A blend of banana, straw, and cornbread follows shortly. Warmth brings out wet clay. The second pour makes the above more subtle, while adding clove and allspice.

The flavor is yeasty up front, filled with clove and grains. Coriander and watercress immediately follow and linger. The honey is very mild, adding light sweetness that gives way to an equal intensity of bitterness in the long, dry finish. The second pour is the same only more nuanced.

This one has a medium body and the texture of hard polished metal. The alcohol, while mild, is more noticeable than 4.8% suggests. After the first few sips, mineral notes permeate each following sip. The second pour is softer and lacks the mineral notes previously observed.

Both pours are equally enjoyable, and, in my opinion, this beer is more similar to a Grisette than it is to a straight up Saison. Regardless of categorization, this is a comfortable beer, especially after a long day of mid-autumn yard work. The beer soothes one's muscles.

Clear, pale straw color, big white head, excellent retention, big, splotchy lace
Green banana, apricot, hay, floral, and slight spice aroma
Apricot, honey, light malt, and slightly spicy flavor, slight tartness, finishes dry
Light bodied and effervescent
I could drink the shit out of this

 

 

 

Clear pale gold with a large, pillowy white head. Nose is Belgian style yeast. Notes of pale lager, funky/spicy Belgian-ness, a little bit of piney hops. Orange peel sets in later on. Medium sour, lightly sweet and bitter. Nice beer.

Very very close to a saison! Crisp refreshing this is a great find and just in time for summer!