Farmhouse Gypsy
DuClaw Brewing Co.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip

L: Nearly clear golden amber pour. Thin white head... small ring of lacing.

S: Sweetness and yeast... mild citrus and grass.

T/F: Follows the nose... sweet light malts and some saison yeastyness. The hop profile is muted... some citrus notes.. floral character, melon, and apple skin. Moderate carbonation... finish is off-sweet.

O: Sweet, yeasty, and grainy... not much of an IPA, but not a bad beer in general. Drinks more like a mildly hopped light Belgian brew. Enjoyable but kinda forgettable. Probably shouldn't have followed the Alchemist with one of these.

 

A buddy of mine and I were on our annual baseball trip in NYC this year so of course we were sampling as many local brews as possible. This one wasn't exactly local, but it's a beer that we can't get in Chicago or Indianapolis that I know of.

This beer pours a hazy, golden color that shows off some moderate to high carbonation. The head is thick, white, and frothy, dissipating quickly a thin lacing that is retained. 3.75/5 The aroma features primarily citrus and tropical hops with a slight bready malt that acts as a base for the hops to stand out from. The aroma is really nice and strong. 4/5 The flavor profile shows off a good does of citrus peel and citrus fruit with just a bit of a tropical undertone. The malt is somewhat buttery and bready, standing out much more so than in the aroma. Bitterness is moderate and lingers for quite some time after swallowing. 4/5 This beer is crisp and light to medium bodied in stature with moderate carbonation. I can't really describe it as drying, but I can't describe it as wetting either. It strikes an interesting middle ground between the two. 4/5 This beer has a very fresh feel to it and really drinks quite well. I have a love/hate relationship with Belgian IPAs, so I am always quite pleased to find one that I really enjoy. This is not one of my favorite beers by far, but it is a beer that I would return to. 4/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/13/2017. Pours slightly hazy golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big tangerine, grapefruit, peach, apricot, pineapple, pear, mango, melon, passion fruit, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, peppercorn, pine, light honey, lightly toasted bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and comlexity of citrus/tropical/pine hops, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, grapefruit, peach, apricot, pineapple, pear, mango, melon, passion fruit, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, peppercorn, pine, light honey, lightly toasted bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Moderate pine/citrus rind/grassy bitterness and peppery yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, grapefruit, peach, apricot, pineapple, pear, mango, melon, passion fruit, lemon/orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, pine, lightly toasted bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical/pine hops, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance; and zero lingering hop astringency after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitter/spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and grainy/sticky/resinous balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 7.3%. Overall this is an awesome Belgian IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical/pine hops, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and pretty refreshing to drink; despite the bitter/drying/spicy finish. Awesome juicy hop/yeast vibrancy and complexity; solid malt backing that is never sweet. A really delicious offering.

 

 

12 oz bottle served in a lager glass.

This IPA is has a clear orange-amber body. The off-white head is durable, and leaves lots of sticky lacing on the glass. The aroma carries funky and fruity 'farmhouse' aspects along with the hops
Flavor: follows the aroma and provides exactly what I expected from a "farmhouse IPA", if a bit lighter in hop flavors allowing the malts to appear. Near medium bitterness; high complexity.

Lively medium+ carbonation in a near medium body.

 

 

It is another bottle, but I just put out my chock-full recycling bin this morning & progress is clearly being made on the eradication of the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody.

From the bottle: "This medium-bodied hybrid of IPA & Saison is pale amber and crisp with a thin white head. Grapefruit, citrus, & piney hops combine with the dusty, peppery character of Saison yeast for a Neon Gypsy variant that is truly the best of both brews."; "Respect_the_Fluid"; "Craft be Cherished. Rules be Damned.".

Mine is very fresh bottle, but all of this talk of yeast leads me to question whether there might be some bottle-aging going on. As such, I did a very gentle pour following the Pop! of the cap. This required an in-glass swirl to raise a brief finger of foamy, tawny head that seemed anxious to fell away to wisps. Hmm. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity, evidence that my pouring effort had not been in vain. Nose was an interesting amalgam of Saison musty spiciness & citrusy hops, but this was clearly a case of fresher is definitely going to be better if you are interested in tasting the hops. The Saison yeast was assertive & will undoubtedly win out over time. Same went for the taste - musty and peppery with a citrusiness that blended well with the inherent dryness. Mouthfeel was medium. Finish was dry and the yeast was leading the way, but the hops were close on its heels (for now). Also, I did note some lees on the punt so I recommend a gentle pour when decanting this one from the bottle.