Best American Wild Ale / Saison / Farmhouse

I'm probably a bit jaded but I have been disappointed with many domestic wilds and farmhouse ales. Many seem out of balance, some too hoppy, some too tart, others too simple. I think Perennial does a credible job at a Saison. I'll admit I've had limited exposure to many beers from the coasts. "Where the Wild Beers Are" was a great event for exposure to many wild ales before it sadly stopped being held in the Twin Cities.

 

I'm a sucker for Casey stuff. There's definitely a "house character" to things that not everyone loves, but that's the case with pretty much everyone. In particular, I've been a big fan of his beers featuring balaton and danube cherries, blackberries, red raspberries, and apricots. The ones with a dash of vanilla are particularly good.

 

Totally agree. Saison also should be a substantial and refreshing drink, whereas a wild doesn't need to be either of those IMO.

 

I believe you need to make the journey. They are very small but the beers are fantastic.
I'd say stop in if you're in the area. We hit it up after the Pepper Fest in Bowers.
Very neat 1800's barn.

 

Casey/SP Leaner is worth seeking out. Far and away better than others in that collab series

Logsdon’s Peche n Brett - Top-notch and somewhat widely distributed

Barrique Wet Hopped Amarillo - What a surprise! These guys are under the radar but shouldn’t be. Some of the wild ales are hit or miss.. but when they hit, they hit very well.

Burial also has some entries that are incredible, and they ship to some states. A standout for me was Old Black Hen ‘22. Worth seeking out if you appreciate tanic red wine

 

Wish I would have know about this place in Kuntztown back in June when I drove by on my way up to New Hampshire for vacation. I also took this route when I went to Stowe 2 years ago. Maybe I’ll have another excuse to trek up that way. It’s only 2.5 hrs away, I could pull a day trip if I combine it with something else.

 

Here's my top 10 for just wilds:


I am hoping to find more amazing sour breweries now that I moved to NC, but Speciation, Arclight, and Jester king are whole breweries I would buy every sour they made regardless; because more times than not they are upper echelon. Every single Arclight Soursmith series are in my top 100 too.



My top saisons are as you'd expect. Tank 7 and Hennepin or bust. I haven't had Sorachi Ace in a damn while, apparently they are 4 packs now? Need to keep an eye out.


Also about wild ale vs saison, I would wager a saison needs to have a phenolic Belgian yeast to qualify. Brettanomyces preferred(to me ) but not required. Need to watch the amount of lactic acid in them so they are refreshing as @cavedave / @BBThunderbolt mentioned above.

 

Here we go, and now I have a craving for sours. And BRETTS. OMG The Brettanomyces (with a capital T), haven’t had them in years, before they used to be my go to’s at one point because of that funk, the fizz, their fascinating character.
Now only thinking of them makes my mouth water.
Gotta go buy me a few asap. Or at least a trappist like the Orval, if everything else fails.

 

As @BBThunderbolt pointed out, Wild Ale and Saison/Farmhouse Ale don’t necessarily correlate in a big way, at least in my thinking.

Some good breweries to look out for with regards to Wilds are Speciation, Arclight, and Jolly Pumpkin, as evident from @superspak ‘s list. Beers from these breweries will typically contain all the tart, acidic goodness you would desire as well as some funky farmhouse notes depending on the variety. Jolly Pumpkin especially has some tart and fruited Saison varieties that might scratch the itch.

In regards to straight up funky, Farmhouse Ales that do not necessarily have to be super tart or acidic, I head in the direction of Barrel and Beam, Brewery Faisan, and Brewery Vivant. Each produces a variety of smooth and easy drinking grisette, Biere de garde, and fruited as well as traditional saison and farmhouse ales. There’s nothing I’ve had from any brewery mentioned above that I would not recommend to lovers of the given style.

Overall, I have a hard time discussing saison without examples in front of me because there is so many varieties therein that differ so greatly which makes it hard to say one is better than the other as they are often so different with varying characteristics and descriptors.

Cheers.

 

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I know deGarde was very highly respected in the wilds/sour makers of the US like 5-8 years ago when I was big into trading, and I sampled a few of their beers and thought some were very good. Haven’t had any (thru trades) in a long time but noticed no one mentioned them thus far. Are they still considered an elite brewer of these beer styles or have they fallen out of favor somehow?

 

I haven't had many but I think Jester King and Oxbow would have some nice options.

 

Fair point. Not having access to their beers on regular basis I just sort of figured the would have that 1-2 beers that was highly sought after but perhaps not.

 

My experience is largely limited to the West coast, but a couple that I think fly under the radar but are held in very high regard (neither of which I've tracked down yet) are Yellow Bus (and maybe Yellow Bus Stop) by Lost Abbey and Compunction by Russian River.

I very much enjoyed Veritas 007 and Cable Car back in 2010. Logsdon and Cascade had their moments in the past as well, but I'm not sure I would track anything of theirs down.

At present, I'm impressed by what de Garde is doing, and think Cellador is underappreciated.

 

I just thoroughly enjoyed Fox Farm's Amour Fou. Could be something interesting for your event. Along the lines of sanctification but still different enough.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45832/473401/

 

15 years ago my daughter bought me case of La Roja from Jolly Pumpkin-it was my go to American sour for years. I also haven't seen it for years. As for saisons I'm a big fan of the original Matilda, Hennepin, and Tank 7 were among my favorites,

 

Was the "original" Matilda a Saison? Goose Island labels Matilda today as a Belgian Pale Ale.

I am a fan of Sofie from Goose Island which is a Saison; I prefer this beer with about a year of age in the bottle.

Cheers!

 

I'm not sure how they classified it-I called it Orval Lite, more of a "wild" beer than a saison. And yes, definitely pre-Budweiser

 

That's a pretty broad category, but Tired Hands - Ourison blew me away.