Farmhouse Friday: Surly CynicAle

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16oz craft can, canned craft beer, saison in a can, surly brewing, surly cynicale

It’s been a few weeks since the last Farmhouse Friday, but it’s back this week with an awesome Saison (that comes in a can!) that unfortunately isn’t available in San Diego. But if you find yourself in the Midwest where Surly is available make sure to pick some up.

I got this 16oz can of Surly CynicAle as an extra in a beer trade a few weeks back. I’m a big fan craft beer in cans, but I’ve been a bit cynical (pun definitely intended) about larger format cans. In the past I just didn’t see the point in a bigger can, more beer to get warm as you drink the first 12oz I thought. But I have to say, when I finished the 12 or so ounces in the glass that I originally poured it in I was ecstatic to find that I still had a bit left in the can, mind you it wasn’t a whole lot, but a decent amount. I would have hesitated to open a second 12oz can, but those extra few ounces in the 16oz can were pretty nice. So I say bring on the 16oz cans. Or the 12oz cans. Just put more craft beer in cans! Now, on to the actual beer.

CynicAle is more or less what you’d expect from a Saison of the modern style. It’s fairly light, well carbonated, and the flavor is pretty yeast driven. Surly doesn’t take too many liberties, adding all sorts of adjuncts and stretching the definition of Saison (which don’t get me wrong, is perfectly acceptable in my opinion). CynicAle might be a touch sweeter than one would expect there’s a subdued but definitely present honey and stone fruit like sweetness upon first sip. The flavor gets a bit floral (the smell could be described as a bit grassy, but not the taste) before a nice wave of spicy black pepper takes over. The finish is pretty dry with a long lingering spicyness sticking around until the next sip when everything starts all over again.

I was really impressed with CynicAle. Bonus points could be given for being in a can, but regardless of the container the beer proves itself on it’s own merits. You can’t walk down to the local bottle shop to pick this one up, but as I said, if you find yourself in the Midwest keep an eye out for it.

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Farmhouse Friday: Stillwater Autumnal

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stillwater artisanal ales, stillwater autumnal

Based on the name, I’ve always assumed that Stillwater Artisanal Ales’ Autumnal was a Fall seasonal. I’m not sure if that is the case, but I think this bottle might be older, maybe even as old as last fall. I couldn’t find a bottled on or a best by date on the bottle, I picked this 750ml bottle up at Best Damn Beer Shop a few weeks ago for $11.99 and not long after they put it on special for $8.99, I’m assuming that was to move out older inventory.

Regardless of the age, this is still a fantastic beer. If it is older I’m sure some of the hops have dropped off, but I have no complaints.

Autumnal is 7.2% ABV and the label lists it as an “American Farmhouse Ale” with German inspiration and a nod to Belgian tradition.

It’s darker than most Saisons, a reddish brown. The bottle foamed up a bit when I opened the cap, but it didn’t gush out, no beer was lost. It smells sweet and earthy.

The first taste is sweet, caramel and sort of fruity, plums come to mind. It also has an earthy characteristic, often described as rustic. The finish is dry — I feel like I write this ever week for Farmhouse Friday, but it really is one of the major characteristics that every Saison strives for. It’s also a bit spicy at the end and in the aftertaste.

All around a good beer, if it is indeed push a year old I’d love to taste a fresh bottle to see if the hops play a bigger role when it’s fresh.

Brian Strumke, Stillwater’s brewer, will be at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens next Thursday, August 11th for a Meet the Brewer event and a Brewmasters Series dinner along with Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Evil Twin. Click here for more info on both events including the beers that will be available that night.

Farmhouse Friday: Fantome Magic Ghost

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fantome magic ghost, green beer, green tea beer

I’ll start out by saying that Fantôme Magic Ghost is one of the most unique looking beers I’ve ever seen, the picture here doesn’t do justice to just how spectacularly green this beer is. Magic Ghost is said to be made with green tea, but I didn’t pick up any flavors that I would attribute to the use of green tea. I’m also assuming the green color of the beer is from food coloring, I don’t know that for sure, but can’t think of anything that would make it so vibrantly green.

Magic Ghost is sweeter than most Saisons, but not overly sweet. The smell is reminiscent of a raspberry or strawberry cream soda with just a bit of musty Saison funk in there.

The first thing I noticed upon the first sip was the prickly mouthfeel due to the high carbonation. Just like the smell the taste is on the sweet side and one of the first things I taste is strawberries and cream. Magic Ghost is fairly citrusy as well, my mind wanders towards lime, but I can’t help but think that’s just due to the color of the beer. The same thing goes for the kiwi flavor I’m picking up. Does this beer really taste like kiwi or is that just a trick due to the green kiwi like color of the beer? There’s some candied-ginger and lemongrass flavors in there as well, with the lemongrass becoming more noticeable as it warms up.

Magic Ghost is slightly tart, but nowhere near sour. A bit of typical Saison funk, presumably from the yeast is present as well, but certainly doesn’t take front and center over all the other things going on with this beer.

Some people might call Magic Ghost a gimmick, but I call it a damn good (and unique looking beer). I picked this bottle up for $15 at Bottlecraft but according to their website they’ve since sold out. I know that Olive Tree Market and Best Damn Beer Shop got some in as well (and probably more shops around town as well). If you want to try this beer I’d say go out and get one sooner rather than later. And putting a couple of bottles away in a cool dark place until March 17th wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

UPDATE: Dr. Bill brought to my attention that this beer was made with woodruff syrup, which is what gives it the vibrant green color. I’m not sure if there is green tea in it or not, but woodruff does explain the color.

Photo by Chris Hammett

Farmhouse Friday: Green Flash Summer Saison

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green flash summer saison

Speaking of Green Flash, I picked up their Summer Saison for this week’s Farmhouse Friday.

It’s on the lower end of the ABV spectrum at only 4.3% ABV (and 20 IBU) which makes it a nice sessionable beer for warm summer days. And is a spiced Saison brewed with orange curacao, ginger and grains of paradise that shows excellent restraint when it comes to the amount of spices. They’re in there, that is obvious, but they’re not overwhelming.

The first taste is a bit sweet, the ginger is obvious as well as tastes of citrus. The sweetness fades into an earthy spiciness before finishing fairly dry (the finish is much drier than I expected based on the initial sweetness). The finish and aftertaste is fairly rustic and grainy but that doesn’t detract from the beer at all.

For those people that base their beer purchases on a cost to ABV ratio this one isn’t the best value at $7 or $8 for a 22oz bottle. But if you’re more worried about the flavor of the beer rather than the alcohol content, this one is a winner, especially when the weather is nice.

Photo by Chris Hammett

Farmhouse Friday: Stillwater Cellar Door

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cellar door, stillwater artisanal ales

While I’ve only have a few examples of it, I’m a big fan of sage in beer. I had been meaning to try something from Stillwater Artisanal Ales and the mention of sage in Cellar Door jumped out at me. I drank this on a hot day and it was perfectly light and refreshing.

It felt a little thin, but that probably helped make it more refreshing. The first tastes are pretty sweet (possibly due to the wheat) and citrusy, Cellar Door uses Citra hops which are not one of my favorite hop varieties. As the beer warms the citrus fades into the background and the sage steps up a bit to balance things out. There isn’t a strong sage presence, just a hint which mellows out the citrus perfectly well. There’s some earthy spiciness, which could be due to the Saison yeast or the sage (or both) in there as well.

All in all Cellar Door is a solid beer, and absolutely perfect for a hot summer day. I picked this bottle up at Olive Tree Market in Ocean Beach for $11.49 for a 750ml bottle. I’ve also seen beers from Stillwater at Best Damn Beer Shop downtown.

Photo: Creative Commons – flickr user walknboston

Farmhouse Friday: Pretty Things Field Mouse’s Farewell

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field mouse's farewell, jack d'or, pretty things beer and ale project

Jack D’Or might be the flagship beer of Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, I would pick their other Saison, Field Mouse’s Farewell if I were forced to choose between the two (that’s not to say that I don’t like Jack D’Or, I just prefer Field Mouse’s Farewell). They’re both roughly in the “Saison” style, but very different beers.

Field Mouse’s Farewell is described as a “rustic golden ale brewed with barley, oats, wheat and rye” on the label, which still leaves quite a bit to be discovered about the beer. Their website does a bit more explaining, stating that it’s “Mostly inspired by Nord Pas de Calais “biere de garde” and Wallonian saison styles”.

As far as I know it just showed up in San Diego for the first time recently (along with a few others from Pretty Things) but it’s listed as a late spring seasonal on their website, so I don’t expect it to be around much longer. I found it at Bottlecraft, and I’ve seen it at Olive Tree Market and Best Damn Beer Shop as well.

Field Mouse’s Farewell is a bit on the sweet side upon the first sip, but finishes dry like a Saison should. A little bit of bitterness sneaks in towards the end of the swallow, but I don’t think anyone would describe this beer as bitter. The oats add a nice silky feel to the beer which plays nicely off the slight sweetness.

Like most Saison’s this is a pretty yeast driven beer with a distinct spiciness. There was quite a bit of sediment in the bottle which I was careful to avoid pouring into the glass at first. After drinking most of the beer in the glass pictured to the left I poured more in, letting some of the yeast from the bottle get into the glass. As expected it got much more cloudy and the taste changed quite a bit. The yeast flavors came out much more with an earthy mustiness as well as strong fruity banana flavors. I wouldn’t describe either way (less yeast sediment in the glass or more) as being better than the other, just different. I highly suggest trying it both ways to see which you prefer.

Farmhouse Friday: Coronado Brewing Co. Saison by the Sea

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Coronado Saison by the Sea, Saison by the Sea

I was pretty excited to find this local Saison I had never had before. For the number of breweries in San Diego and the number of beers produced here, there just aren’t a whole lot of Saisons. Unfortunately, Saison by the Sea just isn’t for me.

To my palate, Saison by the Sea seems to be spices run amok. According to the label it’s brewed with ginger, chamomile and spearmint, which combined were over the top distracting from everything else. There wasn’t much of a malt backbone to balance out all the spices. Sweet ginger flavors overwhelmed everything else. The beer didn’t finish dry like many Saisons but rather left a sweet, sticky feeling reminding me not to take another sip each time I looked at my glass.

There are certainly some people out there that will enjoy Saison by the Sea, I’m just not one of them.

Photo by Chris Hammett

Farmhouse Friday: Iron Fist Brewing Co. Hired Hand

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hired hand, hired hand saison, iron fist hired hand, iron fist saison, san diego saison

I first had Iron Fist Brewing Co.’s beers during their opening weekend last October. I sampled all five beers in their initial lineup on draft and took home a bottle of what was my favorite, their Saison called Hired Hand. When I opened the bottle a few days later at home to say there were problems with it would be an understatement. I emailed the brewery and they were very nice about it, acknowledging there may have been a problem with their capper (it’s understandable, they had only been open for three days at that point) and offering to exchange it. I never got around to taking them up on that offer and continued to enjoy their beers on draft, but hadn’t had Hired Hand since they first opened. Seven months later I decided to give a fresh bottle of Hired Hand another chance. I picked it up at Bottlecraft in Little Italy $9.

Thankfully it appears as if their early bottling problems have been fixed as the beer in this bottle tasted just as great as when I had it on draft.

Hired Hand is a bit darker than many other Saisons with a slight reddish hue but it’s not necessarily out of the ordinary looking. The smell is more floral than I expected, but that isn’t a bad thing. There isn’t much floralness to the taste, it’s earthy, just a little sweet and reminiscent of spices that I can’t identify (but not peppery). As with most Saison’s the finish is dry. It does feel a little slick and oily in your mouth, but not so much so to distract from the beer.

I can see myself drinking quite a bit of Hired Hand as the weather warms up this summer, but thankfully it’s a year round beer, available fresh for those warm winter days we get here in San Diego as well.

Update: This price of Hired Hand at Bottlecraft has been updated, I originally incorrectly listed the price as around $10.99 when in fact it is $9 a bottle.

Farmhouse Friday: Goose Island Pepe Nero

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black saison, dark saison, goose island, pepe nero

I picked up this 22oz bottle of Goose Island Pepe Nero for $7.99 at Palm Springs Liquor in La Mesa a few weeks ago, I’ve since seen it at many other bottle shops around town for about the same price.

I bought this bottle for a few reasons:

• I’ve been wanting to try some dark Saisons
• I hadn’t seen this around before
• Goose Island recently got sold to Anheuser-Busch, I figured this might be my last chance to have a non AB brewed Pepe Nero (even though AB says they won’t be changing things at Goose Island and I doubt the quality will decrease, I like to support the little guys)

Pepe Nero is dark, not quite black but a very dark brown, it had a light tan head that stuck around for a while (it should be noted that I forgot to snap a photo, so I snagged this  picture from flickr, mine had quite a bit more head). This beer smells really good, pretty sweet and less spicy than I expected, with just a bit of an earthiness to it and some not too bitter roasted aromas. The taste starts off with that very familiar slightly earthy saison yeast flavor but gets roastier and just a bit bitter as you drink. The finish is extremely dry and peppery (black peppercorns are one of the ingredients in the beer).

Overall this is a nice beer, not my favorite Saison, and not like most Saison’s but well worth drinking. I’m hoping to try more black or dark Saison’s in the future as I don’t have much to directly compare this to.

Photo: CC flickr user mitch_j

 

Farmhouse Friday: Manzanita Saison

I stopped by Manzanita Brewing Co.’s tasting room in Santee last weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see a Saison on the tap list. I was told only a small amount was brewed as a test batch. Brewed with goji berries, grains of paradise and coriander this is an outstanding Saison. I haven’t the slightest clue what goji berries taste like, so they may be responsible for this beer being a bit sweeter up front than your average Saison, but it finished nice and dry. It was perfect for the 80+ degree day out in Santee.

Just like the small taster seen in the photo, I’ll keep this post short. I’m not sure how much was brewed but let’s hope Manzanita decides to brew a bigger batch and make this a seasonal brew.