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: Pretty Things Jack D’Or

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hoppy saison, jack d'or, pretty things beer and ale project, pretty things jack d'or, Saison Americain

Jack D’Or is my first beer from Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. Their solid reputation drew me to the beer in the first place, but the awesome label artwork sealed the deal (yes, I realize this is the second Farmhouse Friday in row I’ve more or less picked a beer because of nice label art, I don’t plan on making it a regular thing, although I haven’t been disappointed with either). Jack D’Or is Pretty Things flagship beer and is described as a “Saison Americain”. I couldn’t find a description of what they meant by that term, but I imagine it to be a typical Belgian style saison with a decent dose of American hops. Jack D’Or uses no spices, only malt, oats, sugar, hops and yeast.

I picked this 22oz bottle up at Best Damn Beer Shop for $8.99. It was labeled “Batch 22, Bottled Feb 2011”.

I poured Jack D’Or into a large glass, but quite a bit of cloudy beer remained in the bottle. In the glass it was pretty clear, a straw color with lots of tiny bubbles and not much head. The smell was slightly sweet like bubble gum, with some citrus fruit and peppery spices. The taste wasn’t as sweet as I expected. Lemony, citrus and grassy hops with some peppery spice. Not to grainy at all. Pretty clean with a very dry finish. The mouthfeel was a bit thin but inline with the majority of saisons I’ve had, so probably right on for the style.

Pretty Things Jack D’Or is an American hop forward saison, prefect if you want something a bit different. It seems to have roots in both the traditional saison style and hoppy American beers (I wouldn’t call this an IPA/Saison hybrid, it’s not quite that hoppy). I’ll gladly drink it again.