REVIEW 23: SMUTTYNOSE FARMHOUSE ALE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Smuttynose Brewing Company

STYLE:  Saison

ABV:  9.3%

PURCHASE:  Draught, $6.00

SERVING:  13-oz. tulip glass. Barely 3/4" head from the tap. Not much retention.

APPEARANCE:  Hazy, with a pale-golden tint. Head is white and wispy. Come to think of it, "White and Wispy" was the name of a movie I once saw on Cinemax at 3AM. I swear. As for the lacing, it was minimal but scattered around the tulip. To my recollection, I've never seen a film called "Minimal Lacing," nor "Scattered Around the Tulip."

BOUQUET:  Yeasty and fruity (lemony), seemingly in equal parts. Subtle pepperiness. Citrus factor is high; hop factor is nonexistent. A hint of caramel seems evident, but I don't trust that; caramel isn't typical for a saison. Lemon rind is the main attraction here.

PALATE:  Fairly light body with soft carbonation and a highly inviting overall mouthfeel. Crisp entry and mid-palate characterized by slowly rising lemony-yeasty essences. My instinct was right: No caramel here. 'Twas a mirage. Spicy overtones in the form of pepper and coriander round out the palate, while the finish is somewhat dry with an even more pronounced yeast quotient, meshing with lemon tartness. Aftertaste is pleasantly bitter; is that an oxymoron? Very well balanced. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Saisons are also known as "farmhouse ales," due to their history of wintertime brewing for summertime consumption . . . on farms. In the modern beer world, these are summer brews for people with sophisticated palates. Deceptively strong and delicious, this can knock you out if you're not careful. This is one of those beers that achieves the ideal balance of easy drinkability and a refined mouthfeel. A rival to Ommegang's Hennepin, as far as stateside saisons go? Very possibly. 




GRADE:  A