Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale (Big Beer Series) - Smuttynose Brewing Company

barleywinebrewer

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Nice golden color with a huge cascading head.

S - The aroma had hints of citrus, sweet malt and floral hops.

T - Citrus / light sour with a sweet malty backbone. Light spice undetone.

M - Quite the flavor swirl on this one. Definitely one that will be refreshing as the summer temperatures rise!

D - Haven't really had many beers in this style. This was a nice intro and I would consider trying others based on this brew. One bottle was plenty for the evening and I can envision enjoying one on the deck with friends this summer!

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2006 13:04:57 | More by barleywinebrewer

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

1 pt 6 fl oz brown bottle.
Bottle Conditioned in 2006.

Light, glowing peach in color with shades of copper. Foamy, white head that lingers as a delicate sheet with pools of larger bubbles. Beads of lacing around the goblet.

Bright, slightly tart fruit esters: orange, cherry. Big clove and corriander spice that cuts through the sour quality. Faint, musty Belgian candied sugar.

Mouth puckering tartness at first: bright lemon, green apple, orange, and grapefruit followed by earthen, yet bright floral hops. A rather intense corriander and pepper spiciness that leads to a musty sweetness with a drop of diacetyl.

A light, medium bodied; a bit filmy, properly carbonated.

Not a bad stab at a Belgian Saison. A bit one-sided on the spices, but a pleasant flavored brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2006 01:55:58 | More by NEhophead

Hautacam

Connecticut

4.72/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy amber...huge foamy head....holds well and develops "craters " and laces....beautiful.
Smells of banana, bubblegum ...a little citrus and yeast.
Taste is amazing....not really like any saison I've had, this seems more like a hybrid of a saison and a Belgian strong golden ale.
It has the spicy taste of a normal saison, but much more malt, a lot more yeast and tons of fruit...bananas, apples,oranges,lemons ....some bubblegum.The mouthfeel of this on tap was fantastic...velvety...microcarbonation...so smooth.
As it warmed up , everything gained intensity.
I think this is one to seek out. If you like Belgians( saisons or goldens), this one has everything you are looking for. Great, great brew.
I will definitely be looking for this one in bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2006 22:52:57 | More by Hautacam

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I actually have had this bottle since EBF, courtesy of Renee at Smutty, but am only now getting around to try it. Needed the weather to get warmer, ahh reckon...

Pours from a 22oz bottle a clear, pale golden hue. Intermittent bubbles rise within towards the thin, fine white head. This topping is creamy looking, and lasts quite well, albeit at a miniscule layer. Lacing is average, at best. Has some fine particulate suspended within, and there's actually plenty more sitting in the bottom of the bottle with the remaining 5 or so ounces of Farmhouse. Aroma has a light fruitiness to it, along with a musty, yeasty quality. First thing that came to mind was the "-ation" series of biers from Russian River, with their funky, wild qualities. Tripel-like is also an apt aroma description. Body is mid-range, and the Farmhouse passes rather inconspicuously over the palate. A small bit of prickly, bubbliness attacks the tongue, though it doesn't detract much, if at all.

Farmhouse flavor also has a light fruity character, akin to tropical fruit and a little green apple. Also entering into the mix are some earthy, yeasty notes, candi-ish flavors and a slight suggestion of spiciness. Aftertaste is again fruity, with floral hops also playing a role. Somewhat dry in the finish, Smutty Farmhouse could be a nice thirst-quencher in summery climes. And this is 7.5% abv? Never would have guessed it; quite well-hidden.

While Saison is not a style I actively seek out, this version is quite well-made and tasty, though I have come to expect consistently high-quality offerings from the Smutty gang.

Prosit!

overall: 3.95
appearance: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 3.5 | drinkability: 4

904

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2006 19:47:25 | More by Bierman9

bjohnson

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased at Trader Joe's on the cheap, $3.49

A: Pours a slightly hazy amber color with ruby hues throughout. Slight head that dissipates in the middle, but hugs the edge of the glass. Oxidation noticeable with bubbles making their way to the top.
S: Aromas of grapefruit, bananas, bubblegum, green granny apples, and a slight tart with a nice maltyness that compliments. Smells wonderful.
T & M: Tastes of fruitness hits the palate first with many flavors including berries, grapefruit, bananas. Slight bitter tart at the front of the tongue and dryness at the sides of the mouth. Yeastyness is felt on the tongue. Slick and oily as it goes down. Nice aftertaste leaves me thinking this would be a perfect summer days brew.
D: Definately a drinkable beer while listening to a ballgame on the back porch in the sun. I will get this again. highly recommended as are all the smuttynose beers. Probably would go well with any meal.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2006 21:20:18 | More by bjohnson

deciding39

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22 oz brown bottle, served in a Saison Dupont glass.

A: Pours a golden-yellow color with a slight yeast haze. A sturdy one-finger head forms atop the brew, leaving a decent lace around the glass following each sip.

S: The nose is dominated by fruity esters and alcohol, with some faint malt sweetness. There are also some light phenols towards the back.

T: Earthy yeast, tart fruit (especially apple and pineapple), balanced nicely by sweet malt. Finishes dry with some pleasant mellow hop spice and bitterness. Very well-balanced; unlike some other saisons, the wild tones never become too cloying.

M & D: A smooth, medium-bodied brew with some unique and well-balanced flavors. Drinkable, but packs quite a punch at 7.5% ABV. Very true to the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2006 00:17:26 | More by deciding39

Ego

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

my third bottle of this already.. sheesh! I like it.. but time to stack it up and review it.. can't wait to have this on tap tommorow!

served @ perfect cellar temp in my allagash glass

eyes...
2 full fingers of head that begins to simmer as it shakes down towards the beer. clean orange hue, the head as it recedes clings on the sides like an ex girlfriend, some carbonation noted in the glass, an inviting beer but nothing special.

nose...
bready, spicy, yeasty, honey, the sweetness tends to dominate here, but I am still getting a nice floral "spring" aroma from this one, throw in a chunk of belgian funk as well which lends a grassy element.. personally I dig the nose on this.

taste etc...
light body with prickly carbonation which makes this refreshing and easy to drink. where as many belgian saisons have frothy head, this is more straightforward but still retains the features of traditional saisons. there are some lemon notes, a grassy finish with touches of honey. the yeast leaves your mouth feeling dry wanting another sip.. and then bang, the bottle is gone. The alcohol is barely perceptable. I really enjoy this one. Although bottle to bottle it tends ot vary a bit actually.

verdict?
I bought 6 bottles to have around for the spring season. I worry about keeping this too long as I had a bad experience with one bottle. I was taking it to a friend's house for dinner and it was laying down in the cooler.... when I went to retrieve it .. it was leaking.. so be carefull and store this upright just in case

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2006 03:17:46 | More by Ego

geexploitation

Indiana

2.93/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This Belgian style beer pours a clear amber with a decent head that disappears quickly. There is little lacing left on the sides of my glass. The nose is overwhelmingly sweet -- the main impression I get is of prunes smothered in candi sugar. On the palate, that sweetness translates into a biting sensation of sugar with a strange kick on the mid-palate. There is little in the way of fruits or spices here, just straightforward sweetness. The tastes are underwhelming, and with the medium body sticking around the mouth just a bit too much, this is one cloying beer. Not my favorite of the Big Beer series... not by a longshot.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2006 23:35:49 | More by geexploitation

jvdineen

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pretty good try from Smuttynose. It pours a yellow-orange hue with a little head. The hops give a not-overwhelmingly spicy taste that lasts the entire bomber. Quite light and refreshing. The moderately high alcohol content is well hidden and balanced.
Bottle conditioned in 2006. Label contains a 18th-19th century scene of a "gentleman farmer" and his family as he quaffs some drink.
Bought at Charles St. Liquors on reccomendation of employee.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2006 22:52:02 | More by jvdineen

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.83/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours a glowing orange. hazy and thick, although dark blips in the shape of bubbles can be seen blurrily rising to the surface.. there, a crusty egg-white head rises and settles... chunks left behind in willy-nilly fashion.

very sweet, cloying, cotton candy aroma is a bit overwhelming. warmth brings out some tripel characters.. citrus rind, belgian malts and faint hints of white pepper in the nose.

flavor finds a nice happy point between tart sourness and sweet maltiness, although it falls victim to some unsalted butter hooks and riffs. what saves it, ultimately, is the one-two punch of carbonation and the tart flavors of barely ripe fruits. finishes strong with some green apple, apricot and bitter lemon peel. for 7.5%, this is pretty darn drinkable, although it leaves a warming in my empty stomach. very dry flavor overall, suggests awry hopping and raw grain husk unable to integrate.

like sly fox's saison vos, this tries to be a hennepin clone but plays it a bit too safe for my book. still, a solid, drinkable belgian style summer beer.

thanks t.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2006 22:20:41 | More by goodbyeohio

NiceGuyMike

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark yellow with light head and a bit of lacing. Smells of strong belgian friutiness. Strong flavors of sweet alcohol with fruitiness, delicious.
Very smooth medium body mouth feel with a bit of fizz, very drinkable.

This is an excellent american saison. Something this good warrents further research in to Smuttynoes.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2006 22:18:52 | More by NiceGuyMike

bignick

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle purchased at Bauer Wine and Spirits in Boston. Poured into a pint glass.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, but mostly clear orange. It smells fruity, particuarly of pineapple. It tastes a little sweet and fruity, but not really citrusy. The taste finishes with a little bit of spice. Overally this is a pretty good beer, well-suited to warm weather.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2006 23:35:12 | More by bignick

mattpetti

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy gold with an average head that dissipated fast into a small ring in my glass. The smell was a mixture of something slightly sweet, my guess is honey, floral, and a pleasing smell of yeast backing it all up. In sum up it smells like a winner. The taste is very good. I started drinking it when it was ice cold and it is a beer you can down fast without hesitation. But i chose to slow down and enjoy the subtlies of this one. It is smooth and medium bodied with flavors of sweet malts, basic light hops, slight breadiness that leaves your mouth watering after each sip. There is a light hint of alcohol too. The close is the slightest kick of citrus zest. This beer is very coating for a saison. All in all i enjoyed drinking it and will get more for the hot summer months ahead. I think if you are a fan of hennepin give this one a shot. Another good one from our friends in NH. Make yours a smutty farmhouse.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2006 03:37:58 | More by mattpetti

guinness33

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This must've been fresh off of the truck from NH as the lone case in the store was still unopened and sandwiched amongst a plethora of Smuttynose Summer Weizen cases with a bottled on date of April 19th (if memory serves).

It pours a nice orange to amber colour with a medium sized fluffy white head that leaves plenty of residue on the glass, but dissolves a bit quickly, I thought.

The smell is execllent: sweet floral goodness, citrus notes, lots of yeast and some candy hints as well. Good stuff.

The flavour starts out with a yeast/sweetness mix then moves into some
hoppy fruit flavours with an everso slight hint of alcohol, and finishes with a mix of everything, and actually a bit of juiciness. This is well carbonated and smooth for a nice mouthfeel overall.

I enjoyed this one. The Smutty Big Beer Series usually (if not always) produces some real nice brews and this one is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2006 03:09:54 | More by guinness33

DANTHEMAN

New Jersey

4.63/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

EARS- quiet now, earlier my kids were fighting, now the only sound is the nice clink of my smuttynose keychain bottle opener making contact of the baby seal on the crown of this gem....pfisschunk, the cap is now off...

EYES- here we go, pours beautifully into my weiss glass, nice full choppy head and a wickedly cloudy golden amber body.

NOSE- the refreshing smell reminds me of my past life as a belgian farmer making this beer in my house, nice smell of yeast and citris, my mouth is actually watering onto my keyboard as I type slower and slower day-dreaming of this awesome smelling brew.

THROAT- all I can say is these two words: glug glug. goes down refresingly smooth, I just wish it wasn't 15 f-ing degrees outside. nice acidity balanced with a slight tart/hop soft mouthfeel.

DIAGNOSIS- I can't wait to drink this beer in the warmer weather, once again smutty big beer series puts out a winner, buy it buy the case if you can, caus ya can't just have 1, trust me I only got 1 and I wanted MORE. I can't wait for it to hit the retailers.

DTMITBBITWWW

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2006 03:06:08 | More by DANTHEMAN