Farmhand Ale - Driftwood Brewery

markaberrant

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.8/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - deep orange glow, haze, white head gently floats on top, leaves some lacing behind.

S - peaches, apricots, herbal spice, earthy, fresh, but not in a bright floral way, more of a wet soil right after a rain kinda thing, I dunno. Different, but good.

T - dry, musty, earthy, herbal, damn... some really dry biscuit malt, I mean dry, lacking sweetness, but not overdone, fresh cut wood, well integrated flavours, pepper is really nice, not hot, hops don't jump out at you, but are firmly there, superb, lingering aftertaste

M - the carbonation isn't huge, but the mouthfeel is still quite lively and spritzy, dry, lip smacking finish

D - very quaffable, very thirst quenching, very flavourful, what more can you ask for?

I heard about this beer and new brewery months ago, and was intrigued, yet also cautious... new brewery in Victoria, pushing a session saison as one of their standard offerings... I'm thinking "lame wheat beer with some gimmick spices." WAS I EVER WRONG!!!

Most of my experience with commercial saisons has been of the heftier variety, which are very good, but lack that thirst quenching, refreshing quality that saisons historically had (supposedly, based on the reading I've done). Most of the lighter ones I had tried came off as poor attempts. NOT THIS ONE!!!

This beer rocks! It is world class! You need to taste this beer! It is truly satisfying! Exclamation mark!!!

Thanks to Canucklehead for sending me this very fine beer!

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2009 01:12:15 | More by markaberrant

CWVegas

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

06-17-2013 03:24:29 | More by CWVegas

EspressoGuy

British Columbia (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: amber with orange hints; low carbonation; transparent
S: low intensity grapefruit rind, pine, nutmeg, bread dough
T: clean, broad, malty, well-balanced; more spicy maltiness than hoppy character; bitterness is there from the start and builds till it's prominent --but not excessiveness-- in the finish. Leaves a nice rich lingering aftertaste.
M: medium-modied
O: not particularly complex but rich and enjoyable. Very nice with simple hearty country food (ploughman's lunch, lentil soup or salad...)

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 00:19:56 | More by EspressoGuy

KStark

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

05-10-2013 14:49:39 | More by KStark

Noyt

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

04-27-2013 19:28:28 | More by Noyt

smekermann

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

04-12-2013 02:57:32 | More by smekermann

IanSpindler

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

03-30-2013 19:09:08 | More by IanSpindler

sclitch

California

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

03-29-2013 04:32:35 | More by sclitch

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.01/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap @ Garrick's Head

A - Medium orange; cloudy. A ring of off-white head.

S - Sweet bready malts, Belgian yeast and a big banana aroma with some spice in the background.

T - Clove, Belgian yeast and banana with a good spice profile in the backgound and some sweet breadiness.

M - Medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2013 22:58:56 | More by TheSevenDuffs

kelvarnsen

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

03-14-2013 05:03:20 | More by kelvarnsen

twelveinches

Washington

4/5  rDev -1%

03-11-2013 05:55:08 | More by twelveinches

bigbeerd

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

02-03-2013 06:59:52 | More by bigbeerd

cbnz

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

01-26-2013 17:40:07 | More by cbnz

pudoo

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

01-16-2013 02:02:52 | More by pudoo

JonnyBeers

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -1%

01-11-2013 19:07:17 | More by JonnyBeers

Siriusfisherman

Montana

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A nice Saison with a great peppery yeast character and nicely carbed body. The hops are not a dominant as some of their other beers, but they do lend a nice herbal presence to go with the yeast spice. The brewers here seem to know how to make great beer, haven't had anything I did not find great.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 02:00:07 | More by Siriusfisherman

RichH55

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1%

12-05-2012 15:53:58 | More by RichH55

KalanM

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

11-29-2012 02:12:40 | More by KalanM

zduerr

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%

11-11-2012 21:04:44 | More by zduerr

604growler

British Columbia (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

10-30-2012 02:25:13 | More by 604growler

intoxabroad

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

10-08-2012 17:02:31 | More by intoxabroad

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a fairly clear amber-gold with a thin, bubbly off white head that doesn't last long.

Smell. Fruity belgian yeast and peppery spices, just a bit of bananna and clove.

Taste. Doughy, lightly toasted malts, some Belgian yeast, a little clove, pepper and spices with just a trace of orange and lemon. Very nice.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, medium+ carbonation.

Overall. Very nice belgian style farmhouse ale with mild flavours that I would think would go well with almost any food. Really easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 02:01:22 | More by Rutager

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%

09-10-2012 23:53:08 | More by Molson2000

spoony

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Hapa Izakaya in Vancouver, BC.

A-Nothing special, but not awful, either. Light gold in color and very little haze. A one-finger off-white head dissipates quickly. Lots of lacing.

S-A little funky. Some sweet yeast and a little spice. A touch of banana. Not a hop-monster by my estimate, but there was a hop note or two.

T-Tastes much like it looks and smells, i.e., a little funk and a hint of spice with a pretty sweet, yeasty backbone. More banana bread notes in the taste than the smell. Some malt flavor with very little hops.

M-Not much in the way of carbonation. Had a bready, sweet quality that I would rate as heavy medium body (for the style, especially). An easy drinker.

O-Not a bad effort... One rung below my New World saison measuring stick that is Tank 7. It wasn't a complex show-stopper, and it was a touch sweet (and probably would benefit from a little more carbonation), but I would drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2012 05:37:34 | More by spoony

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

08-31-2012 01:17:23 | More by beerhunter13