Wytchmaker Farmhouse Rye IPA - Jester King Craft Brewery

claspada

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy copper to amber color with a fluffy, semi-sticky looking white head. Spotty, soapy, sticky lacing (thanks to the rye malt) is left along the sides of the glass as the head recedes.

Aromas begin quite balanced overall with equal amounts of spicy rye malt, some lesser toasted breadiness and light citrus, pine and earthy hoppiness. As it warms I get more of the Farmhouse yeast semi-funky esters and more spice notes which could be more rye or from the phenolic Belgian Yeast.

The tastes begin with the same toasty, bready, biscuit maltiness and the more predominant spicy rye maltiness. Generic citrus and earthy hop flavor combines with the Farmhouse yeast induced earthy, slight hay-like flavors. The saison yeast really drys out the beer and adds some crispness to the finish. There is a slight bit of funk from the yeast, which I expected from a beer with farmhouse in the name.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is semi-dry thanks the yeast ans semi-spicy thanks to the rye malt.

Overall, I really enjoyed this beer. Perfect blend of Rye IPA and Belgian Farmhouse flavors. The yeast esters or spicy rye flavors could easily over power each other or not work well together, but here they do and it makes it a well balanced winner I wouldn't mind having in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 23:30:05 | More by claspada

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: dirty orange/cloudy tan, trace white head,
mild lacing

S: rye, lemon peel, yeast,

T: clove, yeast, malt, solid pine, bitter/sour
rye finish

M: med body, mild sticky/oily mouth

O: My 1st Rare Beer of the Month selection!
Thanks to my loving wife. Never heard of this
brewery before, not bad. Fascinating twist,
on Rye IPA, almost tastes like Hefe/Rye IPA.

QUITE GOOD, WORTH TRYING!

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 19:37:46 | More by BeerLover99

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.1/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from Whole Foods in Los Altos, CA.

As soon as it's uncapped, I can smell the funk. This is going to be an interesting beer. Pours a deep amber-hued bronze colour, with a filmy, but partially speckled head of white. Lacing is patchy, slightly sudsy, but certainly present. Body is full, carbonation is fine. Looks good.

Nose is unabashedly weird. Strong funk gives a hay-like ripeness, that mingles with a generic green hoppy character giving hints of crushed leaves and earth. The funk also gives off sweeter characters, like coconut and bruised peppers. It's a thoroughly fascinating aroma.

Taste is a lot more subdued, but it still feels pleasantly coherent and tight. Clear malt opens up with a slightly funkified grain character, before a generic hop bitterness hands off some cedar-like bitterness. There are some earthy notes on the finish which are not necessarily all that welcome, but these seem to pleasantly morph into a spicy rye note on the very finish (the first hint of the rye as its own entity). Feel is smooth, with a tickle from the hint of acidity.

Overall, nice stuff. They manage to keep all the elements close enough together to be coherent and balanced, even though they're some really weird stuff going on here. That's a good effort.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 01:10:47 | More by lacqueredmouse

wethorseblanket

California

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden with a thin white head which fades to the rim leaving scant lace.

N: Grassy and herbal and floral, slightly spicy and yeasty, trace cherry fruit bubblegum notes.

T: Herbal, spicy rye malts combined with biscuity yeast. Slightly funky and musty but mainly saison-like. Some floral hops on the finish.

M: Medium carbonation and body. Semi-dry finish.

O: Interesting melding of rye, hops, and yeast makes this a unique and interesting offering.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2012 17:52:01 | More by wethorseblanket

SHODriver

California

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pours a cloudy and hazed yellowish brown with a two finger rocky off white head
S: smells sweet with notes of grapefruit, pine, and some spice from the rye malt. a little bit of peppery yeastyness comes through as well
T: rye up front with some nice citrus and pine hop yeast as well with a nice floral hop kick in the finish with some yeast flavor
M: medium body with slightly prickly carb
O: a nice rye IPA with good flavors that dares to be a little bit different. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 07:31:52 | More by SHODriver

Florida9

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Slightly cloudy dark amber in color. Forms an enormous off-white head that has pretty good retention. Leaves lots of lacing on the way down.

S: Aromatic and hoppy. Citrus, grapefruit, and lots of peppery spice.

T: Definitely hop forward with an appreciable bitterness. Grapefruit, citrus, and lots of spicy hops. Pine and pine resin. A slight bit of yeastiness in the background. Finishes earthy and piney with even more spice.

M: This is where this beer really doesn't work for me: medium bodied with good carbonation and an aggressive, soapy, bitterness that coats the tongue with a persistently unpleasant aftertaste.

O: As a hop head, I can say I like the hops in this one, but the bitterness is more than just bitterness - it is borderline astringency that makes this beer less than enjoyable. Lots of potential, but misses the mark.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 00:21:36 | More by Florida9

mwilbur

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a slightly hazy orange-amber with moderate carbonation producing a 2-3 inch cream-colored head.
S: Spicy rye and hops predominate. Some black pepper and citrus. An herbal note with a hint of mint too.
T: Hops, hops, and more hops (pine, citrus, and herbal). Overly done. Drowns out the rest--spicy rye and hint of black pepper. Perhaps some time will allow this one to settle down a bit.
M: Sharp and bitter hops. Spicy hops and rye. Light-medium body.
D: Drinkable if you love an absolute truckload of hops...which I don't. A bit of a disappointment from an otherwise solid brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 03:37:36 | More by mwilbur

Sean9689

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle purchased at WLV Liquors.

A - Pours a mirky orange color, white head, thin collar.

S - Citrus, spicy yeast, rye notes, herbal. A bit of this and that, which really doesn't come together as good as I would liked.

T - Light rye notes, herbal, yeast, light bitter hops. More yeast-forward then anything and the rye and hops take a back seat. Not super-excited by this one.

M - Light body, good carbonation, dry finish.

O - Not one that I liked all that much. The yeast notes really overpower the rest of the beer and it really doesn't come together like I would have hoped for. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 14:35:05 | More by Sean9689

ngeunit1

California

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a clear copper-ruby color with a finger of super frothy off-white head. The head fades down at a very slow pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of spicy rye, citrus hops, grapefruit, some sweet bready malts, and some farmhouse yeasts.

T - Starts off with some spicy rye with some tropical and citrus hops, grapefruit flavor, and some bitterness. Through the middle, some sweet bready malts come through with some farmhouse yeasts, and a bit more bitterness and spice. The finish is a mix of citrus hops, spicy rye, some belgian yeast flavors, pepper, and some light sweet bready malts.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a spicy, dry, and lightly sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. A bit on the mild side, but the rye flavor is really nice with the Belgian yeast and IPA base.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 04:41:47 | More by ngeunit1

rtepiak

Poland

4.23/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

really nice and fresh bottle. a hybrid beer of rye IPA and saison. american hops with a beligan yeast. tinker of beligan undertone and particularly in the aftertaste. would say that this is the best made texas rye i've had from the best saision brewery in texas. but i haven't had many of either down here. wonderful nose of a pine floral boutique. interesting citronella hints which really seem to be the end of the palate as well in feel. lemon balm bitter, so case in point, has a dominant side but also lingers in minerality and a bit oily. smooth feel. good balance. american characteristic well suited. rather unexpectedly dry which wasn't a disappointment. wasn't particularly sweet or as malt driven as some of the midwest rye beers that i like. but rather in a realm. this sort of thing is just not happening around here and i'm glad someones doing it.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 19:46:12 | More by rtepiak

merc7186

New York

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to SliverX for bringing this bottle to our beer tasting.

I had this beer poued from a bomber into a snifter glass.

A: Hazy Golden Straw/Amber Hue, Passes Mild Light, Great White Head, Decent Lacing

S: Earthy, Mild Spicy, Mild Citrus

T: Malty, Black Pepper, Mild Rye, Mild Lemon

M: Great Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Neutral Based, Semi Spicy, Semi Drying

Overall, a nice well balanced beer that doesnt blow you away or burn you out. Has some spicy and earthy notes.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 14:22:22 | More by merc7186

chocosushi

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hennepin Chalice
A ~ Not a gusher! That makes this beer that much better than its former incarnate. Pours the same murky light-chestnut brown color, but with a touch less hazyness. Beautiful head that I let recede before getting a good whiff. Fantastic lace.

S ~ Citrus, Pine, & with Farmhouse yeast sweeping things up at the end. Medicine/plasticity linger. Sweet Wheat. There are notes of mango. Rye spice is less prevalent than the former, but it's there.

T ~ Clean citrus notes (orange/clementine) & Wheatbread with peppery farmhouse yeast in a more clean form. Slightly gummy, but no bandaid! A punch of Rye, Pineneedles, & pepper on the finish with a lingering lychee note. Improvement of flavors. Much more focus to detail here.

M ~ Citrus is more vividly expressed on the palette with the Farmhouse yeast. Finish has a peppery finesse with lingering hop flavors. Dry & spicy finish. Mild heat.

D ~ What a beer. Overall this was simply a great move. The previous Wytchmaker was great, but somewhat of a yeast-bomb which lowered drinkability. This Wytch knows what she's doing & wants to be drank NOW...so I will.
Check 'er out. Cheers JK on the tweaked brews!

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 02:43:48 | More by chocosushi

fmccormi

New York

3.83/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Straight pour from a 750ml pry-off champagne bottle to my nice little Belgian Independence Day stemmed tulip. No bottle dating visible, but this was brought to me by a Texan friend about three weeks prior, so I imagine it’s relatively fresh.

Appearance (4.5): Nice, very hazy dark honey-colored body with a light tan head of fine bubbles that just doesn’t die down. Starts at two fingers, and takes forever going down. Some thick lacing on the sides, very nice appearance.

Smell (4.0): Very interesting mix of light fruit and wet hay—classic musty brett character, not particularly strong but well-defined. Not an IPA aroma, but definitely a farmhouse aroma.

Taste (4.0): Malt character is actually pretty subtle, but the rye character is clear. Beyond that, the flavor is mainly dominated by the brett character, which is well-proportioned—not too musty, not too pungent, just a straight-forward presentation of basic wet hay and a mild sour character. Some grassy, slightly fruity hops come through, too. Finish is slightly sour, but very mildly so. Grows on me as it warms.

Mouthfeel (3.0): Surprisingly light body with a very mild carbonation that tingles very lightly. Dry finish, not bad. Nothing objectionable, but nothing notable for either a farmhouse or an IPA mouthfeel. Wild ale maybe, but neither farmhouse or IPA.

Overall (3.5): This is a good beer and I’m glad to have gotten the chance to try it, and I definitely want to get some more Jester King in my life. Still, I’m not sure this bottle hit the mark for either a farmhouse beer or an IPA—but it’s a decent hybrid, either way. I think a fresher hop profile (IPA), a dryer and more active body (farmhouse / saison), and a deeper funk (brett) would benefit this beer, but the state it was in tonight was not far enough in any of those directions to really be memorable.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 04:35:59 | More by fmccormi

CooperEllis

New York

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml btl via Dajtai007 as an extra in a recent trade. Cheers for this!

Not sure I'd ever reach for this again if I was looking for an IPA. However, I would 100% drink this again.

This is dirty looking. I'm a huge proponent of brite beer and this is cloudy, opaque. Nicely colored and the head is very fluffy, leaves a good trail of sticky lacing.

The most evident part of IPA rears it's head straight from the bottle when it first opens with distinct hops aromas that really spreads its wings. Underneath you get the first inkling that this will not be a typical

The taste is heavily influenced by the Belgian flavors, banana, clove, bread. There is a lightly sweet malt portion and there are unmistakable hop notes throughout.

The mouthfeel is also impacted here, a more full bodied, richer body than is typical in an American IPA. There is no lightness to the body, or oil characteristic and the typical crisp bitter finish is absent.

Not sure what the underlying IPA tastes like, but this is a bit far from what I would expect when I reach for a bottle of this style. It's interesting, slightly different and enjoyable. That said, rating it for an IPA, this doesn't really hit the style better than average.

(176th)

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 22:38:20 | More by CooperEllis

GregSVT

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours murky yellowish brown with a nice eggshell white head that fades to a small layering and leaves some good lacing on the glass.

S: The nose at first is big pine and grapefruit then the Belgian yeast kicks in with notes of cloves and candied plums.

T: The taste kicks you in the mouth with piney hops and the finish is dominated by the sweet malt and Belgian yeast.

M: The feel is creamy and medium bodied.

O: The new yeast changes this one just enough to be intersting but it's not much different. I almost expected a belgian IPA after hearing they turned this into a farmhouse beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 04:58:18 | More by GregSVT

lnashsig

Texas

4.8/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've been so excited about this release, and pleased to grab a bottle today at HEB Bunker Hill. Poured from bottle into my Jester King Farmhouse glass. Pours a nearly transparent dark orange color, about a finger of white fluffy head. VERY different from the previous Wytchmaker version in appearance and carbonation. Smell- wet grass, barnyard funk! juicy fruit, almost a candied orange smell. Tropical mango. A marraige of funky and tropical hops. Beautiful. Giving smell alone a 5. Taste- wet cut grass, some barnyard funk and some bitterness- a complex blend of flavor. Lovely malt sweetness and tropical hops- mango, orange rind all over my teeth. This is tremendously more complex and clean with flavors than the original Wytchmaker. Just an amazing brew. Bravo.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 01:23:41 | More by lnashsig

BeersCriteria

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a dark orange with a BIG WHITE HEAD. I don't know what it is about Jester King, all their beers produce huge heads. Every time I poured it in a glass, the head in the bomber would constantly overflow from the bottle...it kind of got annoying. Anyways, expect HUGE heads from Jester King brews.

S- Orange Juice and some honey. It was rather pleasant.

T- A good strong citrus taste of grapefruit and lemons with a malty backbone and a good hop bite. There's also a HINT of breadiness which Im assuming is from the rye but eh, I really dont taste the rye.

Food Pairing- Due to the strong citrus notes this beer would pair well with some fish, specifically a white fish. Possibly a bass with some couscous and vegetables.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 05:20:53 | More by BeersCriteria

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.68/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jester King
Farmhouse Rye Wytchmaker (lime green label)
750ml into NB Globe
No bottle date, but purchased from the brewery recently

A: Pours a cloudy orange amber color.  Almost a finger of off white head that drops fairly quickly.  Sticky lacing bits.

S: Farmhouse barnyard funk. Also, some of those spicy rye notes. This combination really cuts in on the amount of hops that you'd get normally from an IPA.

T: Much like the nose, the taste is dominated by the Farmhouse strand.  You get that spicy rye notes as well, but the hop profile is masked by these almost totally. I wish I could taste more of the IPA hints. Seeing the hops used in the recipe on the label, you should be able to pick them out but I can't.

M: Medium bodied with a nice spicy mouth coating

O: Solid beer from a small up and comer, but s little tweaking might help this one a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 16:39:58 | More by inlimbo77

roodie

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Petrol Station

A: Poured into a pint glass, minimal head and lacing, pours a murky golden brown, sorta a hybrid between the color of a golden saison and a amber/brown IPA tone

S: hoppy and piney as to be expected from the base beer, hint of some tart/sour/pungent spice, probably from the saison yeast and the barrel

T: hops and resin intermingle with a fruity/tart quality, almost a saison/wine flavor on the back end

M: the fruity/tart/wine flavors linger and a spicy layer coats the tongue, likely from the hops

O: pretty good, not exactly sure they did here, but I like it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2011 14:20:53 | More by roodie

champ103

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Petrol Station in Houston.

A: Pours a murky copper orange color. A minimal white head forms, and recedes in a second. Not much lace.
S: Orange, citrus, lemony. Bitter pine resin in the nose. Light spice with a lingering bitterness.
T: More of the same. Orange, citrus, bitter pine resin lingers. Where did the great balance and bread rye go that was in the base? I don't detect any sort of farmhouse/Belgian yeast either.
M/D: A medium body that has good carbonation. Crisp and dry. Not something I am coming back to often.

I hope they are not permanently replacing the regular Wytchmaker with this. Just bitter hops with no balance. The rye that I loved is all gone, and the new yeast does not add much if anything. Really nothing I would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2011 14:00:33 | More by champ103

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Draught House 43rd Anniversary Party. I really have no idea which category to put this in. It is the standard Wytchmaker recipe, with the only difference being they use a French saison yeast rather than their standard ale yeast.

The beer pours a slightly hazy copper to amber color with a white head. The aroma has some nice orange citrus and resinous pine notes, as well as some biscuit malt, Belgian yeast and spice notes. It smells about like I expected, a rye IPA blended with a saison.

The flavor is also about what I expected. The biscuit malt and rye are complimented by nicely by the hop flavors of citrus and pine. The saison yeast really drys out the beer and adds some crispness to it. There is a slight bit of funk from the yeast, which I expected from a beer with farmhouse in the name. Overall, an interesting combination of flavors that I think works quite well.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2011 21:22:59 | More by Mora2000