Noble King Hoppy Farmhouse Ale - Jester King Craft Brewery

mactrail

California

3.23/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Quite a foam-up in the tall Aventinus Weizenbock glass. Hazy light yellow with the head sticking to the glass. Light aroma of hay and sage.

Light body with a fizzy mouthfeel. Plenty of yeasty bitterness. Very distinct farmhouse-style flavor. Fairly dry and not much malt to be found. Thin and bitter after some sipping. A mineral taste with loads of hoppy bitterness. Nothing floral or sweet to this, it's strictly take your medicine and like it.

A little harsh and over-done on the Farmhouse flavor. Definitely not a Saison, there's no hint of anything fruity here. Watery. A bottle of golden bock might mix well with this. This batch is 5.9% ABV. From the 750 ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 04:38:45 | More by mactrail

hoody711

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Well here's a lesson in looking at bottles closely. Could have sworn I was buying a PA or IPA, but, not even closer, just plain inspection shows hoppy farmhouse. Not my favorite style but here it is, and the NFL season is about to start, so what the hell?

A - First off, amazing bottle art. Really cool. 25.4 oz bomber. Poured into a hefeweizen glass. Massive rocky white head that slowly settles with great lacing. Kind of a cloudy, pretty orange. Really can't complain about much here, a really nice looking brew.

S - Farmhouse. Next. Seriously though, these all smell the same to me. Bananas, Belgium, broken promises (?). A little funk, a little malty sweetness. It's ok.

T - Much different than the nose, if I'm honest...and why wouldn't I be? Not getting the fruity sweetness that I usually taste in farmhouses. It lacks any real huge taste at all. I'm coming back to this section, as my dinner is dominating my palate right now... Yeah, still not anything great here. Kinda average.

M - Very nice and smooth, medium, a little creamy. Just a tiny bit of booze at the end. I could use a little more carbonation.

O - Blah, had such high hopes for this. Great bottle, brewed by guys in my college dorm. Just not anything to write home about. Another Texas beer that fails to really impress. Does this state brew anything outstanding? Really hoping that their rye IPA pulls through for them.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 00:37:19 | More by hoody711

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle that a friend split with me, interesting label. Cloudy orange color, almost amber. Smells sort of belgian, a little rustic (what does that even mean really?), yeasty. Taste has a hint of aspirin, I think its the hops but my buddy swears its the yeast. Either way this was quite a refreshing beer and I'd like to taste their other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 02:30:11 | More by ArrogantB

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Bulbman for sending this one over to me. The beer poured out with a very active with a big white head on top of a hazy yellowish orange body. The smell of the beer is bready with some earthy hops and grains. The taste is slightly spicy with a mild hop bitterness and malt sweetness. The mouthfeel is light bodied and nicely carbonated. Overall it's a decent beer. Not something I would seek out again but was nice to try.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 03:57:50 | More by Knapp85

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.48/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Average brightness in the orange color, looks pretty, and even more formidable lacing and retention, it originally started out at about 1.5" and stuck around for quite some time, taking well over a few minutes to get down below the 1/2" range.

Aroma was lemony and noble hop, I enjoyed it, reminiscient of that first warm spring day when all the hotties on campus or wherever you might be start putting on their first sun dresses of the season, but I digress.

A real earthy body presence to it, its like there's almost dirt in the bottle, but the good homey earthy kind. Definitely way more hopping than I am used to in a saison, but that's kind of the trend for the last few years, just make an "innovative" take on a style by dumping hops in it. It works just fine here. Crisp, lemony edge to a saison that isn't massive in its yeast flavors. Pull some pepper and grass out of it from time to time.

Something I wouldn't talk someone out of trying, but I don't see myself coming back to it, not because it was bad, it was actually fairly decent.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 21:54:19 | More by Beerandraiderfan

bmwats

Louisiana

3.49/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip.

A: Cloudy, golden hue. Lots of effervescence. Pours about a 1 finger, frothy, white head. Craters slowly and unevenly, leaving some dry residue behind as it retreats; and leaving a little blanket. Some decent dry, beer ring lacing.

S: Lightly floral, very yeasty, with a little funky raspberry.

T: White and sourdough breads accentuated with a little subtle hop, and and some light floral and fruity components.

M: Light body, crisp feel, really steely finish and aftertaste.

D: This is one of those brews that is best enjoyed in smaller quantities.

Appearance is very nice. Plenty of carbonation, and a really nice head, that lingers in some state throughout. Also, plenty of lacing. Nose is yeasty, floral, fruity. The bread components really stand out. Light, crisp body, very bready flavor with some complimentary hops, fruit, and flora. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 04:34:22 | More by bmwats

Sean9689

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle purchased at WLV Liquors.

A - Pours mirky golden color, big frothy white head, lots of lacing and a nice cap on top.

S - Light yeast, hay, malts, light hoppy notes, grass. All very subtle and not overly hoppy or too much yeast.

T - More hoppy then the nose suggests, grains, malts, hay, light spice, and herbal notes. The yeast doesn't quite come thought as much as it does on the nose.

M - Light body, lots of carbonation, dry finish.

O - A decent Belgian Pale but more like a saison to me. Not something I'd continue to go after. Very easy-drinking but a little too much carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 01:55:04 | More by Sean9689

GregSVT

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into a tulip

A: Pours a very slightly hazy gold with a huge white head that fades to a ring with lots of bubbles and leaves some lacing on the glass.

S: The nose is very funky at first with a musty aroma I can't quite place, almost like a Brett smell, along with some lemon and yeast smells as well. Smells more like a Saison than a BPA.

T: The taste is about like the nose with more of the lemon and yeast flavors coming out and a bit of the funky flavors like Brett on the finish.

M: The feel is crisp and clean with a dry finish.

O: I would consider this a Saison rather than a BPA but I've never really had much of the latter. The funky aromas and flavors were good but not what I would expect from the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 05:03:30 | More by GregSVT

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle of this at Hunger Mountain Co-Op. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a nice crystal clear gold with a one two finger head that was fizzy and faded quickly into a thin blanket. Next to no side lacing.

S - Nice light green notes, bananas, light funky esters, light coriander, grape, and noble hops.

T - More of those light bananas and coriander. The noble hops come through along with some light funk. Its nice and quite enjoyable...until the back end hits. I've getting alot of alcohol, almost ethanol type. What the...

M - Mouthfeel is quite nice and enjoyable. Great fresh, crisp mouthfeel on this one.

O - Overall the lack of a decent head retention and lacing as well as that rather odd burning alcohol kinda ruined this beer for me. Very unfortunate.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 22:58:29 | More by rudzud

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.6/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to kevin123 for this bottle...

A: Pours a a cloudy gold with a massive pure white head. It's big and billowy. That's right... billowy. There is a serious amount of lacing sticking onto the glass.

S: The nose is sweet, spice, funk, and grass. It's malty, peppery, yeasty, and earthy. It's a nice mix. It's reminds me of Le Petit Price, but bigger.

T: It starts out sweet with a hit of banana. That quickly transitions into mild pepper and funk. The fresh cut grass starts to come along in the middle and last through to the finish where is mixes with some bittering hops.

M: Light bodied beer. It starts out sweet, turns funky, and finishes bitter. Nothing lingers for too long. Solid.

O: This is a decent beer. I like it, but it's not something that I'd want to drink again. It's kinda like this beer is a mix of idea that fell short. It's funky like a belgian, and yet it falls short. It's spicy like a saison, but it's not quite there. It's bitter like an IPA, but not exactly. This all leaves a lot of room to be let down.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 01:36:04 | More by trxxpaxxs

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.61/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Delirium snifter on 3/23/13.

Batch 9
Bottled 01/04/13

Shared by PDXHops

Cloudy, light peach and light pineapple hues. Two finger head drops to a large island-like mass of bubbles. Soapy lace across half the glass.

Bright, fruity aroma with notes of pineapple, lemongrass, and peach tea. Herbal overtones and maybe a little touch of the herbal. Pilsner malt and biscuit dust.

The taste is grassier with hits of zesty citrus mixed in. The fruity aspects are still pretty expressive though. Toasty grain and biscuit. The finish is a bit soapy.

The body wants to be a plodding medium but carbonation is too high to let that happen.

Overall, it tastes and smells good but the feel is cumbersome.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 02:06:19 | More by Ryan011235

mwilbur

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a nice hazy lemon yellow with a 2-3 inch bubbly white head. Decent retention.
S: Lovely aromatic hops can be appreciated a few feet away. Citrus and pine hops. Dry white pepper. Floral, spice, and fruity esters. Hint of earthy wheat. Very pleasant.
T: Funky, earthy hops. A mix of citrus (lemon and lime especially), spicy pepper, and dry wheat. Not quite up to the aroma.
M: Light body. Sharp, crisp, and bitter hop bite. Dry and tart finish. Feels bigger than the ABV.
D: Nicely refreshing. The hop notes get a bit jumbled. An interesting and decently complex brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 03:42:57 | More by mwilbur

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Very effervescent golden body that is hard to see through with all the bubbles. A cloud of white head sits atop the beer.

Earth, grass, and a bright lemon character in the nose.

More earth, grass, and lemon but with more of an added orange component. Pepper and a slight graininess.

Light body with ample carbonation washes over the tongue fast. Dry.

A great sessionable brew. I'm predicting picking up a couple more bottles over the course of this upcoming Texas summer.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 04:14:30 | More by MattSweatshirt

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Served from bottle into a Mikkeller oversized wine glass. Poured a hazy golden yellow-orange with a two finger white head that subsided to one finger very slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, banana, spice, earth, sweet fruit, and subtle sugar. The flavor was of sweet malt, earth, fruit, spice, and sugar. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. Upon first inspection of the aroma I really like what I came across. A very nice thing going on in that respect. The flavor however wasn't quite up to par with the aroma. There was just a little too much earth and spice going on in it unfortunately. Glad I got to try this one, but there are better ones for the style out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 00:50:19 | More by thagr81us

depechemode1983

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Pours out a very cloudy golden orange color. The head of the beer is white and thick with medium retention and lacing.

S - The nose is fruity, sour and bitter. There is some sweet and sour apricots and pineapple right upfront with a bitter grape fruit middle then ends with a lingering sourness.

T - The taste a bit sour with toned down fruit characters and grapefruit bitterness. Flavors seem a bit watered down compared to what the nose was hinting at. Like the nose suggest but not as much.

M - Light to medium boied with somewhat low carbonation. It could use a little work.

O - Not too bad. All the flavors are there but just not bold enough. The bitterness could stand to be a bit sharper and the fruit notes more vivid.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 19:52:03 | More by depechemode1983

champ103

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Pours a beautiful hazed orange color. A two finger white head forms with excellent retention. Rings of sticky lace are left behind.
S: Not much in the nose. Some slick/oily hops. Light basement funk. Not much else.
T: Orange peal and citrus hops. Peppery spice and light funk. Very subtle, but enjoyable.
M/D: A light body and light carbonation. Clean and dry, but I wish there was a bit more crispness here. Easy to drink and enjoyable to drink. The bottle will be gone in no time.

I like it, and very enjoyable. Though seems like Le Petit Prince with more alcohol. Given a choice between the two, I will take the Prince every time. Though still very much worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 22:58:54 | More by champ103

Florida9

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Fairly cloudy yellow in color. Forms a fairly large, very light tan colored head. Good retention and lots of lacing.

S: Aroma is citrusy and spicy, with notes of lemon rind, grapefruit, and black pepper.

T: Taste is similar to the aroma. Lemon and grapefruit, pepper and spice. Mild malts. Mildly earthy with a bit of herbal hops towards the finish. Neither sweet nor dry.

M: Medium bodied, heavy carbonation, mild bitterness. Again, neither sweet nor dry.

O: A decent Saison. Drinkable and paired nicely with a panini.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 00:39:56 | More by Florida9

Beerandboards

New Mexico

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - pours an opaque lemonade color. Huge loose white head that sticks around forever.

S - Little bit of funk, little bit of lemon peel, citrus hops are there.

T - nice. Really pretty good balance. Nothing particularly stands out, but everything is nice. It leads with a sort of standard saison mild funkiness, some very mild sourness, then quick to the lemony hoppy citrus bitter finish.

M - pretty smooth, medium but lively carbonation. Good feel.

O - this is a very solid beer. I dont think i would seek it out. But I wouldnt be unhappy if I were to drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 03:31:54 | More by Beerandboards

MRsojourner

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

appearance: hazy golden with orange hints and a fluffy head that maintained throughout the glass

Aroma: was not to big but it did have some nice earthy and estery notes in the smell

Taste: big munich/Vienna malts, hay and straw. a bit spicy/peppercorn and a touch of orange citrus. very balanced and easy drinking.

mouthfeel: was to be expected for a saison, nice and dry but the 3711 gives the mouthfeel more perceived body.

overall: very nice, nothing earth shattering here but it does what its meant to do. quench your thirst after yardwork but still giving you a little something to think about as you drink it.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 11:15:15 | More by MRsojourner

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle generously shared by Thirstybird. Pours a dull orange hue with a semi-hazy clarity. Head is 2.5 inches, bright white and fluffy in texture. Thick rings of lacing are formed as the head gradually dissipates into a half inch creamy dollop. Nose expresses citrus, Saaz, lemon zest, a hint of candi sugar and a mild spice profile (coriander and pepper), as well as slight yeast presence and a suggestion of ethanol. Taste follows nose; however, there's more of an earthy hops character. Mouthfeel is medium-light in body (but closer to light) with a pleasant, even carbonation and a semi-dry finish. Overall, a solid domestic representation of the style. Fairly clean with more of a hoppy presence, but definitely within style parameters.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 13:00:19 | More by Jwale73

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sturdy, bright, and zesty- Jester King represents the super dry, fruity, and spicy saison style with a juicier and rounder palate and with a creamy-dry texture to boot.

Opening with a bright gold-amber glow that's similar to the juices of blood oranges, the beer forms a moussey white head that caps the beer like whipped cream. With strong retention and concrete lacing, the beer's appearance is bold and classy. Its heavy haze allows for a diffused glow when back lit.

Sharp and peppery aromas rise first, and do so with impressions of white pepper, cumin, yeasty must, and light plastic. Not far behind is the scent of fruit- represented well by notes of peach, orange, fig, and apple. With light white wine, cider, tea-like herbs, and earthy hop undertones the beer takes the nose in many different directions.

Creamy malt introduce themselves to the palate first with bready sweetness of thinned honey and light biscuit. A rounded sweet taste of fruit with embedded acidity rise at mid palate and provide a sweet peach and orange flavor heading into finish. That's when the spices strike the back of the mouth with fresh cracked white peppercorn, freshly grates cumin and ginger, and a light grassy hop bitterness to close the beer.

Medium-light on the palate, the early sips are engaged by the high carbonaiton that creates a champagne-like spritziness that ushers in the peppery-dry finish far sooner than is expected. But after the beer breathes a bit, its creamy carbonation allows the mouth to explore the sweetness and fruitiness a bit more in depth before concluding with a powdery-dry spiciness and earthiness. Mild warmth and a stern leafy hop dryness assists the peppery notes and dry malt textures to finish the beer.

It's quite rare to find authentic dryness, spiciness, and earthiness in American-made saisons. Many of them are far to simplified and malty. Jester King seems to acknowledge the difference and play to the more traditional farmhouse varieties of Belgium.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 05:38:28 | More by BEERchitect

metter98

New York

3.81/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy golden yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high bright white head that gradually died down, consistently leaving a short head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderately strong aromas of earthy farmhouse yeast are present in the nose along with some hints of grassy hops.
T: The taste has flavors of yeast as well as notes of grainy malts and a bit of grassy hops, the latter of which contributes a slight amount of bitterness. There are some faint hints of peppery spices towards the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and a little dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and would probably go well with food, however it doesn't really have any qualities that set it apart from other saisons and would make me want to try this as a standalone beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 02:48:22 | More by metter98

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip.

Appearance
Hazy golden/orange with 3-4 fingers of head. Good retention and low carbonation. Leaves behind rings of lacing.

Nose
Light Belgian yeastiness, pils malts, grassy noble hops, caramel and bubblegum.

Taste
Raw grains (wheat & pils malt), earth, dried hay and horse blanket. Farmhouse yeasty. Hints of bubblegum and lemon Pledge. Finishes is dry and extremely grassy with dirty hops, a twinge of lemon zest and a pinch of black pepper.

Mouthfeel
Light bodied, crisp, clean and dry.

Overall
Not as hoppy as anticipated. The bitterness is there but the noble hops, although forward, are not as pungent as I hoped. The barnyard yeastiness is there in spades. Very refreshing and easy drinking. It’s really nice to see an American brewery do a Saison right.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 14:11:38 | More by justintcoons

waldoiverson

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 Ml into Nonic

A: slightly cloudy, dark golden, massive white head with moderate lacing, very evident lacing

S: strong CO2 pushing grassy and malty aromas with a bit of a zesty bitterness

T: Lemon, biscuit, and fresh cut hay, nice tart and almost sour flavor, the biscuit notes linger

M: Clean from front to back with a bright crispness that marries well to the sour lemon taste

O: clean, drinkable and interesting...it's hard to beat that combination, especially on a hot early summer night

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 01:23:43 | More by waldoiverson

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A. Amazingly fluffy three finger sudsy head that lasts and lasts seemingly forever on top of a hazy apricot colored beer. Cascading sheets of sculpted lacing abound.

S. Mostly grassy and spicy noble hop tone all abound. Lesser levels of citrus peel, (mostly limes with smaller amounts of lemon and orange) some sort of faint wheat malt aroma gets slightly buried under a stronger yeasty aroma.

T. At first I get hit by a brief moment of yeast flavor that is rapidly swept away by citrus peels and herbal / spice hopping. Later on as the glass warms I get greeted by some fleeting nondescript fruity pear esters used at merely accent and garnish levels to highlight the hopping through temporary contrast. I've heard of this brew having vinous characteristics, but for the life of me I just can't find them in my particular bottle with my particular palate. If I could nitpick one thing and one thing only, I would backpedal the initial yeastiness of this brew slightly to let the natural sweetness of the malt out just a bit more.

M. Smooth and dry in the extended citric finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 19:30:50 | More by WastingFreetime