Farm Hand French Style Farmhouse Ale
Brewery Vivant

Farm Hand French Style Farmhouse AleFarm Hand French Style Farmhouse Ale
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From:
Brewery Vivant
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Saison
Ranked #658
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
82
Ranked #24,906
Avg:
3.62 | pDev: 13.81%
Reviews:
138
Ratings:
569
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 24, 2023
Added:
Jan 23, 2011
Wants:
  23
Gots:
  60
There was a time in old world France when nearly every family farm had a brewery. A necessary part of farm life was to provide a ration of beer to laborers, as beer was safer to drink than the water of the time. (Has to do with water carrying bacteria and alcohol killing said bacteria. Yay beer!) Farm Hand is our interpretation of what these rustic beers must have been like. It is slight in body, mildly sweet, and has a slight cloudiness from the simple un-malted grains similar to the period.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by williamjbauer:
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Rated by williamjbauer from Colorado

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mar 16, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.91 by Roguer from Connecticut

Sep 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.62 by szmnnl99 from Michigan

Aug 15, 2023
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Rated by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On-draught @ Ashley's, Ann Arbor. $4 USD a pint.

High C / AVERAGE
Jun 08, 2023
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

3.52/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Had on draft at a restaurant.
Color was straw yellow with a few mm of off white head that dissipated quickly and left little lacing.
The aroma was faint, very faint. Even after swirling it in the glass.
The taste was more funk than tart, a bit of cloves, maybe, or I imagined them. It is meant to be something a French farm might brew for its workers, so maybe it’s spot on. But as a wild ale/saison it lacks some elements.
The feel was good, just enough carbonation to keep it lively and provide a bit of bite.
This is an excellent beer for drinking after working outside on a hot day, but that’s not what it is classified as.
Aug 09, 2022
 
Rated: 3.72 by Nunya from Ohio

Aug 07, 2022
 
Rated: 3.81 by movieclockstar from Michigan

Mar 29, 2022
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Rated by huston84 from Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Surprised by this. Got it in a can from Meijer. Not as sour as others of its type. A little floral. An easy drinker that's very refreshing.
Jan 13, 2022
Photo of MaltsOfGlory
Reviewed by MaltsOfGlory from Oregon

3.77/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz can, nearing 3 months old, but a farmhouse should hold up fine

Pours nearly two fingers of dense white head into my snifter. Retention is average, and the head fades within a minute or two, leaving a nice film. Initial lacing looks decent. Body is a cloudy straw yellow. Looks alright so far.

Nose is a little perplexing. Right off the bat there seems to be a big apple aroma, which would nod towards an unfinished fermentation. That cleans up somewhat and the beer showcases some nice fruity esters, notably apricot. Mineral-like, some faint maltiness, light citrus, some spice. Not really sure how to feel about this, but I’m certainly not sold.

The flavor however, brings it home. That apricot is lovely; banana and bubblegum linger in the background. Simple, but quite nice.

Definitely a mineral quality to it, the carbonation is quite high. Because of the carbonation, the body drinks lighter. Definitely pretty dry, but there are brief moments of estery sweetness. Bitterness is low, but present. Overall a nice mouthfeel.

Drinkability is very high, this is light and pretty tasty.

Appearance turned out poor, there was zero lacing.

Overall a pretty mild, sessionable farmhouse. The nose is somewhat off putting, but the flavor helps make up for that, and it has some nice subtle notes.
Dec 12, 2021
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Reviewed by BigIronH from Michigan

3.79/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Drank from the can so a neutral rating was given for look. Smell is lemon and orange zest as well as grass and toasted malt. Taste follows suit with crisp, tart citrus up front and earthy natural flavors following up. Truly a crisp and easy drinking beer. Will buy again.
Jul 27, 2021
 
Rated: 3.39 by mcbraxt from Michigan

Jun 27, 2021
 
Rated: 2.6 by lakewy17 from New Hampshire

Mar 10, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by imperialking from Illinois

Mar 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.54 by Dharmelink from Wisconsin

Oct 27, 2020
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Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

3.2/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Gold in color with a fingernail of dishwater white around the rim and covering half of the top. The aroma is of tart peach. I’m tasting peach, lemon, lime and pale malt. It’s rather cloying. The mouth is moderately carbonated and dry.
Oct 04, 2020
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

3.82/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
2020-05-31
16oz can served in a little glass I don't know how to describe, but is definitely not intended to serve beer. Dated 02/27/2020. Sent to my wife by a friend who lives in some other state.

Pours a moderately hazy light yellow with little head and a lot of carbonation. Smell is mild, slightly funky/woody, a little lemon.

Taste is lightly tart, stronger funk (but not too strong). Something almost peppery about this -- not the right flavor, but closest I can come up with right now. Kind of delicate.

Mouthfeel is light, smooth. Overall, it's a pretty solid beer.
May 31, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Stengelfoot from California

Dec 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by rare_bird from Michigan

Dec 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by blissfulNemo from Michigan

Sep 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.6 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Jul 01, 2019
Farm Hand French Style Farmhouse Ale from Brewery Vivant
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 569 ratings