Farm Hand French Style Farmhouse Ale - Brewery Vivant

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz can thanks to makdeco. Poured into pint glass. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've had a saison from a can.

A- Pours a very slightly hazy, but mostly translucent light yellow with tons of fast rising carbonation bubbles. A little over a finger of head forms when pouring it that recedes to a thin layer a little bit less then a quarter of a finger of head that has nice retention and leaves some layered lacing.

S- Wheat, lemon, a little bit of honey, and some hay. About average aroma strength.

T- Lemon zest, mixed with honey, wheat, finishes with some light lemon bitterness followed by a slightly sweet aftertaste of lemon and honey.

M- Fairly light, slightly too carbonated but not bad, refreshing, easy to drink.

O- This was a nice saison to drink, however there wasn't anything that made it stand out too much. I liked the sweet aftertaste of this however I did think it was a tiny bit overcarbonated and the smell was fairly average. I did enjoy this saison and I would definitely drink more. A fairly nice experience for my first saison from a can.

Serving type: can

08-16-2012 01:21:47 | More by jaasen64

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap @ the brewpub

A - Cloudy pale yellow with a small amount of white head.
S - Belgian yeast, bready malts, clove. Slightly sweet overall nose.

T - Belgian yeast, clove, bready malts, some sweetness and a touch of citrus in the background.

M - Light body, moderate carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2012 20:49:56 | More by TheSevenDuffs

MadScientist

New York

3.93/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: This beer pours a pale yellow with a large, rocky white head.

S: Orange and peach fruit aromas mix with a mild spice and pepper. A low barnyard funk and a touch of sour aroma. There is a soft Pils malt aroma and a a light spicy hops aroma.

T: Fruit dominate the flavor as much as it did in the aroma with a medium-high orange an moderate pear followed by a nice touch of pepper. There is again a low Pils malt and moderate spicy hops. There is a low sourness and almost brett like funk. The medium-high bitterness carries into the aftertaste following a very dry finish.

M: Moderately-light bodies with medium-high carbonation. There is a light dry prickle from all the carbonation.

O: A well done Saison that is dry and refreshing with a good fruitiness and decently high bitterness.

Serving type: can

08-08-2012 23:56:48 | More by MadScientist

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Can from the brewery, 473ml into a tulip.

Clear golden orange, very loose, soapy and quickly dissipating white head. Minimal lacing and retention. Nose has some grains, very mild spicing, saision yeast notes. Light pepper. A bit of wheat, lightly tart. Taste has some cookie and biscuit notes, wheat, somewhat tart/lemon-like flavours as well. A bit of zitrus zest. Tart and light, and a fairly quick finish. Medium low carbonation. Not a bad beer by any stretch, quite refreshing. Good on a hot day.

Serving type: can

07-16-2012 22:58:45 | More by liamt07

siege06nd

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Chad for this extra.

A. Pours a shockingly pale straw color, almost pilsner-like. A nice round finger of crisp white head emerges. Good retention at about a half finger. Plenty of bubbles rising up through the beer from the bottom of the glass. Good lacing. The only thing I ding this on is appearance...looks too cidery as it is super clear and very pale.

S. Very very grainy. Some mild apple and pear flavors and even some Belgian spice, but grains are all over this one. Surprisingly, it works out ok, but this smells quite a bit like a vienna lager with a pinch of apple juice.

T. Follows the nose pretty closely, except that more saison-like qualities begin to emerge. As with the smell, there is a very grainy flavor profile, but a little bit of hop, Belgian yeast, and apple and fruit flavors emerge with subtle notes of earth and grass.

M. Crisp, refreshing, well carbed, and light bodied. The saison qualities, however, are a little thin and watery. Almost drinks like a cider.

O. It's pretty different from most saisons I have had and not a bad beer by any means. But it's distinctively grainy and a touch thin, lacking the bolder and spicier flavors that are typical of the style. Still, it is refreshing and very easy drinking, much like a pilsner-saison hybrid. I'm going to give it a soft recommendation...it's fairly pedestrian, but is just different enough for me to stay interested, if only for one glass.

O.

Serving type: can

06-28-2012 22:32:47 | More by siege06nd

ribby

Michigan

2.68/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

My number one problem with this brew is that it doesn't look like beer, it looks like lemonade. My number two problem is that the taste is very mild; it is not unpleasant, just not very intense. Now I had this after the Wit, which has a much stronger flavor, so I could have been influenced by that, next time I'll chug a PBR before I try this one. Of course, there may not be a next time for this brew, due to the other problems. Finally, the carbonation seems awfully harsh and industrial, not creamy at all.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2012 03:45:14 | More by ribby

n2185

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a hazy straw yellow with three fingers of white head that fades into a dense cap with good lacing.

S: Crystal and biscuit malt-like aromas up front a hint of tart fruit and spices. A bit bland smelling.

T: Light Belgian spice notes up front with crystal malt and biscuit-like flavors following. There are slight notes of fruit throughout with a dry, bready finish.

M: Light body with high carbonation, this beer is very light and dry, which is nice.

O: An alright saison overall, though it lack depth of flavor and aroma.

Serving type: can

06-15-2012 02:44:09 | More by n2185

Jason

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

16oz can, no freshness date.

LOOK: Mildly hazed pale yellowish straw, head suffers but some lacing stays

SMELL: Lemon zest, nutty yeast, grapenuts, bread crust, parsley, esters

TASTE: Crisp, snappy, rustic, grainy, dried hay, animal feed, lemon peel, nutty, bone dry, plums, estery

First few sips my palate was smack around a bit. The full depth of the grain used starts coming through, the unmalted grains really to make their mark on the palate. Very refreshing and something completely different from the normal to what "farmhouse" ales are commercially available right now.

Serving type: can

05-16-2012 00:33:30 | More by Jason

emerge077

Illinois

4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy pale orange, billowing head of creamy foam initially that settles down to a wispy skim with minimal lacing.

Smells a bit musty and minerally, faint fruity notes of sliced pears.

Taste has a pleasantly dry, fruity tartness reminiscent of Fantôme. Pear, orange, apple, and lemon splash against a dry wheaty backbone that lends some crackery, grassy dryness on the back end. Body is lighter and juicy, carbonation seems to ebb towards the end of the glass. Thankfully this isn't overly yeasty and phenolic as many american saisons can be. Very quenching and surprisingly easy drinking. Overall a saison I can get behind, and a solid Fantôme substitute (which we all need). The tartness is by design, and something one would recognize as a desirable quality once familiar with the style.

Thanks to Justin for the trade...

Serving type: can

03-29-2012 00:18:55 | More by emerge077

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I picked up a can of Brewery Vivant's Farm Hand a couple days ago for $2.59 at The Lager Mill. It's another unusually warm day in Michigan and a Saison sounds like a good choice to get the night started with so lets see how it goes. No canning date. Poured from a 16oz can into a imperial pint glass.

A- Just like all the other Brewery Vivant cans this one looks pretty good with some bright red highlights and a scene of a person working on a farm. It poured a slightly hazy pale straw yellow color with two and a half fingers worth of head that died down very quickly to a thin ring that eventually faded to nothing. The color was nice and true to the style, but i wish it had better head retention, it faded really fast like most AAL's, slightly above average looking.

S- The aroma starts out with a good amount of malty wheat aromas that are followed by a slight fruity aroma. After that comes a pretty noticeable hay and straw aroma and a half and half mixture of herbal and grassy hops showed up towards the end. It smells true to style but it was a little bland and not that interesting.

T- The taste isn't that similar to the aroma. It starts out with a good amount of pale malts that impart a light grainy and malty flavor after that I get a light lemon flavor followed by a pretty noticeable grassy flavor. At the end I get some herbal flavors along with some grassy hops, it had a very low amount of bitterness on the finish and was slightly tart with a grainy aftertaste. The taste was inline with how a Saison should taste, but it wasn't that interesting to me.

M- Smooth, crisp, dry, light bodied, with a higher amount of lively carbonation. The mouthfeel was pretty true to style and I didn't mind then higher amount of carbonation.

Overall I thought this beer was ok and I thought that it was a slightly above average Saison, it had a lot of attributes that a Saison should have but they just didn't blend and come together as nicely as they could have. This beer had pretty good drinkability, it went down pretty smooth and was light in body and in flavor so drinking a couple on a hot day wouldn't be out of the question, but the flavors doesn't do a great job at holding my attention. What I liked most about this beer was the mouthfeel I thought it worked well with this beer and it was pretty Saison like. What I liked least about this beer was the lack of complexity when it came to the flavor, to me that's what separates a good Saison from a mediocre Saison. I might buy this again if i need something in a can that is easy drinking for disc golf but I can think of more then a couple other Saisons that I would much rather have. This is worth a try for a fan of the style or someone looking for a lighter beer for a hot day, but the lack of complexity doesn't make it that memorable. This wasn't a bad Saison but it wasn't a great one either, it was pretty much right in the middle, if it had a little more flavor, more complexity, and was a little more rustic, it might be a pretty good Saison, but as it stands now I wasn't too impressed, this brewery is good but they have yet to wow me, but I still haven't tried their Belgian IPA, so I'll to wait till I try it to full form an opinion on this brewery. New Hollands Golden Cap is still my favorite Saison, I like it much more then this Saison.

Serving type: can

03-26-2012 03:40:25 | More by StoutHunter

litheum94

California

2.5/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

16 oz can. No canning dates.

Pours a very, very pale straw yellow. Looks almost like water. A billowy, bone white head fizzles out very quickly, leaving a thin cover.

Grassy smelling, with light pepper and citrus. Earthy hops.

Dry and grassy at first, leads into a spicy mid-palate with some chalky, earthy hops. Faint, fruity sweetness, berry-like. The sweetness does remind me of lower quality lagers, leaving a very weird, sweet taste in my mouth.

Crisp and pretty easy drinking, but that sweetness that is akin to cheap adjunct lagers is a turn off. I like the idea, but not the execution.

Serving type: can

02-29-2012 05:26:46 | More by litheum94

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

2.15/5  rDev -40.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

$2.69 for a 16 oz. can from Siciliano's. Thanks Maddog for picking it up!

A: pale yellow color with slight cloudiness, poured with frothy head that dissipated to thicker veiled head with lively CO2
S: milder nose, grassy, hints of DMS
T: very light in taste, a bit of gritty malt up front with balanced bitter hop finish, hint of DMS in taste
M: very light bodied beer, has some American lager feel to it which is not pleasant for this style
O: I was expected more of a toned-down biere de garde style beer

Serving type: can

02-21-2012 01:07:02 | More by wisrarebeer

oline73

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a can into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours an opaque yellow color with a fist of white carbonation that fades to a layer on top of the pour.

Smell: Mild malt with some herbal and slightly tart hints.

Taste: This is a very light and crisp beer. Mild citrus notes and lots of herbal yeast notes. Just a bit watery with an herbal finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tons of tingly carbonation and a slightly dry finish.

Overall: Nice and light, this is an easy drinking beer. Nothing wonderful about it, but it's not bad either.

Serving type: can

02-15-2012 00:04:18 | More by oline73

superspak

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

16 ounce can into tulip, no canning date. Pours slightly hazy bright golden straw color with a fairly dense 2 finger bright white head with good retention that reduces to a nice cap. A small bit of lacing clings to the glass as well, but not much. Aromas of big lemon, clove, pepper, grass, apple, spicy and lightly funky yeast. Some pretty nice aromas here with good balance. Taste of big grass, grain, biscuit, light lemon, pepper, clove, and yeast spiciness. Fairly dry finish; but there are some lingering notes of grain, light fruit, bread, and pepper on the finish for a bit. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a crisp finish and easy drinkability as expected. No alcohol noticed at all in the taste or finish. Overall a decent farmhouse saison that is very easy to drink. A bit over the top with grassy and grainy flavors that block out the fruitiness a fair amount.

Serving type: can

12-21-2011 04:39:07 | More by superspak

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Hazy yellow with a persistent, frothy head.

Smell - Soft and fruity with aromas of wheat, apple, and faint spice.

Mouthfeel and Taste - Light bodied and medium carbonation. Just off-dry flavours of wheat, nutmeg, and soft fruit.

This beer is good, but not incredibly flavourful. It would make a perfect hot day thirst quencher with just enough complexity to remain interesting. If you are imagining a Belgian saison, this is a bit thinner, and a bit more subdued.

Serving type: can

11-02-2011 22:09:33 | More by

mactrail

California

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear pale golden in the pint glass. Rather sharp. Modest fragrance. Not the usual thicker, richer Saison. It has more of a clean, simple taste. Acidic fruits. Not much malt and apparently no yeastiness. Head is nice at first but dissipates. Not a star among so many interesting beers in this farmhouse style.

A tangy quaff. On tap at Monarch's in Grand Rapids.

Serving type: on-tap

10-26-2011 04:46:33 | More by mactrail

morimech

Minnesota

3.08/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pale yellow color with slight haze. A massive head forms and settles to a thick cap. Some spotty lacing is left on the glass.

Does not smell Belgian or for that matter, interesting. Pale malt is all that is detected. Hate to say this but it smells like a pale lager.

Pale malt flavor with just the slightest hint of Belgian yeast. Not much for esters or phenols. It is dry so that much I enjoyed.

Light body with lively carbonation. A little too thin to warrant a good score.

An uninspiring attempt at a Saison. Nothing off-putting but not interesting in the least.

Serving type: can

10-23-2011 19:53:47 | More by morimech

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

nice golden amber color with a huge, towering head of white that refused to part ways no matter what you did. Really just superb looking with tons of lacing down the sides of the glass and a rich and proper looking appearence. Nice elements of light clove, peach, hints of grain and fresh grasses and a nice little spicey punch to it. Warming brings out the wonderful light tart notes through the air that carry over so well into the flavor. Not over done at all, in fact it seemed to fit perfectly as the mellow sourness played off of the rich grainy and frsh flavo

Serving type: can

10-18-2011 01:35:26 | More by mikesgroove

buschbeer

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz can
Served in a Tulip glass

A - It pours straw yellow and is slightly hazy. I got plenty of off white head.

S - Mild funk with some grassy notes.

T - I get some grass and lemon.

M - Crisp with some biting carbonation.

O - It's a solid beer. I've had better, but I wouldn't turn one of these down.

Serving type: can

10-16-2011 14:36:44 | More by buschbeer

DJSpidey

Illinois

4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is, by far, my favorite from Brewery Vivant. I have had it on tap at a beer event, on tap in their taproom, in a growler (from their taproom), and in cans; all have been equally tasty, and I am a fan of it. Although it is not a Belgian completely, it reminds me of one. It has more flavor-and character- than an Oberon (from Bell's--also a favorite) while going down very easily; I can see drinking a lot of this on hot days--and it comes in cans, too.

It pours cloudy, and has that wheat'ish flavor with mild Belgian hints; although I am presently a big fan of American IPA beers, I really like Farm Hand Ale (which is almost 180 degrees from an IPA).

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2011 03:58:07 | More by DJSpidey

LiquidBread219

Indiana

2.6/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A= The appearance was a straw yellow in color it was light not really hazy. The head was really nice about the only good thing about this one retained well nice foamy head.

S= I expected a "Farmhouse Funk" smell but it really smelled like a euro lager. There really wasn't any of the other scents that I normally pick up on a Farmhouse Ale.

T= Tasted just like the nose a euro lager and it tasted kind of like a weaker euro lager at that.

M= Nice Carbonation, Lighter beer.

O= Overall, I really was excited to try this beer and it was a huge let down for me glad my friend gave me this beer I wouldn't buy this beer. I will however sample some of the other beers that I have from them.

Serving type: can

10-12-2011 22:20:27 | More by LiquidBread219

cindiwindi1025

Michigan

2.55/5  rDev -29%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

ordered a draft of this at Rockys in Grand Rapids. i have been to Bewery Vivant several times as i live close to it, but have never ordered this particular flavor because it is not a style I enjoy. thought i would give a shot.

a- light yellow, clear, no head or lacing, small amount of carbonation bubbles floating from the bottom to the top of the glass

s- smells good, very yeasty, malty, grassy...almost smells like a lager

t- nothing like the smell. bland straw is the big flavor here. theres a funky, earthy aftertaste that gets worse as the beer warms. not good. couldnt finish the whole glass, it was making me gag.

m- wet, low carbonation, almost flat feeling

o- not enjoyable, will not order this ever again

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2011 02:04:02 | More by cindiwindi1025

prototypic

Ohio

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

Farm Hand pours a very light straw color. Backlighting gives it a yellow-ish look. Carbonation is quite active, yielding a fluffy white head that stands over two and a half fingers tall. It recedes to a surface covering quickly. Lacing was sticky and thick. Not bad.

The nose is pretty good. It’s a little on the weak side. It kicks off with a mix of earthy and musky notes. Belgian yeast is noticeable, but I wouldn’t mind a little more. Light fruit notes of apple and pear are noted. Smells a little malty and sweet. Alcohol is masked well and isn’t noticeable. It’s pretty good. More strength would help.

The flavor is pretty consistent with the nose. It’s a tad fruity up front. Apple and pear are the most notable. It is earthy and grainy throughout. There’s a bit of a musky flavor that’s nice. It’s not funky though. Belgian yeast is flavorful and adds a bit of a spicy flavor to the mix. Alcohol seems light and is masked extremely well. It’s pretty good stuff. Finishes earthy with a spicy yeast flavor.

Farm Hand has a light-medium body. Carbonation is active, but the bubbles feel light and smooth. It’s not quite smooth, but it’s not bad. Given the low abv, this stuff goes down easy. A 16 oz. can is a nice serving size. I do like the can.

Farm Hand is an okay release from Brewery Vivant. It isn’t bad by any stretch, it just seems like it needs a little more of everything. More aromatics, flavor, body, the works. All in all, it just seems a little light for a Saison. Ramp up everything a little and it just might shine. Not bad though. Definitely worth a try. I’m still taken aback by drinking Belgian style ales in a can. I like that!

Serving type: can

09-24-2011 02:59:30 | More by prototypic

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.53/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

16-ounce can picked up at Siciliano's in Grand Rapids. Served in a Mikasa tulip.

Pours a clear straw color with a big, fluffy white head and nice lacing on the way down. The nose carried a bit of pilsner malt and that's about it. No yeast presence. No phenolics of fruit. Not very impressive. Flavor is similar with just a touch of pepper. Light body and high carbonation. A bit astringent and tannic. Not a big fan.

Serving type: can

09-20-2011 10:40:46 | More by Thorpe429

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour - bright golden in appearance with a solid stream of bubbles heading upwards. Head it a good inch or so of tiny bubbles all smashed together. Not a bad looking pour by any means.

Aroma - grainy, cereals, some definite yeasty spiciness along with some hints of citrus. It has a faint bit of sourness to it as well.

Taste - the sour graininess is what I taste first followed by the spiciness from the Belgian yeast used with this beer. It's a very refreshing combo and the finish is very dry. Their is some hints at lemons and oranges and a bit of sweetness here and there. The spiciness and light body of this beer is what really make it great. This was a beer brewed for the folks that worked the fields during the summertime. I've come away satisfied and my thirst is quenched so I'd say its certainly done it's job.

Overall - not the easiest style to do well. Brewery Vivant has put together a very solid saison with Farm Hand and if you dig this style you should certainly give this one a shot. It's a perfect beer for warm weather...and not so bad the rest of the year either.

Serving type: can

09-17-2011 00:38:32 | More by indiapaleale