american farmhouse

New Beer Blog Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire Dark Farmhouse Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Jolly Pumpkin Brewery.  It is their Bam Noire Dark Farmhouse Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Michigan base craft brewery.   If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Midwest craft brewery.  Let us get into this dark saison ale.

It has a clear dark reddish color with a white constant head. The aroma has a dark fruit to farm like notes. The taste has a lemon like notes that is a little tart. It has a tart to sour like aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.jollypumpkin.com):

Bam Noire

Style: Dark Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 4.5 IBUs: 24
Available: Year Round

Dark, smooth and delicious. Aromas of worn leather and cool autumn nights. Notes of sweet plum and toasted raisin, hints of coffee and cacao. Lingering tart and refreshing finish.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.jollypumpkin.com

Twitter:  @jollypumpkin

Ending, I am not a huge fan of Jolly Pumpkin.  In most cases, it is the cost of the beer that turns me off.  They are great ales.  I love the liquid.  Meijer had this beer on sale for half of the price.  I was sold.  It is different. I love Saison ales but not a fan of dark Saisons.  This one was really good beer.  They did a great job.  I recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!   Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Anchor Saison Spring Ale

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In this spring seasonal beer blog, we are going to get into another beer from Anchor Brewery.  It is their Saison Spring Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this west coast craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this California base craft brewery.  Let us get into this saison ale.

It has a slightly cloudy golden color with a white constant head. The smell has a fruity to lemon notes. The taste has a heavy lemon to farm and earthly notes. The aftertaste has a lemon note finish. It is extremely drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.anchorbrewing.com):

Anchor Saison

Saisons originated with the rustic farmhouse ales of Wallonia, a mostly French-speaking region of Belgium. Bière de saison was brewed during the saison froide (cold season) for consumption during the warmer months. Today saisons are made and enjoyed year-round. As brewers, we were drawn to this beer style’s enigmatic history, the freedom it offers, and the creativity it demands.

Anchor Saison™ Spring Ale is a traditional Belgian-style saison with a California twist. The distinctiveness of roasted Belgian wheat malt is enhanced by the peppery, clove-like flavors of a locally cultured saison-style yeast. And, for this release, we chose three California ingredients—lemongrass, lemon peel, and ginger—whose synergy adds a tangy crispness and herbal spiciness to this sharply refreshing, uniquely Californian saison.

The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 and the Southern Pacific’s “Sunset Route” in 1883, coupled with the advent of refrigerated railcars, made it possible for California brewers and farmers to ship their products out of state. Local artists and lithographers were engaged to create imaginative labels for bottles of beer and crates of fruit. Many of the latter featured colorful vignettes of California scenery framed by mouthwatering images of fresh citrus.

Inspired by those early fruit-crate labels and the ingredients in this release of Anchor Saison™ Spring Ale, our label features an original hand-colored 1873 lithograph of the Golden Gate as seen from Telegraph Hill. Our saison’s California ingredients—hand-drawn by our label artist Jim Stitt—adorn it, creating a uniquely Anchor label for a uniquely Anchor brew.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.anchorbrewing.com

Twitter:  @anchorbrewing

In the end, I will say this that all saison or farmhouse ales are not all the same.  They are all different and it is by design.  The only thing that is the same is the funkiest from the yeast strain.  It has a heavy lemon notes. It is different like all saisons are on the market. I like it.  It is not my favorite but it is a good version of saison ale.  I love Goose Island Sofie and that is my standard for farmhouse ales.  I do recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Arbor Brewing Bliss Wheat Hefeweizen

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Arbor Brewing.  It is their German style Hefeweizen.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Ann Arbor base craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery.  Let us get into this Hefeweizen.

It has a cloudy golden color with a white constant head. The smell has a yeast to wheat like notes. The taste has a heavy yeast and wheat and not much of banana and clove notes.   There is not much of the aftertaste. It is fate to me. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.arborbrewing.com):

Bliss Wheat – Arbor Brewing Company

Description

U.S. Open Beer Champion – named “Best Hefeweizen in America” by the Craft Beer News Service. Classic aromas of banana, clove and floral citrus blossom. Fruity, spicy aromas show a rich yeasty character that follows through on a smooth, medium-bodied palate with a delicately spicy finish.

History

This summer specialty is made with fifty percent malted wheat for a clean, light, refreshing character, plus a special Bavarian yeast that creates the classic cloudy appearance and banana, clove, and lemon character. To decant from the bottle, pour three-quarters of the bottle into a glass and gently shake the remaining contents to mix the yeast back into the beer and then top off your glass. Delicious with a slice of lemon but we prefer it au natural.

Our Bliss artwork features a lion (the symbol of Bavaria) front and center. We went with the striped tent and carnival scene in the background to bring together the great midwest summertime traditions of county fairs and amusement parks with Munich’s Oktoberfest – the mac daddy of all festivals signaling the end of summer.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.arborbrewing.com

Twitter:  @arborbrew

In the end, I am huge fan of this beer style.  When I take a break from my porters, stouts, and IPA’s, I reach for a pale ale and or Hefeweizen.  I was pretty happy to see this beer released again.  I never had the chance to try this brew and I have been wanting to try this brew.  I had to pick up this season.  I am getting a heavy lemon notes.  There is not too much banana and clove notes.  I was pretty disappointed.  I can see others love this beer.  I am not a fan. There is better Hefeweizen on the market that is my thought pattern.  This beer has won awards.  Maybe, I picked up a bad bottle.  I recommend this beer either way.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13