Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale

Brewed by Flying Fish Brewing Company
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Cherry Hill, New Jersey USA

Had this on tap at Antone’s. It was served in a shaker pint glass. Kind of ruins the affect. Since the name says Farmhouse, I had expected a typical saison. I didn;t get it. Not much in the way of a typical saison aroma - not much yeast, or grass, or spiceness. I read one review that called in a blond ale. Kind of a plain beer.Not a good example of a saison, but it is a beer one could drink during a summer afternoon.

Actually a decent beer for FF. Very refreshing for a lighter beer and has a bit of noticible hops. It’s also kind of sweet and smooth.

growler from witbier... Billed as Grey Lodge 10th Anniversary Dunkel Farmhouse but this is no different than the regular Farmhouse Summer Ale. In fact, I don’t get the Dunkel monicker either b/c there is nothing that is "dark" about this version at all. A bit of a letdown, as I had hoped to have the same version but with dark malts added. Appears a pale light gold with a small white head that quickly falls out into a gentle collar. Mild CO2 bubbles slowly rise to the top. Small spotty lacing is left around the glass. Smell is of pils sweetness, sourdough bread, and definite wheat that comes out like crushed shredded wheat cereal mixed with a gentle hoppy spiciness. Taste is of the described aromas. Actually tastes ok with all things considered. The killer here is that it’s not a true saison. The English Ale yeast is definitley present and sadly not a Saison yeast. I would love to try this fermented with the duPont, or Fantome yeast. I know they do a sour mash with this but it just doesn’t touch upon the funky, horse blanket, open fermentation that the real style emulates. Mouthfeel is light bodied, smooth, crisp, airy, with a semi-dry finish that settles out with a slow wheat that drags down the back of the tongue. Drinkability is alright. I know FF keeps this drinkable for the masses. One of my old neighbors knew I was heavily into craft brews and she brought me up a few bottles a couple of years ago. She described it like a lighter hefe weizen. She didn’t know much about beer but something prompted her to buy a case of it. To me, this would be more of an American Ale than a Saison. Fellas need to make money though. Maybe we could get a Farmhouse "Roots" version of FF sometime soon in the big corked/caged bottles where they use the same recipe but a Saison yeast.

i like this summer ale, not my favorite summer beer though. i first discovered the summer ale at a bar we would go to after work. It served well for the occasion of just relaxing outside on a patio during the summer.

Draught as the "Grey Lodge 10th Anniversary Dunkel Farmhouse". Tried to get this one from the cask, but they hadn’t started pouring yet :( Light golden-amber color and a very light malty aroma. Taste was light, sweet & grainy. Not my favorite style or the best beer around, but pretty refreshing for a summer beer on an exceptionally warm day in October.

I wish this were my every day beer. A very nice wheaty beer with that great bready finish I love. Appearance and aroma were not spectacular, but this is definitely a well put-together wheat ale.

The Lure:
White pepper spiciness flourishes over the straw and yeasty bite. Attractive grassy hops mingle within, as does lactic acidity.

The Festivities:
Green, grassy hops and feeble malt husks benefit from a smooth, non-obtrusive mouthfeel. Finish is dry and somewhat watery, as the flavors and body slowly vanish from the senses. Good, but entirely forgettable.

Transcendence:
Apparently, this rustic farmhouse has been renovated with stainless steel products.