Farmhouse Summer Ale

Flying Fish Brewing Co.
Cherry Hill, NJ

Available: NJ, PA, DE, MD

A highly drinkable “every day” beer style from French-speaking Belgium meets an English Summer Ale.

Alcohol (vol.): 4.6
Alcohol (wt): 3.7
Color: 3.5
Bitterness: n/a
Original gravity: 1046

It’s easy to see (or better, taste) why this fish flies. Nicely effervescent in a way that’s similar to a saison (hence the “farmhouse”), its flavors are even reminiscent of one, with a hint of tartness. But this farmhouse ale is more approachable for the masses than most Belgians. Hints of earthy, spicy hops and grainy sweetness marry well with the champagne yeast notes and lemony-lean finish. This summer ale is a good one to give to friends who think they don’t like beer.
- Lisa Morrison

The New Jersey brewers have turned to French-speaking Belgium for the inspiration for their summer quencher. This saison-style beer (without added spices) glows a very pale yellow in the glass and has a gently perfumed aroma of sweet lemons and limes. I detect a hint of ginger, too, and this sort of comes through in the taste, where silky pale malt is overlaid with lime-like flavors. There’s more bitterness in the dry finish, drawing you back for another sip. A clean, well-balanced burst of sunshine that will be the perfect partner for Thai fishcakes or other lightly-spiced oriental foods.
- Jeff Evans

Lisa Morrison
Morisson, aka the Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.

Jeff Evans
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and one of Britain's best-known beer writers.

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