Iron Fist Brewing, Hired Hand Saison

Iron Fist Brewing Company, Vista, California: http://ironfistbrewing.com/main.html

Description:
Traditionally, this Belgian style farmhouse ale was brewed in the winter to be enjoyed in the summer. Well, us revolutionaries pay little heed to such silly traditions. We brew our Saison year round because, frankly, we don’t want to wait so long for such a delicious beer. Hired Hand perfectly blends malty and sour notes, with a refreshing dry finish. Enjoyed by laborers and leaders alike.
Alc – 6.5%

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23641/63516   BA score: 89

My take: This is one of the 7 drafts we have on tap regularly at Plan Check Kitchen + Bar (I am part investor in). Saison isn't too well known but it's just another type of pale ale and traditionally brewed seasonally. It's a very refreshing ale and my top favorite saison right next with the Bruery Saison I reviewed not too long ago. It pours in a nice orange copper color with a good size foam head. First sip and you get a nice refreshing earthy note of malt, citrus and mild bread like sweetness. It's very easy to drink with a nice clean crisp finish. Didn't score too high on BA as I thought it would but for me, this is a great beer year round, definitely glad Iron Fist feels the same way.

The Bruery Saison Rue

The Bruery. Orange County, CA: http://www.thebruery.com/index2.html

Description: Saison Rue is an unfiltered, 100% bottle conditioned, Belgian/French-style farmhouse ale. This is a beer of subtlety and complexity, with malted rye, spicy, fruity yeast notes, biscuit-like malt backbone, and a slight citrus hop character. With age, this beer will dry out and will become more complex with rustic notes of leather and earth from the contribution of a wild yeast strain. Being a Saison, Saison Rue is ambiguous unto itself as it is a different beer when fresh and when aged. We hope you enjoy it in all of its incarnations. (ABV: 8.5%, IBU: 30, SRM: 9, Release: All Seasons, Format: 750 mL bottles)

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/42434 BA score : 91

My thoughts: The Bruery is a fairly new company but already it has set the bar as one of the best craft brew in the US. I was lucky enough to visit their tasting room and their Saison Rue is one of their many award winning beers. Saison Rue, for those who don't know, is a farmhouse ale and based on my none extensive research, in the past it was brewed by farmers as a very weak pale ale around 3% ABV, but things have obviously changed since. The beer pours in a nice golden color with a nice size white head of foam. You can definitely smell the earthy notes with a hint of that bready, biscuit like malt. It's a bit dry but it's balanced extremely well with a subtle hint of fruity sweetness. It's light and easy to drink yet there are a lot of characters you can pick up, everything balanced out nicely, from the rustic note to the citrus to the hop. Crisp and bubbly too. I can see why it won so many awards. Highly recommended if you willing to spend 10.00 on a wine size bottle beer. I shared it with a friend but after tasting it, pretty sure I can kill it myself since it's so drinkable.