Farmhouse ales were traditionally brewed throughout the Kingdom of Flanders, which now incorporates parts of France, Belgium and The Netherlands. And while there is some commonality to the style, farmhouse ales probably have the greatest variance of any established beer style.
That is because the beers were made using ingredients specific to the area, or dependent on the produce of the particular farm. Farmhouse ales really were a reflection of the region, particularly the yeast used in the beer.
This beer from La Debauche is quite a delicate farmhouse ale, with the flavours and aromas more subtle than some of the saisons we’ve enjoyed from say our Belgian brewers.
It pours a light straw colour, with a definite cloudiness. The aroma is of grainy malt with a little fruitness and light funk.
The beer is crisp and light, quite grainy in the texture. Even early on, the beer is quite dry, with not a lot of fruit sweetness. Looking for fruit it is more in the form of dried fruits like apricot or pineapple.
The hops add a firm level of bitterness without any real fruity flavours, and the beer finishes with a little spicy, peppery bitter aftertaste. It is really refreshing, and a great thirst quencher, and that is what this style of beer was designed for.
A farmhouse ale brewed with wheat and fermented with fig juice
An interesting farmhouse ale with seven different hops plus liquorice
A Belgian style ale, something of a cross between and blond and amber ale
This black IPA from La Debauche is full of dark chocolate, coffee, liquorice with a little fruit and sustained bitterness
A really interesting, slightly sour Imperial Stout that has been barrel aged for 12 months and spiked with wild Brettanomyces yeast
A milkshake lager with popcorn and pineapple - a crazy combination that just seems to work
A delicious imperial milk stout with the addition of coffee beans, cocoa beans and lactose
La Debauche presents their interpretation of the classic Belgian Dubbel style
As the label suggest, this is an IPA brewed using all French ingredients
Described as an International IPA, this beer is full of mango and citrus
A lightly soured blonde beer with the additional of passionfruit and lemon
An IPA which mixes the influences of both the Anglo-Saxon and US versions of this style
A refreshing witbier 'hopped' with a healthy dose of jasmine
A Hoppy Wheat Ale with a light malt body and fruity, slightly spicy hop character
An imperial stout aged with American oak from bourbon barrels
This big barley wine is spiked with Brettanomyces and aged in oak barrels for 18 months
A delicious milk stout with the addition of lactose
