Defining farmhouse beers is a bit like trying to explain jazz or comfort food to someone who’s never experienced them. It usually requires a conversation because there is no single, simple definition we can all agree on. We tend to look to Belgium or France to bail us out of this pickle since Lambics, Saisons and Biers de Garde are the best-known examples. In reality, farmhouse beers tend to be drinkable, complex, traditional and innovative, all at the same time. Historically, they’re humble beers brewed for laborers with the ingredients endemic to the region, but with a complexity of flavor befitting the finest restaurants.
Just a short drive outside of Austin, you can bathe in the warm Texas sun on a farm that grows world-class farmhouse beers. Through conservation, sustainability, and stewardship of the land, Jester King is one of the few places that blend the old world with the new.
My next guest gave up corporate America and set out to just make some good beer. He eventually employed the traditions and techniques found in those European countries. But, somewhere along the way, he helped define American Farmhouse beers.
Show Links
Cascade Brewing on Beerlandia podcast
Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery
Wolves and People on Beerlandia podcast