Chicagoist's Beer Of The Week: Brewery Vivant's Farmhand

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Aug 9, 2013 7:20PM

As summer charges forward, many Chicagoans turn to a trusty pint of beer to keep them cool. This week, we're looking at a style of beer that was created to keep farm workers hydrated and refreshed while working in the fields of France and Belgium.

Farmhand is a French-Style Farmhouse Ale from Brewery Vivant, which is located in Grand Rapids, Mich. It pours a cloudy, golden-blonde into the glass, and the nose is laced with fresh grains and a bit of musty, lemon zest. On the palate, crisp and bready malts hit right up front with some floral, grassy hops following close behind. The malt profile is very clean overall, but there's a tart, yeastiness that comes through very prominently on the finish, and leaves you with a pleasant, cellared quality. At 5.5 percent alcohol content, Farmhand is easy-drinking, yet complex, and should be able to stand up to almost any food you might want to eat with it.

French-Style Farmhouse Ales are very similar to the Saisons of Belgium, but there are a few things that set them apart. Traditionally called "Biere de Gardes," which means beer for keeping, these beers were meant to be brewed in the springtime, and laid down in the cellar to be pulled out all summer long and rationed among the farmhands working in the fields. Belgian Saisons are usually very spicy, yeasty, and have very frothy, active carbonation. Biere de Gardes tend to be a bit more malt-forward and clean, and while their yeast profiles are usually prevalent, they're not as flamboyant as those of Saisons.

Farmhand is available on draft and in 16-ounce tall boy cans. Check beermenus.com to see where it's available in your neighborhood.