In a case of pure happenstance, over the past few days I found myself sampling a range of different farmhouse ales. Of course earlier I had tried Alley Kat’s Old Jake’s Farmhouse Ale (reviewed here) and had planned to sample Wild Rose’s The Midnight Son, but found myself sipping on two others around the same time.

So, says my editor, why not post the reviews in succession and call it something? Sure, good idea, I responded (I do tend to talk to myself a lot). Of course, as editors can be, they were not particularly helpful at naming this festival of farmhouse, so I decided to call it – in the German tradition of obvious and literal beer naming – Farmhouse Week. Welcome to Part One.

First up, the planned tasting of Wild Rose The Midnight Son, brewed as a Sahti, which is a Finnish Farmhouse Ale almost always made with juniper.

It pours hazy dark gold with a thick, dense, small bubbled white head with both staying power and a nice lace. The aroma is earthy and musty with a touch of spice. I get hints of minty juniper but really, really subtle. There is also some moderate toffee malt underneath.

I take a sip and find a beer that first presents a light crispy malt sweetness, but that is quickly overtaken by other characteristics. The body is moderately light and sweet. At first an earthy graininess appears and a bit of floral fruitiness. Then as the beer works its way back, the flavour becomes both more spicy and more musty. The spice reminds one of saison, but with a twist. That twist is an earthy sweetness that, I think, comes from juniper. It effect reminds me of heather, with which I have more brewing and tasting experience. Green, floral, fruity and dirty, the juniper is a rounded, multi-layered flavour that gives the beer some complexity. Plus you can totally tell there is a saison base there.

Of course, I have no clue how close this gets to a traditional Sahti, having never had one. I suspect the Wild Rose folks aren’t really sure either. What I can say is I like the effect of the juniper on the beer (keep in my I like brewing heather ales). What might have been simply a so-so, middling saison becomes a more interesting beer. Maybe not a classic, but it gives a unique tasting opportunity.

For the moment I will keep the other farmhouse ales a secret, but be sure to return in a couple of days for the next installment of (cue dramatic music) Farmhouse Week!