Sunday Night Suds - Shiner FM 966 Farmhouse Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Shiner FM 966 Farmhouse Ale.

No this is not a radio station (despite Mrs KB's kibbitzing). Its one of the newest offerings by Shiner, a Texas Brewery which as of last month has finally made its way to New York.

For years, Shiner has been one of those Western/Midwest breweries with one well known quality product (Shiner Bock - reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/05/sunday-night-suds-shiner-bock.html) that people go out of their way to find, but which has not made its way to New York. I have picked up Shiner in Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania and I have heard that it was available in New Jersey, but they never distributed in my home state. A few months ago, my go to beer guy (Beverage Barn on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park, NY) told me that Shiner was coming to New York. I was somewhat skeptical, but now its finally here!

The Shiner FM 966 Farmhouse Ale is characterized as a Saison which is defined by the experts at BA as:

sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US. 

This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.

For all my years of BeerEducation, I have only had one other Saison - the Samuel Adams Rustic Saison (reviewed here kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2011/06/sunday-night-suds-samuel-adams-rustic.html ) and I can't say that it was a good experience. However, this Farmhouse Ale is much more drinkable as there is a bit of almost apple tartness in the beer which then melds with some malt and phenols to make this a refreshing, almost fruity (although without any flavorings added) beer. 

I could see having this beer on a warm day after work, or with poultry dishes. More correlation is required!

Shiner FM 966 Farmhouse Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit although there is no symbol on the the bottle. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Shiner Farmhouse Ale, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/88294.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver. If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!