For a while I was convinced that the next “big thing” in craft beer would be hoppy saisons. American drinkers love their hops, and anything with a big dose of popular new varieties will probably sell well. This has led to a proliferation of sub-styles on the IPA, where wheat IPA, red IPA and black IPA are hopped up versions of American wheat ale, amber ale and porter. There have been a number of Belgian IPAs, but I haven’t seen examples that carry the buzz of a high end IPA (the one exception might be Brett IPAs, but I consider this a different sub-style). I’ve never understood this, the fruity and spicy flavors of Belgian style yeast can provide a perfect complement to the citrus and tropical fruit flavors of many hop varieties. My favorite examples are usually saisons with significant late/dry hop additions, when I get a chance to homebrew that is typically my focus. I was excited to see Idle Hands beers becoming regularly available, and intrigued when they launched Proeme, a dry hopped saison. Idle Hands Proeme is available year-round on draft and in 16 oz. tallboy cans.
Idle Hands Proeme pours hazy light yellow with a massive white head. The aroma is a mixture of floral hops with fruity and spicy yeast. The yeast leads the flavor, notes of apple, peppercorn and bubblegum. This is complemented by the hops, hints of lemon, grass and orange. The malts round out the flavor with touches of cereal and bread crust. Proeme is light and very easy to drink, sessionable at 5.0% ABV. The finish is crisp and dry with some lingering hop and yeast flavor. I really enjoyed Proeme, the flavors work well together. It’s nice to have Idle Hands beers back into the regular rotation! Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.
Previous Idle Hands Reviews:
Idle Hands Thing 1, Idle Hands Heide, Idle Hands Riding Shotgun, Idle Hands Adelais, Idle Hands D’aison, Idle Hands Triplication
Cambridge Brewing Co. Working Class Hero pours a hazy bright yellow with a solid white head. The scent is mostly fruity and spicy Belgian yeast along with a touch of citrusy hops. The yeast leads the flavor, notes of pear, clove and apricot. The citrus peel and hop flavors complement this well, adding touches of orange, lemon, and grass along with a crisp bitterness. The malts round out the flavor with touches of wheat bread and cereal. Working Class Hero is light and crushable, a session beer at 4.5% ABV. The finish is crisp and dry with some lingering yeast and citrus flavors. This is a delicious saison, after we tried it my wife exclaimed “I think I’ve found my summer beer for the year”! I agree and highly recommend grabbing some. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.
Deciduous Mosaic Sylph pours a clear bright yellow with a massive white head. The scent is a mixture of tropical hops and expressive Belgian style yeast. A fruity strain of yeast leads the flavor with notes of apple, apricot and pear. This melds well with the Mosaic hops which add hints of pineapple, mango and grapefruit. A mild malt backbone rounds out the flavor with hints of white bread and crackers. Mosaic Sylph is very light bodied and effervescent, but packs a little punch at 6.3% ABV. It has a dry finish with some lingering fruit flavors from the hops and the yeast. I love a thoughtful combination of New World hops with expressive Belgian style yeast, and this is a very good example of the style. I’ve been impressed with the Deciduous beers I’ve tried and this one is definitely worth picking up. Hoppy Boston score; 4.5/5.
Idle Hands Thing 1 pours hazy straw yellow with a minimal white head. The scent is all from the fermentation, fruity, funky and acidic. The yeast leads the flavor, notes of green apple, barnyard, apricot, lemon and pineapple. There is a little sourness, but it isn’t overwhelming. This is complemented by a mild malt backbone, hints of bread dough and crackers. Nothing in the flavor screams hops, but some of the fruity flavors from the fermentation could be from hops too. Thing 1 is very light and refreshing, and not too boozy at 5.1% ABV. The finish is complex with a little tartness and yeasty esters. I really enjoyed Thing 1, it’s very different from any of the Idle Hands beers I’ve had in the past but very high quality. It’s good to have them back brewing interesting and delicious beers. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Smuttlabs Trucco pours a clear amber orange with a minimal white head. The scent features a little whiskey mingling with estery Belgian style yeast. The flavor here is complex, no one component stands out over the others. The fermentation adds substantial character, barnyard funk, pear and apple along with a touch of tartness. The whiskey and oak from the barrel aging are noticeable but subtle, which is key with a lighter beer style like a saison. The malts add body along with notes of biscuits, honey and bread crust while the hops are minimal. Trucco is medium bodied and drinks very smooth for a beer with 10% ABV. The finish is dry with lingering yeast flavors and a little puckering bite on the tongue. Smuttlabs Trucco is a very good beer, lots of different flavors but they all work together. I like seeing some barrel aged saisons, and this is a great version of the style. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.
Oxbow Barrel Aged Farmhouse Pale Ale pours a hazy golden yellow with a massive white head. The scent is a complex mixture of fruity esters, barnyard Brett and acidity. The diverse flavors from the fermentation and aging also dominate the taste. The Belgian style yeast adds notes of green apple, pear and lemon that mingles with funky Brett, a solid hit of tart sour flavor, and just a touch of oak. There is also some citrus fruit flavor that I assume is from the hops, hints of orange and mango. A light malt backbone rounds out the flavor with a little bread crust and honey. The beer is light and easy to drink, moderately boozy at 6.5% ABV. The finish is dry with a little lingering acid and some yeasty esters. Oxbow Barrel Aged Farmhouse Ale is really good, incredibly complex but still easy to drink and approachable, diverse flavors but everything works together. Wild/barrel aged saisons are becoming a favorite style and this is a stellar example. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.
Mystic Kanzu pours deep orange with a moderate off-white head. The scent is a mixture of coffee and esters from the expressive Belgian style yeast. The coffee is well represented in the flavor but doesn’t overwhelm. The yeast is also present, notes of apple, apricot and clove. Light malts round out the flavor with hints of cracker and bread dough. Kanzu is light bodied and easy to drink, not too boozy at 5.4% ABV. The finish is dry with lingering coffee flavor. I don’t know if I would have even tried a coffee infused saison if it wasn’t from Mystic, but years of drinking delicious beers from that brewery have led to an inherent trust that I will enjoy the beer. If you are interested in trying a different style of beer with coffee this is a good place to start. Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.