Willows Family returns with another bizarre label and another bizarre and undefinable beer. An intriguing mixture of coffee and farmhouse, this promises to be something new. I can only hope that I don’t see nothing wrong with a little Bump N’ Grind…

Company: Willows Family Ales

Location: Tulsa, OK

ABV: 8%

Style/Description: Farmhouse Ale with Double Shot Coffee

Price: $15 (750 ml bottle)

Appearance: Pours a cloudy copper, with big fluffy head and sticky tenacious lace.

Nose: Surprising amount of coffee on the nose, with some mild spicy saison esters and Bretty, earthy funk. More grains and beeriness comes out as the brew opens up.

Taste: What a strange beer! Coffee dominates the front, with a sweet crisp cold brew flavor, without most of the roast and bitterness of espresso or drip coffee. As the coffee washes out in the second act the fruit and coriander move in. Some orange peel and grapefruit, with black pepper and coriander spice. It has the thin and dry mouthfeel of a saison and plenty of carbonation.

Finish: Some coffee hangs around in the third act, reminds me somewhat of those coffee flavored after dinner mints they give away at restaurants. Some sweet grassy esters come in as well. Crisp and bright, but the flavors linger for ages.

Overall: I’ve had a lot of beers with adjuncts, coffee chief among them, but I don’t know that I’ve ever tasted a farmhouse saison aged on coffee. The coffee is way out in front, but it fades out significantly as the beer warms. Though a bit of a novelty, the gimmick doesn’t wear thin on this brew. I jealously drank all 750 ml myself and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Rating: 3.5/5