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Fox Farm @ The Engine Rm.
TAP ROOM
ROUTE: Shoreline
Founded: 2017
Impression
There isn't a beer I've tasted at Fox Farm that I wouldn't want to drink to the bottom of the glass. Dangerous, perhaps, because that could amount to a lot of beer at one sitting. Thing is, Smokey Bear will not have cause to stop me on the way home because the setting at Fox Farm is so pastoral, I can relax and enjoy both my beer and the post-bout, mellow descent into unimpeachable sobriety. These beers are beautiful. Fox Farm are the Zen Masters of Connecticut Beer at this point in time.
BEERS TASTED
Beer 1: The Cavern Doppelbock (7.0% abv) This Doppelbock has a distinct smokey flavor, which is not typical of Doppelbock, but added by some brewers for complexity. The flavor comes from smoked malts introduced during the brewing process. In this case, Fox Farm states that the malts are from Thrall Family Malts, and the malting is done at Thrall. The smokiness continues all the way through the palate. There is good maltiness, medium body, and even some oat flavor on the finish. The smoke is somewhat disjointed from the beer, but that is a quibble. This is delicious beer, and yet another demonstration of the constant innovation at Fox Farm, and the joy they take in testing boundaries. (Tasted at Fox Farm 5/8/22.)
Beer 5: Rove Pale Farmhouse Ale (5.0% abv) Big lemon & pineapple fruit, as well as apples & golden syrup. What a sour beer should be: big, but balanced, with huge flavor, massive acidity, and not flabby at all. A delicious sour beer! (Tasted at Fox Farm 5/8/22.)
Beer 2: Stet Düsseldorfer Altbier (5.0% abv) Crisp, with none of the fatigue one finds in so many attempts at Altbier. Acidity is clearly present in this beer, and that's a good thing. The beer eventually tapers off to bitters on the finish that are earthy. Very nice stuff. Leaves a pleasant, if earthy, finish, which is exactly what one should get from Altbier. Served in a Kölsch glass, which makes a lot of sense for a beer meant to refresh in short order, and should never be allowed to warm up. There are no false notes in this beer. Whether Düsseldorfers would like their beer served in a glass typical of Cologne shows further cheekiness from the brewers, since Düsseldorf and Cologne have a friendly rivalry. (Tasted at Fox Farm 5/8/22.)
Beer 6: Tiddly English-style Dark Mild (7.0% abv) I noted that this beer had some water on the finish, and not the best of this tasting, but decent and drinkable. I wasn't getting my head around the beer, so consulted the Fox Farm notes: "English-style pub ales are a unique joy - simple but flavorful, memorable or perfectly forgettable depending on the mood." Ah! OK! Essentially, they are the English version of a Kölsch, meant to refresh quickly. Or as Fox Farm again says: "meant to be enjoyed a couple at a time, and without much fuss." Right on. (Tasted at Fox Farm 5/8/22.)
Beer 3: Gather German Pilsner (5.3% abv) Very good typicity. Refreshing, bright, with good, long flavor, good carbonation, and a nice, medium-roast malt taste. Good bitterness on the finish, and bitters are well-integrated. Not overly alcoholic, as some Pilsners can be. Some popcorn on nose, but again, no truly false notes with this beer either. (Tasted at Fox Farm 5/8/22.)
Beer 7: Satu Sahti Farmhouse Ale (8.4% abv) Light brown color, with gorgeous mint & thyme aromas. Carbonation maintains and even grows stronger through taste experience. Orange, caramel and blood orange apparent on palate. A Finnish Sahtu-style beer, steeped with spruce leaves in futter; ginger grown in Higganum, CT is thrown into the coolship as the beer is made. Triple malts of Barley, Emmer & Rye, all grown in Connecticut. (Tasted at The Engine Room 5/1/25.)
Beer 4: The Cabin Smoked Helles Lager (5.3% abv) Very light smoke that is just discernible, forming a nice background note. Light, delicious, good body and carbonation. Refreshing and satisfying. (Tasted at Fox Farm 5/8/22.)
Beer 8: Triolet Wild Ale (6.5% abv). Gueuze-inspired flagship of Fox Farm's wild beers. Usually aged on oak, but Armagnac, Sherry and Gin barrels have been used. More neutral taste than the Satu, Not as yeasty until the back palate, when yeast flavor comes in a rush. Subtle carbonation that also comes on through the taste experience. (Tasted at The Engine Room 5/1/25.)
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