Farmer's Daughter

Perhaps unwisely, I cracked a can of Farmer's Daughter: A Blonde Ale on the coldest day (to that point) of February. While this ale was likely envisioned with summer sun in mind, I took the plunge anyway. 

Farmer's Daughter is produced in Foresters Falls, Ontario, by the Whitewater Brewing Co. (makers of the highly enjoyable Class V). FD came in an inelegant 473mL can emblazoned with an illustration of a buxom woman in a crop-top, cowboy hat, and daisy dukes--presumably the beer's namesake agrarian lass. According to the copy on the can, this blonde ale is "best served in the hayloft." At 5% and 22 IBUs, this beer's stats held no surprises, nor did its appearance--pretty golden liquid, ever-so-slightly hazy, with a shock of white head.

Immediately upon opening the can, I caught a blast of cereal aromas--grainy and slightly sweet. That's a reasonably apt description of the flavour, too, as it was characterized by sweet, grainy notes. There is just a faint burst of hops at the finish to keep the sweetness from running away with the whole damn thing.

The grassy, cereal elements of this beer were quite welcome, but ultimately I found it too sweet to be much better than not bad. I appreciate that this beer is an ale, and not looking to ape the pilsner style, but a bit more generous hopping in the manner of Czech lagers might have really assisted Farmer's Daughter. As well, drinking in a warmer season might have helped my own enjoyment.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.