Jean-Michel
Fair Isle Brewing in Seattle, Washington, United States 🇺🇸
Farmhouse - Saison Rotating|
Score
7.33
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Jean-Michel is a blend of three, six and nine month old farmhouse ales aged in oak puncheons and dry hopped with the French hop Barbe Rouge from Crosby Farms. Jean-Michel has an indubitable wild berry bouquet and presents notes of strawberry pound cake and black currants. This farmhouse ale takes it’s name from Barbe Rouge (known commonly in the U.S. as Redbeard) a series of Belgian comic books published in France and created by writer Jean-Michel Charlier in 1959.
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7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Can, undiscernable date stamp, but 2024 canning, drunk 8/28/25. Batch 3.
Clear, lemony-brassy-golden. Big, fluffy, white head.
Bright, hoppy, lots of gooseberry and stone fruit with rich, bready, biscuity malts and plentiful acidity from oak. Dainty strawberry character lingering. Lots of bright piquant berry and a gentle sweetness. Oakiness a bit forward but it's minimally buttery, though a bit strongly tannic.
Piquant and oaky, with the oak rather unrelenting throughout, though, again, it isn't bad. Strawberry and honey-like malt does give a rather strawberry shortcake character though the acidity keeps it from being too sweet. Soft, deep, malty palate, maybe a bit mushy at times, which is kind of surprising given all the oak. Fun stuff, though, if rather not traditional. Not really getting much in the way of saison character. Just vague Belgian/mixed ferm house yeast, which is fine too. I feel like this would have done better with just Sacch. instead of mixed culture.
Clear, lemony-brassy-golden. Big, fluffy, white head.
Bright, hoppy, lots of gooseberry and stone fruit with rich, bready, biscuity malts and plentiful acidity from oak. Dainty strawberry character lingering. Lots of bright piquant berry and a gentle sweetness. Oakiness a bit forward but it's minimally buttery, though a bit strongly tannic.
Piquant and oaky, with the oak rather unrelenting throughout, though, again, it isn't bad. Strawberry and honey-like malt does give a rather strawberry shortcake character though the acidity keeps it from being too sweet. Soft, deep, malty palate, maybe a bit mushy at times, which is kind of surprising given all the oak. Fun stuff, though, if rather not traditional. Not really getting much in the way of saison character. Just vague Belgian/mixed ferm house yeast, which is fine too. I feel like this would have done better with just Sacch. instead of mixed culture.
Tried
from Can
from Tavour
on 28 Aug 2025
at 21:38
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Can, undiscernable date stamp, but 2024 canning, drunk 8/28/25. Batch 3.
Clear, lemony-brassy-golden. Big, fluffy, white head.
Bright, hoppy, lots of gooseberry and stone fruit with rich, bready, biscuity malts and plentiful acidity from oak. Dainty strawberry character lingering. Lots of bright piquant berry and a gentle sweetness. Oakiness a bit forward but it's minimally buttery, though a bit strongly tannic.
Piquant and oaky, with the oak rather unrelenting throughout, though, again, it isn't bad. Strawberry and honey-like malt does give a rather strawberry shortcake character though the acidity keeps it from being too sweet. Soft, deep, malty palate, maybe a bit mushy at times, which is kind of surprising given all the oak. Fun stuff, though, if rather not traditional. Not really getting much in the way of saison character. Just vague Belgian/mixed ferm house yeast, which is fine too. I feel like this would have done better with just Sacch. instead of mixed culture.
Clear, lemony-brassy-golden. Big, fluffy, white head.
Bright, hoppy, lots of gooseberry and stone fruit with rich, bready, biscuity malts and plentiful acidity from oak. Dainty strawberry character lingering. Lots of bright piquant berry and a gentle sweetness. Oakiness a bit forward but it's minimally buttery, though a bit strongly tannic.
Piquant and oaky, with the oak rather unrelenting throughout, though, again, it isn't bad. Strawberry and honey-like malt does give a rather strawberry shortcake character though the acidity keeps it from being too sweet. Soft, deep, malty palate, maybe a bit mushy at times, which is kind of surprising given all the oak. Fun stuff, though, if rather not traditional. Not really getting much in the way of saison character. Just vague Belgian/mixed ferm house yeast, which is fine too. I feel like this would have done better with just Sacch. instead of mixed culture.
Tried
from Can
from Tavour
on 28 Aug 2025
at 21:36
8/10
Hop notes front and center but still an incredibly soft delicious Saison.
Tried
from Can
on 09 Dec 2024
at 18:47
7.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
New brewery! $8.99 bottle, WW. Batch No. 2, 6.7%. Also says aged 5, 7 and 10 months (rather than 3, 6, 9). Gold, hint of haze, tiny white head. Hay, glue, yeast, basement, library book. Oak, funk, yeast, lemon zest. I think I interpret what they call strawberry compote as lemon zest... perhaps its a cross between the two. Quite nice without being outstanding.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Nov 2022
at 21:18
8/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Sep 2022
at 22:13
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Tasting at Matt's slaughterhouse, bottle
Blond colour, clean. The aroma is farty, some nice bugs. Not too dry, smooth, highly carbonated, with delicate malt base, light fruit, jam, gentle bugs.
Very good.
Blond colour, clean. The aroma is farty, some nice bugs. Not too dry, smooth, highly carbonated, with delicate malt base, light fruit, jam, gentle bugs.
Very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2021
at 08:34
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Poured from 375mL bottle. Clear-ish blonde with small white head. Funk and oak with a hint of strawberry (maybe?).
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2021
at 03:39
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
375ml @ Matt's parents' place with a scenic view that was hidden by curtains this time. Appearance: a bit hazy pale golden with a white head. Aroma: funky, oaky, a bit farty. Taste: along the same lines, weird soapy farty harshness. Overall: ok.
Tried
on 16 Dec 2021
at 03:38
6.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
375mL bottle, pours a clear pale golden blonde with a small white head. Aroma brings out lots of funk (a bit farty maybe), some dry hopping, and a touch of fruitiness. Flavour is gently tart, with dry oakiness, some mineraly notes, and light fruitiness. That's a very mineraly mouthfeel, which kind of cancels out the yeast profile and whatever else might be desirable under here. Not bad, but far from one of Fair Isle's better saisons.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2021
at 03:33
8.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Slight haze, straw colour. Thin head. Beautiful barbe rouge aroma…i love this hop for its unusual character and this beer brings it out wonderfully. The base pale malt is solid, light brett, a bit thicker than I’d prefer but good stuff.
Tried
on 16 Dec 2021
at 03:33