Prairie Artisan Ales - Prairie Standard

In case there was any question, the craft beer train is definitely rolling now. The brewery count in San Diego just topped 70, the number of breweries in the country is well over 2,000, and the President of the United States even has his own homebrew. Things are getting crazy! America has good beer coming out of nearly every state now, including (as I found out recently, much to my surprise) Oklahoma.

Prairie Artisan Ales is located in the town of Krebs, Oklahoma, about two hours east of Oklahoma City. Their beers started hitting shelves out here recently and they've been making quite a buzz. I had heard great things about their saisons, so I grabbed the first one I saw, Prairie Standard. On a side note, this beer has one of the best labels I've seen in a while. On it are step by step instructions on how to catch a catfish by "noodling." I feel like a real Oklahoman already!

Prairie Standard pours a light golden color with just a tinge of haze to it. A one finger white head fades fairly quickly, but this is still an attractive beer. The aroma is a touch sweet and has just a bit of funk to it, with notes of green apple, hay, lemon pepper, grassy hops, vanilla and some caramel malt.

The taste opens with a good amount of lemon, followed by some light bready malt. Green apple skin, chardonnay grapes white pepper, a touch of funk could all be found as well. The finish leaves a pleasant and lingering grassy hop note that left me wanting a lot more. The mouthfeel was just a touch under-carbonated, but still felt light and crisp. As far as saisons go, there's nothing standard about this one. I'm hoping to try a lot more from these guys very soon. Hello, Oklahoma!

Final Grade: A-

Top 250 Beers Tasted: 129