Elaborative #2
Hill Farmstead Brewery

Elaborative #2Elaborative #2
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From:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
6%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 5.91%
Reviews:
22
Ratings:
178
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 04, 2018
Added:
Nov 13, 2013
Wants:
  48
Gots:
  25
Elaborative Two was brewed September 2012 with our friends Brad Clark and Ryan Burke. We crafted this farmstead™ ale with pumpkins grown by Ben’s Pumpkins. The beer was aged in a variety of wine barrels — as well as a barrel from Virtue Cider in Michigan — with wild yeast and bacteria. After a year, the unique threads were blended together and conditioned in the bottle.

The Elaborative: A brewing collaboration with like-minded friends. A fermentative experiment through thoughtful enquiry and discourse. A desire to further our understanding of the interactive complexities of our process while trying to abandon our preconceptions...
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Thorpe429:
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottled September 2013.

Thanks, Jake! Served in Hill Farmstead stemware.

Pours a mostly-clear medium orange color. Slightly burnt. Fluffy white head that dissipates somewhat quickly, leaving behind thick strings of lacing. The nose hits first with wine notes, and follows up with a bit of earthy spice. Faint cider and oak notes. Bit of yam as it warms. Overall, however, the aroma is a bit weak compared to the flavor.

The flavor carries more of the cider, especially as it warms. Elements of both red and white wine come through. Earthy and very faint pepper notes, with a white wine-like acidity in the background. A very mild oak presence is in the background. Tart, but not at all puckering.

Light-bodied, but there's a bit of heft from the oak. Maybe a bit from the pumpkin as well. Other than the color, this is likely where it's felt most, although some of the earthy and peppery aromatics could be just a touch of fall spicing. Acidity increases a touch as it warms.

Overall, really a nice beer that lives up to its wild description. Elements of oak and wine throughout, and I can see where the pumpkin could play in. Very much worth seeking out.
Feb 17, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.29 by CheapBeerBuzz from California

Jul 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4.19 by liquorpig from Massachusetts

Apr 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Jhfinn from New York

Oct 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.77 by BMart from Pennsylvania

Apr 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by dfhhead25 from Pennsylvania

Apr 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by snowmageddon from Massachusetts

Nov 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by kjkinsey from Texas

Oct 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by joeroma5 from Massachusetts

Aug 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.21 by canadianghetto from Texas

Jun 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.56 by kbuzz from North Carolina

Mar 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.46 by Kurmaraja from California

Mar 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.48 by Bilco from Pennsylvania

Jan 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.24 by Mesa512 from Connecticut

Dec 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by _morandi_ from California

Dec 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by MicroBeerMan1980 from Pennsylvania

Dec 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by bootdown21 from Connecticut

Nov 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.6 by Guzzle_McBrew from Connecticut

Nov 22, 2014
Photo of nmann08
Reviewed by nmann08 from Virginia

4.19/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
From a bottle, pours a slightly hazy light gold color with very active carbonation and a big fluffy white head.

The nose is a musty funk aroma, straw, a little vegetable and spice balanced with citrus zest and wood pulp. The flavor is much more white oak notes, a bit floral, vanilla, citrus, and very faint vegetable spice (must be the pumpkin?). It finishes very clean, refreshing, crisp.

This is brewed with pumpkins, but in a way that doesn't let their flavor play a main role. So much so, that I wouldn't call this a pumpkin beer by taste, just in ingredient. Very good, enjoyable. A unique one.
Nov 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.3 by DCLAguy11 from California

Nov 09, 2014
Elaborative #2 from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 178 ratings