Hill Farmstead / Blaugies Le Sarrasin
Hill Farmstead Brewery

Hill Farmstead / Blaugies Le SarrasinHill Farmstead / Blaugies Le Sarrasin
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From:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
100
Avg:
4.61 | pDev: 6.07%
Reviews:
32
Ratings:
356
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 01, 2022
Added:
Feb 05, 2014
Wants:
  203
Gots:
  52
Borne of our abiding friendship with Belgium’s La Brasserie de Blaugies, Pierre-Alex and Kevin Carlier brewed with us here in June of 2013. The resulting beer—brewed with hops from Mons, Belgium, and 30% raw organic buckwheat; fermented in both oak barrels and stainless steel; and aged for many months in those same barrels—is among the finest farmhouse ales we’ve ever produced. Vibrant, lively and sophisticated, its bracing tartness belies its elegant wine-like profile. We were honored to have brewed with Pierre-Alex and Kevin; we are delighted to share it with you.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Sarge3130:
Photo of Sarge3130
Reviewed by Sarge3130 from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Incredibly balanced beer. wonderful sweetness, oak barrel, and tartness. Creamy mouth feel. I would drink this everyday if I had the opportunity. The best Hill Farm saison I've ever had including Flora. Seek this one out.
Dec 11, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.9/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
pour at Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT.

This one pours a dark golden orange color, with a small head, and a good bit of lacing.

This smells like lemon rind, lime zest, wine barrel, old libraries, apricot, pear, green apple, rustic grain, and oak.

This is an absolutely legendary beer amongst aficionados of this brewery, and I've been wanting to try this one for a long time - as long as I've known about the brewery, really. It really does stand up to my sky high expectations, with a wonderfully dusty but also bright overall character. It tastes like like walking out of a meadow into an old library, with a bright and vivid farmhouse funk - rustic grain, spelt, lemon, lime, spicy hay, but also an intriguing and more earthy funk lingering out there - dusty, earthy, pear, green apple, etc. There's a lot to pull out of this one.

But most importantly, even with listing a disparate group of things that you might not actually perceive - this is super enjoyable to drink, and very drinkable. It's soft, lightly sour, pleasantly funk, and just a joy to drink.

This is one of the best saisons that you'll ever have. I'm really lucky to have been able to try it - there can't be that many bottles out there at this point.
Mar 01, 2022
 
Rated: 4.19 by PittBeerGirl from Ohio

Jan 09, 2022
 
Rated: 4.49 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Jun 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4.21 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Apr 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.99 by xtonytx from Connecticut

Apr 20, 2018
 
Rated: 4.75 by Philcassella from North Carolina

Nov 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.4 by bourassa23 from Massachusetts

Oct 23, 2017
 
Rated: 5 by JeanJacketLover from Massachusetts

Sep 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.75 by edthehead from Maryland

Sep 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.42 by BMMillsy from Florida

Aug 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4.9 by blisscent from Rhode Island

Jan 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4.75 by N1Nkasi from Connecticut

Oct 25, 2016
Photo of THANAT0PSIS
Reviewed by THANAT0PSIS from Wisconsin

4.81/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Hill Farmstead/Blaugies Le Sarrasin

A: This now legendary saison pours a beautiful, hazy, golden orange that looks quite a bit like orange juice in proper lighting. Two fingers of cream-colored head billow up and slowly descend, leaving swathes of lacing in their wake and a crust as a memory. Carbonation is ample if slightly lazy. This looks like a brilliant, textbook saison, but more head and retention would perfect it. 4.5/5

A: Immense, enigmatic complexity greets the nose. Waves of horsey barnyard funk, bright lemon, white grapes, and a distinctive graininess reminiscent of spelt (this is probably the buckwheat) all wax and wane in and out of one another. Apricot, overripe peach, and other stonefruit acidity is detectable underneath those earlier highlights. Creamy, buttery, slightly bitter oak underlines the entire package. The real mastery at hand here is how complex yet subtle everything is. It does not overwhelm in any direction; no, Le Sarrasin is more nimble and refined than that. In a word, near-perfection. 4.75/5

T: The svelte aroma hid what is actually quite an intense flavor profile. Hefty horse blanket, moldy attic funk is the first and most prominent note followed by moderate lemony acidity. Juicy stonefruits wash over the tongue in tandem with beautiful white wine. Finally, the wheaty graininess comes in and breaks up the acidic, funky assault, along with the slight bitterness of grassy hops. Buttery, mildly tannic oak rounds the whole flavor out, leaving behind only an impression of creaminess, fresh baked bread, peppercorn, and a bit of citrus rind. Perhaps it is the age, but this really has more characteristics of a lambic or gueuze than a saison at this point. That said, all the hallmarks of a saison are there (sans hefty spice notes) as well as so much more. 4.75/5

M: As per usual, HF knocks the mouthfeel completely out of the park. Eminent, impossible drinkability with just the right amount of puckering, creaminess, bitterness, and a very dry finish. Carbonation is soft, natural, and perfect. There is just the slightest hint of alcohol heat and not at all in an unpleasant way. This is a complete pleasure to drink. 5/5

O: Despite the heavy funk and moderate tartness, this is still a saison at heart. The wine barrel and long bottle conditioning (at my behest) have changed this beer into something truly remarkable. Sure, it is not the benchmark example of a saison that DuPont is, but it is certainly built on that tradition with HF's delicate yet revolutionary touch. This is a brilliant example of the tart, American saison that helped bring the style into the limelight in the craft scene. Good luck finding one, but never turn this down if given the chance. Pair with the perfect, many-layered jazz fusion musings of Thank You Scientist's "Stranger Heads Prevail". 5/5
Sep 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.75 by tblack4d from Georgia

Aug 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.65 by rodmanfor3 from Vermont

Aug 14, 2016
 
Rated: 4.59 by Bsquirrelbrewer from Pennsylvania

Jun 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.94 by Roze from New York

Jun 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.75 by -NESTO- from New Jersey

May 26, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by RichH55 from Illinois

Apr 20, 2016
Hill Farmstead / Blaugies Le Sarrasin from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 356 ratings