Dorothy
Hill Farmstead Brewery

DorothyDorothy
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From:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Saison
Ranked #129
ABV:
7%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,551
Avg:
4.22 | pDev: 7.11%
Reviews:
136
Ratings:
799
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 20, 2023
Added:
Mar 28, 2015
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  157
New iteration. Farmstead ale brewed with wheat, fermented with Brettanomyces, and hopped with Citra. Reminiscent of Wheat is the New Hops.

Dorothy (1921-1994) was our grandfather's sister, Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to her and her 13 siblings. In her honor, this hoppy Farmstead® ale is crafted from New Zealand and American hops, our distinctive yeast blend and water from our well. Dry hopped, unfiltered, and naturally carbonated, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Dorothy.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MattGrimley:
Photo of MattGrimley
Rated by MattGrimley from Massachusetts

4.04/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Jan 01, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of Holderness
Reviewed by Holderness from Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
L -- Clear straw body with lots of effervescence and two fingers of sudsy white head produced with gentle pour. Great retention and ok lacing
S -- Hay, dried lemon peel, dried tropical fruit hop notes, lemongrass,
T -- Lemon essential oil, lemongrass, grassy hop, wheat, light funkiness, dried floral, hint of perfume. Really nuanced and delicious
F -- Refreshing, crisp, effervescent, quaffable
O -- After Arthur, probably my favorite of the 'shelfie' HF offerings. So much complexity while maintaining such drinkability

89/100
Sep 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.97 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Sep 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.38 by Ben1313 from New Hampshire

Mar 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.95 by benjaminsa from Vermont

Feb 04, 2023
 
 
Rated: 5 by CreightonSM from New York

Sep 10, 2022
 
Rated: 4.36 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Jan 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by Gkruszewski from New York

Jul 31, 2021
 
Rated: 5 by TallGuyCM from California

Jul 06, 2021
Photo of npolachek
Reviewed by npolachek from New York

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is a hoppy Farmstead Hill Ale w New Zealand and American hops. It is served unfiltered and is naturally carbonated.
Very good taste, solid beer.
Jun 27, 2021
Photo of SierraNevallagash
Reviewed by SierraNevallagash from Maine

4.22/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
A huge thank you to jrc1093 for this bottle.

2020 Vintage - 750ml bottle - poured into an ale tulip at 45°F.

Pours a ever-so-slightly foggy, ultra pale straw yellow hue, capped by a towering four-finger head of fluffy, rocky eggshell white foam, with excellent retention, leaving a matrix of lacing as it slowly deflates.

Nose: Dorothy shows off a remarkably classic, rustic, old-world Belgian pale ale aroma right from the start. Pale grainy malt with a fair bit of pilsner character lays a hearty foundation for some zesty, spicy hop aromas - with notes of herbal hop resins, peppery spice, and a fruity touch of melon, grapefruit, papaya, navel orange, and pineapple rind. There are some classically Belgian yeast esters - vaguely fruity, and not quite unripe banana, but leaning in that direction.

Palate: While the nose really embodies bunch of that classic Belgian pale ale style, that first sip immediately shows you the Hill Farmstead saison influence. Dorothy greets the palate with some clean grainy pilsner malt, followed by a restrained, but bright lemony tartness and some if that signature Hill minerality. Upfront, there's a bouquet of bright fruity notes - tart gooseberry, tangerine, lemon, lime pulp, melon, and faint threads if kiwi and sweet white grape. Tartness fades, as some faint hay, wet stone, and some sweaty, musty brett show up before a resinous, pithy bitterness lends some grapefruit peel, hop oil, and a bit of peppery bite. The finish is clean, dry, and lightly bitter, with some spicy bite and pithy cling.

Mouthfeel/Body: Dorothy occupies that space between light and medium-bodied. Soft, impressively crisp, clean, and quenching, with a delightful gentle tartness and hoppy edge, finishing dry with a bitter bite. Effervescence is ultra-lively, composed of many very fine bubbles - not far off from a champagne feel - perhaps a touch softer. Dry finish with some oily cling.

Overall: As usual, Hill Farmstead absolutely delivers here, with a fun, refreshing take on this not-quite-saison, not-quite-Belgian-pale-ale. It's incredibly clean, bright, and balanced - absolutely refreshing, and the subtlety bitter, subtly tart combination makes it feel like one part Arthur, one part Orval, and 100% Hill Farmstead. An outstanding hoppy saison.
Feb 23, 2021
Photo of BillRoth
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Another great brew from HF. Very good if not my favorite hop profile. Pale Ale style comes through, but gentle HF crafting does as well In many ways comes cross as hopped up saison.
Jan 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.22 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Dec 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4.67 by djcira from Pennsylvania

Nov 28, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by GeorgeAKeim from Oregon

Oct 26, 2020
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
750ml bottle dated 5/6/20.

Pours hazy yellow with an inch of dense white fluff. Fairly persistent retention with dotted sheets of lacing. Hints of clementines, grapefruit, and melon rubbed with cut grass in the nose. As the bottle breathes pineapple skins and earthy barnyard brett step forward. Light bodied with a crisp, zesty mouthfeel. Fairly juicy but dry on the palate with notes of citrus and wet hay.
Finishes with grapefruit, lemon zest, faint funk and a quenching tartness.
Reminds me of Orval but with a Vermont touch of juicy hops.
Oct 21, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by JLK7299 from North Carolina

May 03, 2020
Photo of HelloBrewklyn
Reviewed by HelloBrewklyn from New York

4.42/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Labels can be misleading....
My Experience with Dorothy —

I knew nothing of this “Dorothy”. I’m just a regular guy who once traveled cross-country making his way to Santa Rosa, CA on his birthday for a reserve-aged bottle of Russian River’s exceptional dark red sour/wild ‘Consecration’ — perhaps my favorite all-time.

Important to note because I’m not a huge fan of Pale Ales; a classification Farmstead has put on their label for Dorothy, making me a skeptic, at first.

I soon realized, however, that the phrase “Dry-Hopped” can apparently play a part in the feel and/or taste of an ale.

I had no idea what to expect of this “Pale Ale”, except that maybe it would have a prosecco feel to it. And, as expected, it poured like so — VERY BUBBLY. Yet, being heavier than a light bubbly, the head was VERY susceptible to sticking around so a slow pour on the edge of the glass was mandatory for good head.

Upon tasting, I immediately got that pleasant and recognizable feel. Anything fermented with “the Brett“ has that feel to it. Dorothy has that feel. It’s the feel that makes traditionalists of true sour ales scoff at the Russian River Brewery for using the Brett in their sour ales — funky and satisfying all the same.

however! the citrus taste lends itself to a Gose naturally, until the heavier funky after taste suggests its Pale Ale title on Farmstead’s label.

Dorothy’s label would not lead me to believe this were a saison or a gose or anything in the vein of a sour — save for the phrase “dry-hopped”, which could very well be why my roommates left it in our fridge when they moved out (they were not fans of sours —being fans of stouts and Pale Ales) hence why I feel the label is misleading.

But if you do like a gose with a heavier feel and smoother bite, Dorothy plays nicely on the citrus and gives a decent buzz.
Jan 21, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by fthegiants from California

Nov 19, 2019
Dorothy from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 799 ratings