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Life Without Principle #1
Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer Geek Stats
| Print Shelf Talker
- From:
- Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Vermont, United States
- Style:
- American Blonde Ale
- ABV:
- 4.9%
- Score:
- 91
- Avg:
- 4.12 | pDev: 8.5%
- Reviews:
- 21
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 30, 2014
- Added:
- Aug 06, 2012
- Wants:
- 10
- Gots:
- 0
Life Without Principle #1 (we are big fans of Thoreau!) is the first in a series of Citrus inspired American Style Blonde Ales. #1 is brewed with 200 ICUS of Valencia Orange and complemented by several American hop varieties. The inaugural release was brewed with the help of our good friend Luc "Bim" Lafontaine, formerly of Dieu Du Ciel! in Montreal and now en route to Japan to open his new brewery.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jaasen64:
Reviewed by jaasen64 from Massachusetts
4.09/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml growler filled in person at the Festival of Farmhouse Ales last Saturday. Shared with Brian (Auror) and DonFrap. Poured into HF tulip.
A- Pours a very light translucent yellowish gold, about a half finger of white head that quickly recedes to leave almost no head, slightly below average carbonation.
S- Lemon zest, orange peel, clementines, blonde malts, citrus hops. Definitely above average aroma strength, definitely very citrusy and more hops then your average blonde ale.
T- Lemon zest, orange peels, some clementines, slightly hoppy, finishes with some light malts. Definitely a lot of nice flavors going on here, but not exactly balanced as well as I would have liked. A little bit too much zest and too much of a citrus peel taste.
M- Light to medium bodied, nice carbonation, refreshing, finishes a little bit bitter and dry.
O- This was a pretty nice blonde ale, definitely better then most that I've had from the style however in terms of a Hill Farmstead beer (like most people I hold them to very high standards) it was a little bit of a disappointment, but a very good attempt at their first solo blonde ale. There were a lot of good things going on here (nice aromas, nice citrus tastes) however it was a little bit too zesty for me. I could drink this again, but I definitely prefer Walden over this. Looking forward to trying the other Life w/o Principles.
Aug 17, 2012A- Pours a very light translucent yellowish gold, about a half finger of white head that quickly recedes to leave almost no head, slightly below average carbonation.
S- Lemon zest, orange peel, clementines, blonde malts, citrus hops. Definitely above average aroma strength, definitely very citrusy and more hops then your average blonde ale.
T- Lemon zest, orange peels, some clementines, slightly hoppy, finishes with some light malts. Definitely a lot of nice flavors going on here, but not exactly balanced as well as I would have liked. A little bit too much zest and too much of a citrus peel taste.
M- Light to medium bodied, nice carbonation, refreshing, finishes a little bit bitter and dry.
O- This was a pretty nice blonde ale, definitely better then most that I've had from the style however in terms of a Hill Farmstead beer (like most people I hold them to very high standards) it was a little bit of a disappointment, but a very good attempt at their first solo blonde ale. There were a lot of good things going on here (nice aromas, nice citrus tastes) however it was a little bit too zesty for me. I could drink this again, but I definitely prefer Walden over this. Looking forward to trying the other Life w/o Principles.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by yourefragile from District of Columbia
4.16/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.16/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
On tap at Harvest Festival.
Pours a clear, pale golden straw color with a fluffy thin white head. Nose of fruity orange zest, slightly bitter and grassy, but not much malt or anything else of note. Flavor is slightly grainy, grassy and filled with sweet malt and a strong citrus zest presence. Bitter and grassy finish. An impressive blonde ale, though I think Walden had a little more depth and the citrus added to this was almost too much for me.
Jan 13, 2013Pours a clear, pale golden straw color with a fluffy thin white head. Nose of fruity orange zest, slightly bitter and grassy, but not much malt or anything else of note. Flavor is slightly grainy, grassy and filled with sweet malt and a strong citrus zest presence. Bitter and grassy finish. An impressive blonde ale, though I think Walden had a little more depth and the citrus added to this was almost too much for me.
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida
3.57/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
3.57/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
750 mL growler poured into a snifter. Reviewed from notes.
Appearance - Nearly transparent yellow with a very brief head. Some wisps, but dull.
Smell - Light grapefruit hop and other citrus aromas. Almost nothing else. If I struggle I can almost imagine a touch of pale malt.
Taste - Grapefruit hop and bright citrus flavors. Pale malt more of a player here, but still light. Crisp and not at all bitter.
Mouthfeel - Very light, well carbonated. Very dry.
Overall - Yeah, it's a blonde ale. Not a lot to it, but as usual from Hill Farmstead it's beautifully crafted and technically perfect. This one's just a little less exciting than their other beers.
Dec 23, 2012Appearance - Nearly transparent yellow with a very brief head. Some wisps, but dull.
Smell - Light grapefruit hop and other citrus aromas. Almost nothing else. If I struggle I can almost imagine a touch of pale malt.
Taste - Grapefruit hop and bright citrus flavors. Pale malt more of a player here, but still light. Crisp and not at all bitter.
Mouthfeel - Very light, well carbonated. Very dry.
Overall - Yeah, it's a blonde ale. Not a lot to it, but as usual from Hill Farmstead it's beautifully crafted and technically perfect. This one's just a little less exciting than their other beers.
Life Without Principle #1 from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating:
91 out of
100 with
67 ratings
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