Sue
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

This beer was packaged in 2014 and is a dry hopped IPA each and wine barrels with some good tartness. Dark straw in color, somewhat bitter. and a solid farmhouse IPA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blonde; big orange Botanic Gardens fruit nose; light tartness, citrus hit, some mild hay bale, and clean end.

4 4.25 4.25 4 4.25

A ton of hoppy fruit, possibly at the expense of everything else: not catching the barrel + mixed ferm character is low. The usual expert execution; it’s a good beer no doubt. It just might not live up to HF’s own high standards: stood next to E., a similar concept, it doesn’t compare well. From any other brewery this would be great; a victim of its own success that way.

Beautifully shimmering perfect amber, a mild sparkling column builds a tall off-white foam settling to a thin film and bubbly compact collar.

A tart yet floral melange of cured citrus zests pair with white wine oak and a delicate white grape characteristic that brings a unique rosé or almost soft raspberry quality to it. Faint hay and grass accent the tail end of the dry, prickly finish. The moderately effervescent body kicks up some wild herbal qualities here and there, rounding out this complex crusher.

The second pour is hazier but still beautiful, and complexity continues to develop, with a hoppy sort of banana peel punch in the background.

 

Onsite pour into globe. Shared by two people.

Pours an orange tinted straw color. Thin bubbly head that sticks around for a bit but ultimately settles into a few bubbly islands.

Aroma has zesty and sweet citrus candy hops, grassy field, earthy oak.

Flavor is smooth and balanced. Lots of citrus including lemon zest, tangerine juice and some grapefruit. Some grain and straw, fruit and oaky earth flavors. Tartness is mild and only a hint of funkiness.

Moderate carbonation and medium body. Smooth and perfectly balanced.

An excellent brew and especially interesting that this can be made from an IPA. The hop flavors are persistent, but delicate and melded perfectly with the flavors brought out by the Farmstead ale process.