Marie
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

 

Draught. Bready Helles. Flavorful, slightly fruity even. Great full flavor.

 

On draft at The Beermongers, Portland, OR. Enjoyed in a Becher glass.

Look
This unfiltered lager is a luminous pale straw gold and slightly cloudy, capped with a finger of loose white foam that shrinks to a tenacious ring. Leaves a few strands of lacing behind.

Smell
Bready malt and spicy/floral hops with a hint of yeast. Slight grassy character comes through as the beer warms.

Taste
Ahhhh. Nice toasty malt up front, light but satisfying. A bit of a yeasty twang rides on top of the malt through the middle and gives the beer an appealing rustic edge. Finishes with firm bitterness and just a touch of sweetness.

Feel
Light-bodied and soft, with moderate carbonation. Probably my favorite aspect of this beer.

Overall
I'm glad I finally had the chance to try a Hill Farmstead lager. Marie is a fine example of a helles lager, malty and quenching and moreish. The delicate yeasty character is a nice bonus.

On tap at various locations around town in PDX, but most recently enjoyed at Belmont Station.

The beer pours a bright yellow color with good head retention and lacing. On the nose, there's a very nice and appealing aroma of light honey, light vanilla, sweet malt and fresh bread. Maybe a hint of fresh grass as well. The flavor profile replicates the nose, with a long, clean, lightly crisp finish. Mouthfeel is where this beer really shines I feel, as the sweet malt flavor turns into a fairly dry, lightly bitter finish. Yet there's really no drop off in flavor on the finish. Alcohol is well integrated into the flavor profile, as one would expect in a well made, 5% abv. beer. This is a very crushable, drinkable helles from HF.

Impressive, well made beer. One I would likely order on a regular basis were it available more often out where I live.

On tap at Belmont Station.
Where Mary immediately announces her intentions, Marie is far more subtle

A clear light yellow with a dense white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is soft, subtle, creamy, doughy with a raw bread character. Really doughy, closer to a kellerpils with its fermentation character well expressed, rather than the Uber clean and snappy kind. A light lemony note, with a touch of something thats almost butter but really complements the nose. The palate opens clean, mildly sweet, doughy and bready with light honey and straw sweetness. The malt character is vibrant. Soft, lightly sweet, considered and pairing beautifully with the soft lemon notes. Again, this calls to mind a kellerhelles. Pretty brilliant. Soft, creamy palate.

 

On tap at Sabatinis in Exeter pa late this afternoon.

Slightly hazy pale golden yellow body with a small white head which still leaves attractive lacing. Clean grassy aroma. Clean taste as well, but slightly sweet and drying with a pleasing bite. Quality brew.

 

The strength of Marie is her subtleties. German purity law dictates simplicity. A beer style in its purest, unadulterated state. Marie is brewed by that same code. An almost delicate helles, this beer, with gentle flavors of biscuit, mild grassy hops and a wee bit of sweetness, is delightfully au natural. An understated "wow!" Enjoy.

 

Poured from tap at Positive Pies in Plainfield, VT into a 10oz tulip glass. Pours translucent yellow with one finger's worth of head that rapidly recedes. Light grass like taste with a touch of sweet honey. Not a bad lager but not what I expected and bit different for a helles. Good.