Self Reliance: German Cascade
Hill Farmstead Brewery

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From:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
6%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 9.2%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
14
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 09, 2022
Added:
May 30, 2020
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Farmstead® India Pale Ale brewed and dry-hopped solely with German-grown Cascade hops and conditioned in oak barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Alieniloquium:
Photo of Alieniloquium
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida

3.7/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
750 mL bottle. Clear at first. Second pour is hazy. Golden with a big white head. Smells of grapefruit, dank notes, light acidity, and hefty brett and barnyard funk. Tastes lightly tart. Grapefruit tartness. Light doughy notes. A touch of herbal and earthy notes in the finish. Light body. Pleasant.
Feb 18, 2021
More User Ratings:
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle: Poured a clear golden color ale with a large pure white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of funky tester with some Brett notes and herbal hops notes with some floral undertones. Taste is a complex mix of herbal hops notes with some dry Brett notes and floral hops undertones and a dry finish. Body is about average with excellent carbonation. Solid saison with a high degree of complexity and drinkability.
May 09, 2022
Photo of kevanb
Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -23%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
750ml bottle, 2018 Hop Harvest, July 26, 2019 bottle date stamped on the side of the label, poured into a stemless wine glass.

The beer pours a bright golden straw color, cloudy and hazy with a foamy white head, about two fingers tall that has excellent lacing and retention. The aroma is pleasant, light funk, lots of pale dough, hearty and grainy with some floral hops, a bit of oak but overall it's quite soapy, citrus and wildflower clashing in the wrong way. The flavors are an improvement, bretty, doughy, nice mineral water, light herbal and floral bitterness but there is the soapy flavor, especially as it warms, which tends to dominate and shifts the flavors into more of an artificial and plastic-like space that isn't very pleasant. The mouthfeel is good, coating, creamy, nice medium body that finishes with a dry bite.

Verdict: A swing and a miss from Hill Farmstead. This has been an extremely fun series to taste through and this one just misses the mark. Something is really steering the ship into a soapy and artificial place that detracts from the beer in significant ways and really dominates the more pleasant aspects.
Nov 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Nov 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.27 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Sep 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.48 by acurtis from New Jersey

Aug 05, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by cp45 from New Jersey

Jul 18, 2020
 
Rated: 4.46 by doremite from Vermont

Jul 12, 2020
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This one pours a somewhat hazy golden yellow color, with big fluffy head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like sweet and funky orange, lime, grassiness, white wine, and peach.

This isn't quite the delicious beast that both the Nelson and Motueka versions were, but it did get much better once the dregs were added in the final pour from the bottle. There's a dry and clean hop character - grassy, some stone fruit, and lots of citrus, along with that classic white wine/citrus/hay/what have you house funk character from HF. It feels perhaps closer to an actual IPA than the other versions - which were more akin to hoppy saisons.

This is light bodied, fairly creamy, with a pretty fantastic drinkability to it.

I love this series, and love the focus Shaun Hill seems to have lately with thirst-quenching hoppy Farmstead ales. This is the "worst" so far in the series, but it's still absolutely worth a try.
Jul 07, 2020
 
Rated: 4.29 by 7irondave from Massachusetts

Jul 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4.33 by edthehead from Maryland

Jun 29, 2020
Photo of SABERG
Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.19/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from the 750 ml bottle (several pours) into the test glass. Bottled on 7/26/2019.
A - Bright forsythia yellow, a touch of cloudiness, very active carbonation relentlessly feeds a sustained snow white cap.
S - Funk up front, with some time together, the candied orange rime, lemongrass, oak all slip into the mix.
T - Starts with that mixed culture and oak blend, add a present and proper hop bite, centered on lovely orange, citrus aspect.Some ruby red grapefruit, and a spicy white pepper all come together.
M - That water is spectacular, soft start then a bit of acidity and kiss of tannin take shape. Medium in body, some nice mineral threads. A hint of spice in the center but the real winner is the carbonation that drives the texture like a wagon train.
O - A delightful offering, superbly displaying the single hop, in a different light. With some time spent, the tension between the citrus and the "funkiness" turns more toward a dance of partners. The culture application or time spent in oak are inspired. Delivering a beautiful offering.
Jun 28, 2020
Photo of npolachek
Reviewed by npolachek from New York

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Very solid beer. Great farmhouse Dankiness and a solid color with ample haze and great foam. I personally liked the Hallertau better, but you can’t go wrong with this beer - it’s amazing.
Jun 26, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by Hyptochrons from Massachusetts

Jun 10, 2020
Self Reliance: German Cascade from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 14 ratings