Self Reliance: Czech Saaz
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

 

 

 

Hazy light orange gold color with thin lacing. Aroma has lots of citrus earthy twang. Medium body with a dry finish and nice lingering tart citrus which hit the spot.

 

 

375ml bottle, dated May 11, 2018, poured into a stemless wine glass. Enjoyed on August 7, 2021, reviewed from Tasting Journal.

The beer pours a bright lemon color, very cloudy, amber and straw hues, foamy white head with soapy lacing. The aroma has a lot of lemon peel, green hop, mineral water, oak barrel, pine, funk, pale dough and lingering grassiness. The flavors are very nice, lots of pear and lemon juice, peppercorn bite, earthy oak and crusty bread, mineral water, grassy and floral with sweeping pine. The mouthfeel is good, coating, lively medium body, mild tartness, crisp finish.

Verdict: A nice take on Self Reliance. A good mix of pear fruitiness, citrus tanginess, and floral and earthy qualities.

Bottle: Poured a golden color ale with a large white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry rustic grain and dry floral hops is quite nice. Taste is a mix of light funky esther with some dry rustic grain and dry floral shops notes. Body is about average with good carbonation. I love those non-tart saison with loads of floral dry hops.

 

 

i love everything about this, from the label aesthetic which is different looking for these guys, to the process, to the end result, its heaven in a glass, huge thanks to my buddy back east for shipping this out to me, it was perfect for a virtual holiday celebration. to me its crazy this was conditioned in the bottle so long, uncommon for something this hoppy, but the level of refinement achieved is splendid, the texture is gold, and this is ultra impressive overall, even for hill, who constantly slays. gorgeous bright yellow radiance just beaming in the glass, a high and airy white head rises above the rim, and it lingers long, lots of frantic carbonation racing up, a little more hazy as i pour the bottle down, but never full of sediment or anything, active the entire time. it smells just fabulous, and the taste lines up perfectly with the aroma, the fermentation profile is classic hill, maybe a touch more tart than some of these, but such a familiar and complex rustic funkiness on it, truly unique to this brewery, bretty in a cool way, very dry and mature, moderate citric acidity to me, but a ton of oak too. huge white wine characteristics from the ferment and the hops, which here almost seem more hallertau blanc than saaz, less limey and grassy and spicy, more blooming floral and sweet citrus and green grape, melon, and kiwi. it really pops in the taste, right on the center of the tongue, a far juicier expression of saaz here than i even knew was possible, and really a dynamic brew, earthy still with a pils and wheat type base i suspect, delicate but i like that i can taste it. tart but clean to finish, less bitter than i expected from the saaz, and more modern tasting on the hops side overall than i expected, its a really different side of a familiar hop, which makes this even more special to me. this is so expertly done its just a joy to drink, and i was a little deflated when it was gone, each sip was a wonderful experience. i hope to be able to drink other beers from this series in the future, i will not soon forget this one, what a pleasure!

 

375 mL bottle. Cloudy yellow. Smells of light lime acidity, grassy spicy hops. Tastes more of the earthy Saaz hops here. Spicy, earthy. A little tart. Doughy malt and some cobweb yeasty. Medium light. Very pleasant.

 

 

 

Pale gold with a short head dying to a bubbly collar.

Lightly tart and herbal, it's developed an almost minty yet citrusy characteristic. This is accented by a little dusty oak and funky straw, but also some corny pils-like bitterness with a hint of green apple. The tingly medium-light body finishes semi-dry.

Very hard to explain, the herbal hop character that is imparted here relative to other Czech saaz hops is very unique.

---

Not entirely sure the 2025 variation should be a separate entry--now stylized simply as Saaz 2025 instead of Czech Saaz--I'm simply updating my current review from my pour at FOFA 2025 for now.

Appearing as slightly foggy yellow-gold, the head is quite active, being a very fresh release still not yet announced, building a very tall off-white foam head in spite of a deliberately slow pour.

A lovely herbal grassiness is countered by lightly tart kiwi-lime, bringing its semi-bitter verdance to a vibrantly dry finish. After subsequent sips, corny wheat makes for satisfying lager-like supports.

This is more enjoyable than my original 4.19 rating, and being a fresh release, I'm increasing my score accordingly.