Self Reliance: Riwaka
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

 

Bottle shared by Brennan. Thank you!

750ml bottle, bottled 02.14.2020, poured into a stemless wine glass.

The beer pours a cloudy golden color, lemon hues with a tall and foamy white head, good retention and nice lacing. The aroma is pleasant, dank and grassy, tart lime breaks through with grapefruit and pine offering some bitterness, wildflower, soft funk, pale dough and mineral water. The flavors are good, lots of lime citrus, soft orange and grapefruit, wildflower, grassy and dank hops, light pine, mild earthy funk, pale dough and mineral water. The mouthfeel is good, coating, lively medium body, tartness leads to a dry and crisp finish.

Verdict: A nice funky IPA from Hill Farmstead. Citrusy, funky, not really much oak presence, but a balanced and compelling beer.

 

 

 

Riwaka doesn't overpower, but definitely shines through. My favorite of this series.

 

 

 

750ml bottle date Feb 14, 2020. poured into a pair of HF Wine stems.

Appearance: Soft pale golden yellow body with a big and fluffy bone white head. Lots of lacing on the glass. Head has alot of staying power and sticks around for most of the drink.

Smell: Light citrus tartness with earthy and lime hop notes.

Taste: Light tartness with a nearly moderately bitter finish. Light oak and funk. Nice mineral flavors in this beer. Grassy, earthy, mostly lime with a hint of grapefruit hop profile.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied beer with moderate carbonation levels. Crisp, clean, lightly acidic. Light dry finish. Crazy drinkable.

Overall: My first beer from the Self reliance series and I really like this series alot. I would consider this to be more of an oak aged dry hopped saison. The style is labeled as an IPA and I don't think that is the case at all. Either way Hill Farmstead showing me that they still brew some of the best saisons to be drank in the USA. Looking forward to a bottle of the Self Reliance Galaxy.

 

 

This one pours a very hazy and murky golden yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like dry passionfruit, grassy and citrusy funk, mango, pineapple, guava, and grapefruit.

This is one of the more hop-forward entries in this series. The Riwaka splashes all sorts of exotic tropical fruit character all over this, with passionfruit and mango dominating on top of a grassy and dry citrusy funk base.

This is light bodied, clean, and super crisp, with a great drinkability to it.

This one is also near the top of this series for me - probably equal to Nelson, and just behind Motueka and Saaz.

 

The first time I went to Hill Farmstead they made me fall in love with Riwaka hops. This Self Reliance is very much bringing me back to that. What a hop! What a beer!

L: A clear golden with a thick, frothy white head and excellent lacing

S: Bright citrus fruits, funky belgian yeast, fresh bread dough.

T: Clean bitterness showcasing zesty grapefruit, lime, and pineapple flavors. Nice tartness, spice, and funk from yeast. Good bready malt backbone.

F: Dry and crisp.

Overall: A fantastic farmhouse IPA. Looks great, smells great, tastes great, and is crisp and smooth as you could ask for. I highly recommend this beer.