Pear: 2020 Harvest
Hill Farmstead Brewery

thanks to my friend for sending this out, always a treat to get to drink some hill farmstead stuff, and these fruit ones are neat. this has maybe aged a little long, its quite tart, still delicate to me, and gorgeously refined for sure, but maybe the bacterial element has ramped up in the bottle over time. i think this has a bit less of the wild funk i know and love this brewery for, but its cool to see a bit of a different side of their fermentation too. this looks almost like white wine in the glass, shiny and slick and clean looking, super pale, not even yellow, and gorgeously clear with a short but not quite lazy head, this has enough carbonation but is not super effervescent or anything, which usually i do not prefer but appreciate here as this might come and go too fast if it were more lively. this is really minimal on the grain side, like barely there to me, light in body and flavor there. the pear is floral in the nose, verdant and juicy in the flavor, some elderflower, green grape, and green apple notes to this, and with it being so light in grain, it does a little bit hit like a cider, fruity and vinous both, and the sourness ramps up about midway through each sip towards a rather sour finish. bone dry though, but still super fruit forward, cool execution and the fruit seems to like the acid, nice synergy. there is still some light farmy bretty character here, and its also delicious with the natural pear, but the acid trumps it easily. this whole thing is unique and delicate, only lightly woody to me, and absurdly well refined, like to an almost impossible degree. i wish i opened it up a little sooner, but its still really different and good. the pear is lovely in here, its vibrant and distinctive and natural as can be, i get the skin and the flesh each both uniquely on their own, and the beer is light enough that the pear shines while also letting this be as dry as it is. lovely.

 

 

375 mL bottle. Cloudy golden. Smells of pear, hefty earthy yeast, and an acidic punch. Tastes of pear, wheat grain, green apple tartness, dry back end. Medium body. Good.

 

 

 

Looks light, golden, and yellow when poured with white bubbles. Smells seem to be a slight pear and funk. Taste bitter with fruity notes. Overall goes down quite nice

Translucent brass with a short but persistent white microfiber blanket supported by a beautifully sparkling pillar of diamond dust bubbles.

The nose exhibits a pleasant farmhouse funk that's almost cheesy of colby jack and measured oak before mild but floral and almost citrusy pear emerges.

Good head retention introduces a fluffiness to the medium body before tart lemon spritzed pear meets barnyard oak. While measured, the funk here is more present than I often find in Hill Farmstead ales, also accented by what seems like a hint of Altoid hop in the exhale after the semi-dry finish. As it warms, hints of cedar bloom, especially on the stunningly elegant nose.

A far more wonderful beer than I imagined this series would turn out, this comes just shy of being an absolute favorite of mine.

This one pours a light golden orange color, with a small head, and a good bit of lacing.

This smells like funky and slightly acidic pear, white wine, and oak.

This is just about nearly as good as some of the best batches of Flora Pear. It's a bit more acidic than some of those beers, but Hill Farmstead certainly knows how to use pears. There's white wine, buttery chardonnay, lemon peel, lemon zest, and oak, along with a fresh and forward pear characteristic.

This is light bodied, decently sour, but not overly so, with a very nice drinkability.

Hill tends to do paler fruits better than darker fruits better, and this is no exception.

 

Poured from the 375 ml bottle into the test glass
A - Light golden straw colrerd backdrop, lovely carbonation dance on display. Activity accumulates in a small loose knit ring that hangs to the side of the glass
S - Farmstead fingerprint as always, the fruit aspect is complex, a sweet thread, then a bit if pithy skin aromas, then some lemongrass, the a hint of oak tannin. As the offering warms the pear is forward and delightful.
T - Frontloaded with light grainy elements, matched with wine like citrus and chalky components. The pear medly really keeps the depth. At any one point there are sweet, tart, bitter, aspects to the fruit all in play.
M - Delicate, comes to mind immediately, the subtle movements across the palate are traceable, semi sweet, follows a path layed out by slight tartness, followed by a lovely minerality, with a bit of an ashen closing. So much to process.
O - A treat to be relished, the base offering, the blend, the barrel, and finally that ful exploration of a variety of pear is just delightful