Harlan IPA
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

 

 

Can from Jeff, thanks for the tick.
Pours a hazy murky dark yellow color with a frothy off white head that slowly recedes. Earthy grassy citrus and topical fruits. Gritty sweet bread to counter.

16oz undated can.

Pours hazy gold with plenty of spongy lacing and persistent retention. Ripe citrus in the nose with orange, peach, and grapefruit. Medium bodied with a crisp mouthfeel. Zesty tangerine, grapefruit, and candied pine on the palate. Finishes with a drying bitterness and lingering citrus zest.

 

Had two drafts at Mad Taco in Warren, Vermont. My eighth brew from these guys. Solid brew, not one of their best.

 

 

On tap at Threepenny in Montpelier.

It was a surprisingly trend-chasing beer for the folks at HF. The pour looked like something from Bissell Bros or Foundation or something else from Maine, which is where the NEIPAs began (Trillium stans are liars). It's dense yellow, the color of a goldfinch or a really bright highlighter marker, thick with resinous hop oils.

The aroma is a bit faint, considering the ostentation of the appearance. You got your contemporary hop fruits and a little cat urine redolence, and that's about it. The flavor is firmer, with the funkier nodes overriding the fruit up front, giving way to pleasant citrus in the back end.

It's good, but not worth hunting down.

 

 

 

 

Looks like an orange juice blend. Smells of grapefruit, and some other similar fruit. Taste really good, some pine finish. I'm left feeling refreshed, and overall id say this is a great beer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Roy_Hobbs for this surprise.
Pours opaque gold. A loose, fluffy head pushes 2 fingers or so in height, then recedes to a thin film. Not strong on retention, but a decent lacing.
Aromas of pine, peppery grass, grapefruit zest, and some hard to nail down tropical tones.
Flavor definitely starts with a blend of the piney, citrus, and tropical notes, soon followed by weed and peppery spice. A gentle, bready malt note carries this all along.
Mouthfeel is on the fuller side for the style, damn near perfect. Carbonation is there for the whole ride, but this is a smooth one. Damn, what is the mineral content of the water? I love what I can only guess is the water, a tad "minerally."
Overall, a smooth, glorious ride.

 

Canned 10/29/20 & poured into a tulip. Vibrant, hazy murky yellow color with relatively minimal head but plenty of lacing. Aroma is tropical fruit. Taste is a nice balance of pepper, pine bitterness, & juiciness. Not sure if that describes it properly, but whatever it is, it works. Nice full mouthfeel. Overall this one is a bit hard for me to describe. It's enjoyable, but stands out less for me than some of Hill's other offerings.

 

Hazy to opaque dull dark yellow, nearing orange, with a short but dense white foam head leaving geologic layers of doily lacing.

Spicy and prickly but balanced, the medium body is both bitter and malty, finishing powder dry. The malt is like shortbread with vanilla creme and contrastingly toasty, spiked by piney cannabis and cologne. The hops become lightly minty over time, but also peppery.

Harlan is a really crushable, mature and spicy NE IPA. It departs from Edward by a fairly surprising degree, being far more aggressive (while still super smoothly drinkable), even to the point where the columbus hops give off slight nelson vibes.

 

 

 

 

On-tap at Mad Taco in Waitsfield, of all places! Surprised I haven’t had Harlan yet, but I was happy to see it available. As described, it’s Edward but kicked up a notch. Has that incredible smoothness, pungent tropical fruit flavor, and creamy feel that you expect. Drinks way too easy. Another amazing beer from HF.