Ephraim
Hill Farmstead Brewery
- From:
- Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Vermont, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
Ranked #7 - ABV:
- 9.1%
- Score:
- 100
Ranked #87 - Avg:
- 4.56 | pDev: 7.89%
- Reviews:
- 255
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 10, 2024
- Added:
- Sep 28, 2010
- Wants:
- 1,482
- Gots:
- 50
SCORE
100
World-Class
100
World-Class
Ephraim (1823-1913) was our great-great grandfather; Hill Farmstead Brewery resides several hundred feet downhill from the land that he and his father settled. In his honor, this Imperial India Pale Ale is dutifully crafted from American malted barley, buckets of American hops, our ale yeast and water from our well. It is unfiltered, naturally carbonated, and double dry hopped. Intensely aromatic and saturated with resinous hop flavor, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Ephraim.
280 Theoretical IBU
Pale Malt; Dextrose; Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Warrior hops, Ale Yeast, and our Well Water.
280 Theoretical IBU
Pale Malt; Dextrose; Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Warrior hops, Ale Yeast, and our Well Water.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire
4.4/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.4/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
16oz can dated 9/10/24.
Pours clear gold with a chill-haze and a half-inch head of white. Moderate retention and lacing. Candied orange, peach, apricots in the nose. Medium bodied with a crisp mouthfeel. Marmalade, fruit cocktail syrup on the palate. Finishes with minimal malt and a balancing bitterness.
Oct 01, 2024Pours clear gold with a chill-haze and a half-inch head of white. Moderate retention and lacing. Candied orange, peach, apricots in the nose. Medium bodied with a crisp mouthfeel. Marmalade, fruit cocktail syrup on the palate. Finishes with minimal malt and a balancing bitterness.
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut
4.21/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Double-digit ABV IPAs have come a long way. Early versions tended to run hot and syrupy, unable to hide the booze, while modern versions seem to almost go out of their way to disguise their potency.
It's a major credit to Hill Farmstead that, well over a decade into this beer's existence, they haven't tinkered with the recipe and execution to chase trends. While the result has some boozy bite and a slightly syrupy feel to it, it's original and authentic.
Crystal clear golden body. Very good head production and retention, especially given the ABV; better retention might have nudged this beer into perfect appearance territory.
Nose is very potent and hoppy, but it's so over the top that it's a touch muddled and indistinct. Resin certainly leads the way, followed by brighter pine, flowers, mild dankness, and a blend of fruity hops that lean slightly tropical. Malt presents notes of honey, toast, and white bread.
Flavor follows remarkably close to the nose. Alcohol bite is impossible to ignore, but it's not so aggressive as to turn the sip unpleasant. While I mentioned that this one is a touch syrupy, there's plenty of liveliness on the palate, regardless. You're still obviously drinking an IPA, not a barleywine or stout; it just happens to be a double-digit ABV IPA. Tasting notes include orange marmalade, resin, honey, white bread, and a melange of tropical fruit, citrus, and berries. Wonderfully bitter.
As much credit as I give this beer for staying true to concept, it's also impossible to ignore that in many ways the brewing world has caught up to, if not Hill Farmstead, at least their take on this style of beer. I wonder if I could tell much difference between this beer and SN Hoptimum (probably the closest (II)IPA parallel in terms of both flavor profile and mouthfeel). It's an excellent beer, outstanding really, and perhaps 10 years ago it would have blown my mind - but today, it'll have to settle for "impressive."
May 27, 2024It's a major credit to Hill Farmstead that, well over a decade into this beer's existence, they haven't tinkered with the recipe and execution to chase trends. While the result has some boozy bite and a slightly syrupy feel to it, it's original and authentic.
Crystal clear golden body. Very good head production and retention, especially given the ABV; better retention might have nudged this beer into perfect appearance territory.
Nose is very potent and hoppy, but it's so over the top that it's a touch muddled and indistinct. Resin certainly leads the way, followed by brighter pine, flowers, mild dankness, and a blend of fruity hops that lean slightly tropical. Malt presents notes of honey, toast, and white bread.
Flavor follows remarkably close to the nose. Alcohol bite is impossible to ignore, but it's not so aggressive as to turn the sip unpleasant. While I mentioned that this one is a touch syrupy, there's plenty of liveliness on the palate, regardless. You're still obviously drinking an IPA, not a barleywine or stout; it just happens to be a double-digit ABV IPA. Tasting notes include orange marmalade, resin, honey, white bread, and a melange of tropical fruit, citrus, and berries. Wonderfully bitter.
As much credit as I give this beer for staying true to concept, it's also impossible to ignore that in many ways the brewing world has caught up to, if not Hill Farmstead, at least their take on this style of beer. I wonder if I could tell much difference between this beer and SN Hoptimum (probably the closest (II)IPA parallel in terms of both flavor profile and mouthfeel). It's an excellent beer, outstanding really, and perhaps 10 years ago it would have blown my mind - but today, it'll have to settle for "impressive."
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