Flora
Hill Farmstead Brewery

Review #1100!

I always try and do something a little special for these milestone reviews (I did Blessed for #1000 last year), so this one fits the bill.

Beer obtained in a trade. Bottled 11/21/18, consumed on 4/5/25. Blue wax top bottle. Mostly stored at 55°F, but recently stuck into the colder temps of my refrigerator. Let out at RT for ~30 mins before pouring into a Spiegelau wheat beer glass, paired with almonds. Enjoyed outside in the sun.

A&S: There was only a tiny little carbonation pop when opening, so you could tell right away the carb was going to be a little lower on this one. Unique look. Large bubbles gather on the bottom of the glass and slowly rise to the top. Transparent canary yellow colored beer, until the second half is poured in and then it turns opaque and mustard colored. The pour causes a dusting of white head to appear before disappearing. No lacing. I wouldn't say this beer is a looker, but it's pretty old, too. The aroma contains apricots, yeast, green apples, and a little bubblegum. During the second pour I start getting citrus (oranges) as well. Even with the warming-up period, this beer's smell took a while to come through.

T&M: The taste really drives this beer for me. The taste is pretty tart and acidic and contains oak, unripened peaches, white wine, peppery brett spice, and musty/ goaty funk. It's dry but not crazy dry. The mouthfeel is elegantly smooth. It has just enough carbonation so its not flat, but not fizzy in any way. It goes away from the traditional saison crispness, but it's fitting for the beer.

Overall: I was a little worried about this beer after seeing and smelling it initially, but this beer really came around in this and the other categories. Lives up to the billing!

 

2020 bottling. White head. Some lace. Crystal clear golden color.

White wine, grapes, tannins, oak. Citrus, green apples, lightly tart. Pears and minerals. Saison spice. Earthy and a bit floral. Very nice. Up there with the other good wine barrel saisons they make.

 

L -- Golden yellow with some particulate in suspension
S -- Really evolves in the glass. starts lemon, apple cider vinegar, white wine, and a light floral character. over time lots of mineralic nuances come through. almost like a mountain stream
T -- Green apple, lemony wheat, okay tannins, and a hint of fruit gummies. A bit tart, but I kinda figured it would be
F -- Bright, with a fine effervescence and wine-like finish
O -- Florence is my least favorite of the core lineup so I wasn't expecting to be blown away by this, but hill farmstead is just so consistently good

86/100

 

 

 

B7

 

 

 

A: Retention becomes an accelerated rupture shortly after the discharge, which emanates a willowy throw-over. Nonetheless, the preceding kick-off presents a spumescent elegance, as the stretch reaches to inches ahead of that ensuing regression. That initial onset categorizes those collared inches from Arabian Oryx to shredded coconut, before the unseating takes a painter’s knife to the pebbly brim. Just below is a presentation on appearance that succumbs the Golden Shield Lichen, with a Tuscan sun appeal. The output continues with intermittent transfers, which later transcribe hues in chartreuse, as shades of dim scarlet calmly intersect. During the walk, a growing classiness from air drafts of duration, which polish an engraving collar endowment with coupled calm clarity

S: Entryway is greeted by an involvedness preempted by esters, and a countryside funk that’s just setting off. In that regard, the indulgence stretches across citrus fruits with a ploughed rusticity that incises the herbed wheat kindly. The scents carry on towards cameo apples besides the pear drop to honey bananas, while pink & white grapefruit alloy the baboon lemon kind of limes. There’s a touch of grainy malt, for the cracker-y moments, which respect the advancing yeast properties to umbrella remote spices. In the interim, a distant dank earthiness, for fresh hay and cut pastures, while pulling a dragged mustiness out from barnyard phenols. The aerated openness channels oak to the finer points inside dry/calibrated wine, as a background frowzy lays horse blankets atop cellar moths. The forward march is neatly acidic, while continuing to press earthy must on fading rose petals, before the dry & brittle antiques of wooden leather

T: A mineralogy reading, for foretaste to indulge, with the accompanying fruit + spices relating to the harvested derives. Inferences campaign on earthy farmsteads with feedlot jazz and cultivated tobacco, as a tempered acidity roots crimson red rhubarbs. On balance, a light malt baking to field hops with a toasted spiciness, while yeast properties grind along a rural bitterness. Accordingly, grassy provinces with situated granaries that stow garnered wheat. The vintage addresses contextual funk, and pushes agricultural sulfates thru river rock mulch, as fungus builds upon the air-dry acclimations. There’s a developing cue of Grüner Veltliner, by the elongated pour for grape tinges, and a furtherance for cellar natures. To that end, a docility on acidity, as notations add oddity for woodlot ecology and slurry manure, afore dry skin briefcases

M: A bright, light buoyancy with antiquated funk, and sharp vibrancy. The allotted span comes with arbitrated tartness, which is moderated throughout, as a compliment to the progressed barrenness. Thus, a thrilling attenuation that styles effervescence handily, as the timed exposure madcaps the resounding involvedness from side to side upon the clean-complete finish

O: An environmental showcase that harvests funk habitually, with a touch of wheat malt in back to weigh hop efficiency. The moment of service is a period of effectiveness, given the dry bite for the webbed yeast densities and age aligning land-locks

 

 

 

I had the 2016 version which is a blend of Florence age for 18 months in a selection of wine barrels whose providence includes art and civil disobedience number 10. Very good beer.