Excursions: Nelson Sauvin
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

One-month-old can. Giving this the same rating as the standard Nelson Single Hop pale ale because I find them almost identical both in character and apparent recipe. In other words, this is another great exhibition of the Nelson hop by Hill Farmstead. IMO they do Nelson better than any other brewery

89/100

 

On tap in a tulip IPA glass, pint serving, at a bar in Stowe.

Unfiltered murky caramel color. Light cap, white. Little bits of lacing.

It smells like grapes, white wine, and citrus.

Strong malt base, caramel flavor with white wine and citrus hops added.

Medium bodied malt base with hops standing out.

Sweet tropical hoppy, slightly malty, and a white wine grape nose on this one! Taste follows with that classic Hill Farmstead minerality and a malty-sweet, hint of citrus bitter finish. This was consumed 2.5 weeks after canning date so I was expecting just a little more pop from the Nelson on the nose and palate...overall, this is pretty good.

 

 

 

 

On tap at Albany Ale and Oyster in Albany, NY.

This one pours a pretty hazy golden yellow color, with a small head and a bit of lacing.

This smells like funky white grape, grassy hops, spicy hops, grapefruit, melon, and lime.

This has a pleasant funky earthiness to it, spicy, herbal, and a little bit grape-like, with more traditional hop characteristics of grapefruit and melon. There’s a touch of lemon lime too, with not much in the way of maltiness.

This is light bodied, with a nice zesty bitterness on the back end.

Hill Farmstead pretty much always kills stuff that has Nelson in it, and this doesn’t break that streak.

 

Poured from a growler filled 48 hrs ago at the brewery.
A - Late season Sunflower colored backdrop, opaque canvas hides the carbonation parade. The loose knit frothy cap is quick to recede.
S - Crushed green grape skin, musk melon, some white pepper, my wife says peach flesh but not for me. Clearly fruit forward, balanced against a semi sweet malt base. Theres a beautiful tension with the malts holding there own, in classic HFB balance.
T - More spicy than the nose offers, still lots of fruit character, with melon rime, peach(!), green grape, earthy malt expression acts to balance out the offering. The spicy part is quite something, runs against the potential sweet trap. Acting in a way that adds a great deal of depth for a single hop IPA
M - Classic HFB texture, soft water, yet crisp hop showcase, center palate is noisy and delightful, finish is dry and quick
O - A very expressive hop experience, as always balanced, and a treat to drink