Symposia
Hill Farmstead Brewery
- From:
- Hill Farmstead Brewery
- Vermont, United States
- Style:
- Rauchbier
Ranked #5 - ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 92
Ranked #5,820 - Avg:
- 4.34 | pDev: 4.61%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 24, 2026
- Added:
- Sep 14, 2025
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
92
Outstanding
92
Outstanding
Initially conceived for our 10th Anniversary, Symposia is our single-decocted Old World German-style rauchbier, featuring malts smoked at Hill Farmstead. It is lagered for more than six weeks before krausening with fresh-fermenting beer to provide slow, natural carbonation, offering soft, subtly sweet smokiness and a crisp malt
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by SadMachine:
Rated by SadMachine from New Jersey
4.41/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Sep 14, 2025
4.41/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Sep 14, 2025
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Bierman9 from New Hampshire
4.02/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had a 0.25l pour of this at HF on 15MAY26, a first-time visit to The Hill.... Cost was $6.00 for the Lukr pour....
Poured a deep, dark chestnut-mahogany color. Had a creamy tan head... sat at 1/2" for a bit before ebbing to a covering layer, with excellent lace. Aroma had choco and roasty notes plus light smoke. Had a medium body and was smooth and creamy on the tongue.
Flavor also had lovely roasty notes, with a smidge more dark choco. Smoke was subtle yet noticeable... A solid bier! Prost!
4.02/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2530
May 24, 2026Poured a deep, dark chestnut-mahogany color. Had a creamy tan head... sat at 1/2" for a bit before ebbing to a covering layer, with excellent lace. Aroma had choco and roasty notes plus light smoke. Had a medium body and was smooth and creamy on the tongue.
Flavor also had lovely roasty notes, with a smidge more dark choco. Smoke was subtle yet noticeable... A solid bier! Prost!
4.02/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2530
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.67/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.67/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Had on tap. Dark brown opaque body with a tan head and plenty of lacing. Smoke, chocolate, toasted caramel malt, old leather, campfire and earth in the nose. Taste adds a subtle dried dark fruit ribbon underneath everything from the nose, the smoke is rustic and woodsy, great balance. Feel is smokey and heavier for the style, deep and lush. This is the best new world example I have had of this style in a long time
May 22, 2026
Reviewed by Holderness from Massachusetts
4.32/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.32/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
On lukr at Blackback Pub in Waterbury. Fantastic look and mouth feel on this lager -- soft, creamy, and a merengue-like head that lasts forever. The smokiness is just right and lends a distinctly wintery character to the base chocolate malts. Dark lagers usually aren't my jam, but this is top notch
87/100
Nov 15, 202587/100
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York
4.65/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.65/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Growler purchased at Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT.
This one pours fairly dark brown, almost black color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.
This smells mildly chocolatey, with light wisps of smoke, dried fruit, and roasted malt.
This is pretty exceptional, and such an excellent take on an underrepresented style. It’s got a nice chocolatey sweetness to it, with herbal and charred roast characteristics, and a light but really pleasant smokiness to it. It’s campfire smoke rather than meaty smoke, at least to my palate.
This is lighter bodied, but pretty creamy, and really drinkable.
I’ve been waiting for this one since it almost came out during COVID 5 years ago – I’m glad they attempted it again.
Oct 06, 2025This one pours fairly dark brown, almost black color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.
This smells mildly chocolatey, with light wisps of smoke, dried fruit, and roasted malt.
This is pretty exceptional, and such an excellent take on an underrepresented style. It’s got a nice chocolatey sweetness to it, with herbal and charred roast characteristics, and a light but really pleasant smokiness to it. It’s campfire smoke rather than meaty smoke, at least to my palate.
This is lighter bodied, but pretty creamy, and really drinkable.
I’ve been waiting for this one since it almost came out during COVID 5 years ago – I’m glad they attempted it again.
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