Edith
Hill Farmstead Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

From a 750ml bottle, ‘bottle conditioning since 09/09/20.’ Served in a tulip.

Pours acorn brown, maple syrup-to-black in the glass without highlights. A scant half-finger head of suds falls off quickly to a wispy cap and collar.

Aroma is somehow both sweet and grainy, and tart and funky, in turns, and then both at the same time. Granola and mildew.

Taste sensations include millet roll and mildewing basement carpet, punky wood, cedar, cigar-leaf-blackberry-and-ashes tea, and diluted vinegar.

Feel is light and drying, thin bodied, with fine, sparse carbonation.

Overall, it’s alright but I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of this one. Somewhat reminiscent of Foundation’s Darkside Corruption which I really dug, but this seems sort of thin and watered down in comparison - good water, but still.

 

 

 

 

Purchased at the brewery in July. Looks really nice with a slight head that stays around. Very soft mouthfeel too. Taste wise I get lots more sour than coffee but not a lot of saison hops or other notes. For the price I paid, I guess I was expecting more from HF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 vintage on tap at brewery April 2019.
Poured into globe, dark, dark brown. Barely translucent at edges when held up to light. Creamy tan head, tons of clingy lacing. Can smell a light tartness and roasted malts. Soft, tart and roasty flavors. Some citrus zest. Effervescent smooth carbonation and medium body. A very tasty brew,

Bottle. The bottle was probably about 5 years old. A cool beer that held up well. Dark saison. Funk and darker beer qualities. Almost reminds me of Zwet.Be from 3 Fonteinen. Not as robust. Unique.

on tap at the hill farmstead takeover at farmhouse tap and grill in burlington - 2016 batch enjoyed 3.20.19.

beautiful looking beer, pleasant aromas and a wonderful and interesting flavor profile. funky, lots of dark fruits and seedy tart character, blackberry, cherry, currants, hinting at plum, red grape and vinous quality, some dark bready notes and mellow sweet malty quality. wow!

 

 

 

 

a 2013 vintage bottle generously shared by a good friend. none of us were sure how this would hold up being about five years old now, but its killer, drinking really amazingly well right now. its a dark saison, with that moderate and distinct hill farmstead funk, super developed from a yeast standpoint and enormously complex at this age. deep brown in color with a little bit of visible sediment and an explosive airy white head, almost gushing, hard to control as we pour it around, the head is wispy and lasting, and i can see carbonation rising up frantically even though the dark liquid. the nose is sharp and sort of medically astringent right away, not necessarily bacterially sour so much, but with a cool acidity and tannin complexion, i get a ton of red wine, raisin and plum and blackberry, you would almost swear this was fermented or aged in red wine barrels, although im not sure that it is. slight oxidation doesnt bother me. a cool chocolatey but dry dark european sort of grain complexion, almost like a funky schwarzbier or something, bready in a cooked sort of way, even possible rye spice appreciable, all mature and well intertwined, mature to say the least. the yeast is bretty but its not run away, some saison character here too in at least equal proportion, winey again with a lot of dark fruit to it and a little bit of citrus as well. leathery sort of richness but no sweeness whatsoever. fizzy effervescence, medium light body, almost delicate for its color, and finishing with some tannins and just a bit of drying acidity. amazing beer, a relic at this point, but drinking mighty well. it is always a treat to drink beer from hill farmstead. they are truly one of the very best!

750ml bottle, dated 6.19.17, poured into a Hill Farmstead oversized wine glass.

The beer pours a dark cola brown color, black hues with a bone colored head, two fingers tall that has good retention and plenty of lace. The aroma is nice, dark roasted barley, light funk, cherry stone fruits, a bit of black pepper and a light pine like scent. The flavors are nice, dark roasted grain, light chocolate, tart cherry, some plum with a nice funk and yeasty flavor and a but of a dull earthy finish. The mouthfeel is perfect, coating, lively medium body that is gentle but vibrant that finishes with a tart kiss.

Verdict: A nice dark farmstead ale from Hill Farmstead. Nicely balanced but a bit muted, the tartness and stone fruit flavors are appreciated but there is something earthy that kind of dulls the beer a bit. A nice, well made saison, but not my favorite.

 

 

Appearing muddy opaque dark brown, under light, some visible bread dough-like yeast chunks settle at the bottom. While at the top, a large, creamy, light tan blanket persistently remains thick, and clings in ridges.

Edith has a very clean aroma, exhibiting light roast and wood, black pepper, red grape, and sour raspberry and cherry. I can not believe this isn't wine barrel-aged.

Super smooth, soft, clean and round on the palate, Edith has a lightly crisp but soft carbonation and a semi-dry finish. Flavors are insanely balanced, mature and very cooperative, melding light roast, tart grape, red wine, toasted sesame, and all sorts of small fruits, from cherry, raspberry and elderberry to marionberry.

This is made with an absolutely expert, deft touch. And again, with all of these developed qualities, I'm astonished this isn't wine barrel-aged.

 

 

A: pours black with chocolate brown and reddish undertones, khaki two-finger head
S: roasty, sort of in a weizenbock or doppelbock-ish way, clean sourness, some salty, yet somehow not briney characteristics, some definite coffee
T: the shocking thing here is there really is no dark fruit, it's almost like a traditional saison was blended with a bock beer, there is no chocolate, no dark fruit and the roastiness is more grainy, bracingly sour honestly, to the same degree as florence, and in a way similar to florence, i feel as though this sourness takes away from the expressiveness of the malt
M: distinctive and perfect for a hill farmstead beer
O: I wanted to love this more than I did, it's a very good beer, but its sourness eats away at its other flavors, I love sour beer, but this beer sacrifices its range for bite. Their other beers are worth the trip, this one, not as much.