Hill Farmstead hype

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by black13, Jul 21, 2012.

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  1. black13

    black13 Initiate (0) Apr 11, 2010 Oregon

    Since HF is the talk of the moment and their beers seems to be trading for almost anything people want, would HF be the hyped brewery it is if it were in a town such as Portland or San Diego? I've had a couple beers from HF and felt both were solid "C" beers (Anna and Birth of Tragedy). Not to take anything away from Shaun Hill as he seems to be an extremely talented and dedicated brewer (having servers cover beers to prevent them form being sun-struck), but when you look at the posts, people will go on and on that this place is in the middle of nowhere and you have to drive on gravel roads to get there. How would HF rate if it weren't the only show in town, or the only show for several counties? The problem is, most people will never know as their beers are so limited.
     
  2. andrewinski1

    andrewinski1 Initiate (0) Apr 14, 2009 New Hampshire

    I haven't had Anna but I thought Birth of Tragedy was pretty special. I think his pale ales and DIPA's are really where it's at. Ephraim isn't even the best one. With those types of beers, it's better to have it fresh from the source for sure; maybe that's part of it.
     
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  3. deleted_user_570457

    deleted_user_570457 Zealot (728) Feb 21, 2011

    Fucking deservedly highly. [/thread]

    ps "only show in town" - you're right Vermont beer blows:confused:
     
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  4. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    adsf;lkjadsf;lkj PRAISE NOT HYPE.

    It would absolutely not be any less regarded. They get praise (NOT HYPE) because their beer is amazing. I've had a number, and they've typically been world-class (and the ones that weren't I chalk up to having traded for them, trading for IPAs is gambling). If anything more exposure might give them more absurdly high numbers just from a higher number of beers making to the BA crowd.

    Honestly, if you think Birth of Tragedy was a "C" beer then I don't trust any review by you of any beer ever. To each their own and everything, but man, our palates are NOT aligned.
     
  5. black13

    black13 Initiate (0) Apr 11, 2010 Oregon

    It may have to do with shipping the beer, bottle variation, or maybe the beers my tasting group has access to regularly, but the Birth of Tragedy we had was nothing special.
     
  6. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    I dunno, I had it out of at least 3 different bottles (it was at a special event in the Bay Area) and each one was magnificent. By far the best BA Porter I've ever had, nothing else was even close. Like I said, to each their own, and you're right, with such a small operation bottle variance is basically inevitable, but your statement is wildly divergent from my experience. (And for the record, lest anyone accuse me of "hyping", I drank my last bottle recently. Wish I had more, I'd drink those too.)
     
  7. claaark13

    claaark13 Maven (1,412) Nov 29, 2007 Indiana
    Trader

    BoT has changed a bit since release, fwiw.

    HF beers flew under the radar for a short period of time. It was inevitable that they would get hit by the spotlight. They make great versions of every style they attempt. Porter, RIS, IPA, DIPA, APA, Saison, whatever. They let the barrels guide the base beers, not dominate the base beers. They seem to take pride in every beer they brew, which is something I'm not convinced that a lot of other really good breweries do.

    If Vermont were California, HF would be getting hated on for not meeting the demand of the local market.
     
  8. larryi86

    larryi86 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,118) Apr 4, 2010 Delaware
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I have not had much HF, but I have enjoyed the three beers I have tried, Anna, Arthur and Art, and I would buy them again and again if I could. Anna and Art are two of my favorite Saisons and I wish I had a bottle of each right now.
     
  9. DavoleBomb

    DavoleBomb Pooh-Bah (2,277) Mar 29, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Ephraim is probably the best DIPA I've ever had (except when the recipe was temporarily changed, that sucked ass). Everette is probably the best porter I've ever had. The couple other bottles I've had from them have been nothing short of solid. I have little doubt that HF is one of the best breweries in the country.

    Do I think their beers should command what they are in the trading arena? Absolutely not, but I also feel that way about anything LA's ever made, BA Darklords, all HotD beers, anything with a pedigree that means nothing (such as the Bottleworks beers), and anything else with ******edly low bottle counts and a world reknown hyping crew.
     
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  10. evilc

    evilc Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2012 California

    HF!

    =)
     
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  11. fargoth

    fargoth Initiate (0) Oct 6, 2010 Ohio

    I don't have an opinion.
     
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  12. DavoleBomb

    DavoleBomb Pooh-Bah (2,277) Mar 29, 2008 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    HF has low bottle counts, but they are a small brewery and probably don't have *fill in the blank* to make tons of whatever beer they are releasing. Stone, on the other hand, is huge by craft standards, but only releases 1,000 bottles of their infected RIS. Thus, HF has low bottle counts, but Stone has ******edly low bottle counts.

    As for hyping, I don't think HF needs it as their ratings have done just as fine outside of the nowhere Vermont area.
     
  13. evilc

    evilc Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2012 California

    Thanks to trading and eBay!
     
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  14. tylermains

    tylermains Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2010 Kentucky

    I've had What is Enlightenment?, Double Citra, Everett, Edward, Society and Solitude #4, E., and Harlan. All were beyond amazing. What is Enlightenment and Everett are well worth the praise HF is getting recently.
     
  15. Caudalie

    Caudalie Initiate (0) Nov 29, 2011 Canada (QC)

    I have tried 4 of their offerings on tap. The 4 of them were really, really good. I could drink the citra pale ale everyday, all day long. IMO it deserves the hype. I prefered HF hoppy ales to double sunshine and HT (which I'm drinking presently)
     
  16. Jnorton00

    Jnorton00 Maven (1,338) Apr 13, 2007 Massachusetts

    Birth of Tragedy is an A!
     
  17. DrinkingIPA

    DrinkingIPA Initiate (0) Jan 30, 2011 Massachusetts

    Ya...it sucks having to drive through the green mountain state. Even more so to drink beer made with well water carefully crafted, in some cases, for over a year. The remote aspect is a part of the allure...it's also they way some of us like it. Your rating seems harsh but if you thought it was truly a C...why even post?
     
  18. tbadiuk

    tbadiuk Pundit (814) Feb 9, 2009 Canada (MB)
    Trader

    I had a one week old Anna recently- It was mailed to me here in Canada. It was in the top 10 beers I've ever had. I had a growler of Edward at the same time and it was really good, but not quite as good as Anna. Recently we also opened a bottle of "E" from the same shipment and it was only "OK".

    So, there is my HF experience so far. I also have Art and Arthur in the cellar waiting (from the same shipment), as well as CD#4 and Jimmy from the recent release coming in the mail.

    So far, I'm impressed.
     
  19. BirdsandHops

    BirdsandHops Grand Pooh-Bah (3,061) Apr 14, 2008 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    I've only had a few and generally agree that Anna wasn't too impressive. Far from bad, but not great. Everett and S&S 2 were both great, though. Definitely very close to the top of their respective styles. That being said, I don't really seek out their beers because most people want multiple barrel aged brewery-only releases for even their common beers.
     
  20. kzoobrew

    kzoobrew Initiate (0) May 8, 2006 Michigan

    My guess is they would rate rather well based on the trade demand and the fact a guy from Oregon felt this topic deserved a thread. It does not matter if it is the only brewery in town or one out of one hundred for the people trading for the bottles. Great breweries are great breweries regardless of location. Being the only show in town only really matters in terms of local "hype". If the brewery weren't worth the "hype" it would not warrant conversation. Even starting a conversation questioning the "hype" adds to the hype.
     
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