Hill Farmstead (2023)

Yeah Toast is a complete crapshoot. I got lucky this morning and scored one.

 

Using mobile, I was seeing the store open at around 6:59:55 on Wednesday and Thursday. Using my laptop, it wasn't working right until much later ('much' being 15 seconds). On mobile, refresh until you get the prompt asking you to select a pickup time.

 

Any news on the lottery???

 

Their news for the week is always released on Sunday, so I’m willing to bet it will be announced with the new offerings for the week Sunday afternoon.

 

This happens, it means store not fully open, refresh until you can pick a time, then add bottle to cart

Per Facebook, the process is a wreck every morning due to 1000 people trying to buy same 60 bottles

 

Had Ann in my cart this morning, everything auto-filled at checkout, 10-15 seconds TOTAL.....denied and told it was sold out when I hit 'complete order'. I experienced the entire emotional spectrum in 20 seconds. Gonna have to get unbelievably lucky to score a bottle.

 

Ngl, I checked out of HF a year or so ago, and while I miss the beer, I don’t miss this. Not even fomo, just frustration in not being able to acquire a beer I want to drink, that’s pretty local.

 

One of those magic but simultaneously ‘what are we doing here’ HF days where you have Ann for the first time, a new to you variant of your favorite ever beer (BoT), and somehow Song of Winter is the best beer you’ve had in a dang minute.

Not joking, but Ann is as awesome as one would hope. Have had a couple heartbreaking (relative to beer lol) shut outs so it feels great to finally cross it off the list.

 

I guess you didn't completely check out.

 

Lol! Was going to say same. If that isn’t the definition of FOMO then what is?

 

Ann lottery with proxies allowed just announced.



On Saturday, January 21, we will offer an online, lottery-style opportunity to purchase a voucher with which the holder may purchase a bottle of Ann, our wine barrel-aged honey Farmstead® ale. Separate from our current two-week Toast-based sale, this will make use of our http://shop.hillfarmstead.com site and its randomized queue system, which we’ve used for our direct-to-consumer sales, and provides a flexible, weeks-long window within which successful buyers may visit us to complete the purchase.

We will sell each voucher for $5 with all proceeds shared between North Country Animal League’s Kingdom Animal Shelter and The Friends for Life Dog Rescue, a foster-based dog rescue serving the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Each voucher will allow the holder to purchase one (1) bottle of Ann at our brewery’s retail shop (we can not mail bottles; all purchases must be completed at the brewery). Each 750ml waxed bottle is $95 plus tax (does not include voucher cost). Pick-ups and voucher redemption may be made on any of our retail days between 25 January and 25 February.

Each voucher is linked to its order number and email address of the purchaser, which must be provided at the time of purchase. Proxies are allowed. If you wish to designate a proxy, please reach out to us via email, [email protected]. Vouchers are not transferable.

On Saturday, 21 January, at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, our webshop (shop.hillfarmstead.com) will open. We will utilize an electronic pre-queue and waiting room system, which opens at 1:45 p.m. EST (15 minutes prior to the sale going live). When you sign into the pre-queue, you’ll join everyone for the sale. The time that you sign into the pre-queue doesn’t impact your order in the sales queue.

As the sale officially opens, people will be randomly added to an order queue, moved to the waiting room, and brought into the shop to make their purchases. This helps maintain a steady and stable order process.

Glass pours of Ann will remain available in our taproom each retail day through 4 February.

To learn more about this emergence of Ann, please visit our website.

 

I visited HF today. This thread was really helpful to me so I wanted to post a few tips / info I learned:
- Commute: As many others have said, the roads suck as you get closer to the brewery. Right now there's also a combo of rain, snow, ice, and slush. Budget some extra time
- Onsite Pours: I didn't realize this but pours of Ann are 1 per person. Wouldn't have made a difference and makes a lot of sense so more people can try it but just FYI since I didn't see it posted anywhere else
- Let it Sit: Ann was awesome. Even though it was decanted I would recommend letting it sit for a bit. After I did, it was singing!
- Bottle Count: I asked how many bottles they are releasing each day and they wouldn't tell me. Maybe someone else knows but I couldn't get it out of them

 

How is it hard for a "pretty local" person to get HF? I drive from Ohio once a year and find it to be an absolute breeze compared to most hype breweries. Unless of course the only thing you ever want from Hill is Ann, Art or Samuel. But hell, I even lucked out with a pour of Ann this October.

 

???

I visit the tree house thread daily, as I’m there every week and I enjoy the discussion amongst th regulars.

Normally I don’t check this thread out, but it’s oddly (Ann) been at the top for the past few days so I popped in. Like I said, some of their beer I miss, but I went from visiting 3-4 times a year, to none

anyways, hope you all get your Ann, I’m sure this batch is as good as ever.

 

Pours would absolutely be easy to come by, but not worth the drive for me, personally.

It’s also not personally worth it, to wake up by 7, sit on my phone, and prey for a bottle of whatever is being hyped.

Cheers!

Edit, keep in mind, Fox Farm is an hour away

 

Well, if you're an hour away from FF then you're 3+ hours away from HF, minimum.

I guess we have different definitions of "pretty local".

 

Looks like the lottery is now no proxies

 

Good catch. Wonder why the change?

 

Huh, really? Why would they change that after announcing it?

 

That’s bizarre