4.2
AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
adamjackson (560) – Canaan, New Hampshire, USA – AUG 13, 2012
Enjoyed via a 750ML growler filled 2 days ago at the brewery. It’s been in the fridge since then and is being enjoyed in a Duvel Tulip.
A – Poured a hazy straw gold color. 1 Finger creamy head with big and small bubbles. Really nice head lacing was present and the bubbles faded slowly.
S – Lots of big chewy simcoe scent. Pine cones and sap were dominating with some hint of lemon juice and cloves.
T – Very light start to this beer with a hint of light malts that covers the tongue followed by a solid pine resin bitterness and some sugary sweet honey.
M – 80% carbonation on the mouth swish. Medium body.
O – This is a very sessionable beer. It’s light, bright, hoppy and easy to drink. A perfect summer time session ale. Great job Shawn and John!
The nice thing about being a homebrewer, you over look beers like this not because they’re anything less than amazing, but because you can easily make amazing beers yourself, five gallons at a time.
Beers like Maine Beer’s Peeper, I think very little of. Not because they’re worth overlooking, but because they’re easy to duplicate. However, something much more amazing like a Rodenbach or Russian River sour is something every homebrewer can appreciate because they take much more than effort to duplicate.
I do appreciate big stouts, barrel aged concoctions and sour / wild beers more so now that I know the processes involved.
However, there’s a remarkable balance in Hill Farmstead’s beers. yes, this is a session ale with a low malt-bill and lightly hopped but it’s very very good.