I picked up a few growlers last weekend. Two of these were Abner which is one of my favorite HFS beers. It’s a delicious beer that, when on tap, I’m sure to get quite a bit of. The other three I took some photos of (always hard when Growlers look the same) and reviewed over the last 3 days.
Hill Farmstead Simcoe Single Hop Pale Ale
AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
adamjackson (659) – Canaan, New Hampshire, USA – SEP 15, 2012
A – Gorgeous bright hazy orange. 2 finger head that fades pretty fast and retains a slightly thin line of bubbles.
S – Scent…well, it’s all Simcoe! Sort of a piney resinous with hints of lemons and oranges. Some pepper scent.
T – Excellent. The malts in this are totally hidden by the bitterness of the hops. Very smooth, nice balance. Lots of great citrus and some pine notes.
M – This coats the tongue and keeps a sort of tingling throughout the tongue. It’s nice. Medium body and carbonation.
O – One of my favorite hops balanced nicely with an incredibly smooth beer.
Hill Farmstead/Kissmeyer Holger Danske
AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
adamjackson (659) – Canaan, New Hampshire, USA – SEP 15, 2012
A – Poured with a very low amount of carbonation. Didn’t even produce a head..just a small ring of off-white bubbles. Medium/Dark brown with a lot of amber color around the edges.
S – A lot of smoke scent. Hints of almonds and walnuts, smoke (cedar and birch wood). There’s a hint of espresso bean.
T – Oh wow. Such a nice balance on this. Yes, it’s smokey almost like the ash from a campfire. However, there’s a hint of chocolate, some espresso and a hint of almonds. It’s a solid beer but the balance between the smoke and other flavors is unmatched.
M –
O – If you’re a fan of smoke beers, this is the ticket. It’s very interesting. I’m not a fan of this style but it’s still drinkable and delicious. I’m not a fan of this style but it is the best smoked beer I’ve had.
Hill Farmstead Riwaka Single Hop Pale Ale
AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
adamjackson (659) – Canaan, New Hampshire, USA – SEP 18, 2012
A – Pours a gorgeous hazy light orange with a 2 finger solid white head that fades slowly. It’s a gorgeous beer.
S – Loving the nose on this. Reminds me of Galaxy (also an NZ hop). Has a sort of orange peel scent and some effervescent floral honey characters.
T – Even more delicious but sort of earthy muted citrus taste. More lemon and orange skins and pulp. It has this sort of cough syrup finish. Nice balance between bitterness and malts.
M – Medium body. Nice balance of carbonation
O – This beer is a great display of the taste of Riwaka hops and it’s very drinkable, delicious and very close to my favorite aspects of Galaxy Hops.
