via DontDrinkBeer: re: Brother Soigné from Hill Farmstead
The January 2015 blend really makes trading for any other saison a very difficult proposition. That lemon lime drop top I call it the sprite when I pop the HF you can call it a night. It just delivers on every level and people somehow sleep on this relative to other offerings.
Every time I see another person asking on a forum for the hundredth time, “Where are all the Vermont traders?”, I’ll quote DDB. I’ve probably sent out 5-6 bottles of Hill Farmstead to traders last year, usually just the saisons that are very easy for me to get…nothing rare or limited, just case limit, $10 saisons that come out every 2-3 weeks for the last 12 months.
The reason, as I’ve said before, is that there are very few bottles I’ve traded for that outweigh Shaun’s beer enough to deal with the hassle of trading, packing, shipping and receiving bottles from other breweries. Jester King, too acidic. Side Project, hit-or-miss. Forest & Maine, 20% of what i’ve had was great. Alpine, great hoppy beers but nothing on HF IPAs. De Garde, one-dimensional and not mind-blowing. The only ‘hot’ brewery right now that I love drinking is Sante Adairius and Cellar Maker for pale ales. I just drink those @ the source.
I’m trying to think of a few others but I think these days. Russian River wild ales, huge ABV Bruery beers, Schramm’s mead, real-Lambic and Hill Farmstead is all I need in my life and most of these things I buy in person without trading for them.
I drink Hill Saisons 3-4 times a week and maybe 2 batches in the last year to me, were less than stellar. Then I waited 6 months and they became world-class. It’s great because they’re a local brewery. Not sure I could ever move away from this area.