Monthly Archives: May 2023

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, DUST Blending, Lambic - non-Lambic Blends

DUST The Stoner

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Brewery: DUST Blending
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.3%
Style: Lambic – non-Lambic Blends
Other Notes: #026 Saison / Lambiek blend

Brewer Description: (from bottle) #026 Barrel aged abrikoos Saison + witte nectarine lambiek. (Apricot Saison + White Nectarine Lambiek)

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle. Bottled in March 2022. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, apricot, nectarine, stone fruit skin.
Taste: Lightly sour, lightly tart, apricot, nectarine, fruit tea.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Although lacking in some complexity, the aroma and flavours are clean and refreshing, making it easy and enjoyable to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Table Dorothy Wine Barrel Aged

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Farmstead Table Pale Ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Our low-abv Farmstead® table pale ale – crafted from American malted barley, malted wheat, New Zealand and American hops, our distinctive yeast blend, and water from our well – was conditioned in wine barrels and then dry-hopped before packaging and bottle conditioning. Nine months in wine barrels and then dry-hopped with Citra®, Mosaic®, and Simcoe® before packaging and bottle conditioning.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottle conditioned since November 24, 2020. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a very nice one finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical and citrus fruit mix. Mango, peach, lemon zest, calamansi, yuzu, oak, light funky notes, and a touch vinous.
Taste: Lightly sour, citrusy, calamansi, yuzu, lemon zest, oak, yellow stone fruit notes, white wine vinous, a touch funky, and a touch bitter.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, clean, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really enjoyable and easy to drink with great flavours and complexity. I could just keep drinking this again and again and again.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Nonconformist 03

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: A farmstead ale aged in oak barrels. Hops – Cascade. Adjunct – Buckwheat and Vermont Buckwheat Honey. Time in oak – 1 year

Brewer Description: (from website) This is the third entry in our novel exploration of blended beers, aging techniques, and often unexplored ingredient combinations. In the summer of 2018, we brewed a beer with a base composition of 20% Vermont buckwheat honey, 48% organic buckwheat, 32% malted barley, and cascade hops. After a year of respite in wine barrels, the beer rested in the bottle, moving through its own hopeful arc towards achievement over the course of nearly three years. The result is a delicate, floral expression, displaying differing facets of this ancient grain within the context of our Farmstead® ale framework. Once again, the label features the imaginative artwork of our creative collaborator, a close friend, who has inspired and supported the Hill Farmstead journey since the very beginning, Alex Peltz of Peltz Creative.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled on August 16, 2019. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange colour with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Zesty, mandarin, funky, wine barrel, oak, vanilla-ish.
Taste: Tart, sweet, apricot, grapefruit, oak, pineapple, and a touch vinous.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking and balanced. Needed some time, but I think it got better after a while.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Plum: 2021 Harvest

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: Farmstead ale aged in oak barrels with plums. Source: Elmore Roots Nursery, Elmore, VT

Brewer Description: (from website) Each harvest season, we choose various barrels of our Farmstead® ales that exhibit sympathetic characteristics for pairing with local fruit varieties, in this case, organic plums from the 2021 harvest season at Elmore Roots Nursery in nearby Elmore, Vt. Once again, the care and intentionality with which David and his team work with the land translates fully into the fruit’s seasonal expression each year, especially with these varieties of plums. Regardless of the base beer’s composition or blend, the ideal outcome remains the same: a thoughtful representation of the fruit in season and one of our favorite offerings within this collection.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml bottle, plums 2021 harvest, bottle conditioned since March 23, 2022, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange pinkish colour, with a one finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, plum, plum skin, grapefruit rind, citrus zesty, oak.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, plum, grapefruit rind and zest, oak, slight tropical notes, funk, with a light salty touch on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable and really easy to drink fruited Saison, with balanced plum flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, DUST Blending, Lambic - non-Lambic Blends

DUST 1 Grappe

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Brewery: DUST Blending
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7.5%
Style: Lambic – non-Lambic Blends
Other Notes: #024 – Saison / Lambiek blend

Brewer Description: (from bottle) #024 Barrel aged Saison/Lambiek + 6 days of Chardonnay skin contact and 5 months of rest on amphora.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped clear bottle. Bottled in April 2022. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, preserved salted mandarin, newborn poop, lemon zest, very ripe apricot, balsa wood, with some light white wine vinous notes.
Taste: Lightly tart, lemon zest, white wine vinous, wood, with notes of salted mandarin and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Spritzy, light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Super funky on the aroma, maybe a bit too much, but luckily, the funk is much more balanced in the flavour, and doesn’t overpower the nice citrus zestiness, while being spritzy and refreshing.