Category Archives: USA

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, Farmhouse Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Anna

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Farmstead ale brewed with honey

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Anna (1902-1993) was Edward’s sister; Hill Farmstead Brewery rest upon the land that was once home to her and her 13 siblings. In her honor, this honey Farmstead® ale is crafted from organic American malted barley, European and American hops, Vermont wildflower honey, our distinctive farmhouse yeast and water from our well. Unfiltered and naturally carbonated, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Anna.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.5
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 8th December 2021. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy straw golden yellow colour with a one finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, fruity, funky, apricot, lemon, tea, honey, and a touch floral.
Taste: Lightly sour and a touch tart, lemon, lime zest, apple peel, tea, honey, floral, damp hay, funk.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Well balanced, good aroma and flavours, just makes this really easy to drink, and super refreshing.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Oskar Blues Brewery, Stout - Imperial, USA

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Bourbon Barrel Aged

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Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 12.5%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Oskar Blues Brewery stuffed Ten FIDY Imperial Stout into bourbon barrels for a minimum of eight months; allowing vanilla, oak, and bourbon flavors to permeate the pitch-black depths of FIDY. During maturation, the FIDY-plus-bourbon flavors mellow into a cool, drinkable, deeply complex brew at 12.5% ABV.

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

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, canned on 24th November 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a nice one finger tanned head that had decent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, dried dark fruit, prunes, fig, vanilla, and bourbon.
Taste: Roasty, chocolate, brown sugar, dried dark fruit, prunes, raisin, vanilla, oak, bourbon.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable and complex sipper full of great flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Grand Cru

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) An Imperial Sour Ale aged in white wine barrels with California grown muscat blanc grapes.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: An admittedly forgotten in the cellar but still tasting good, 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, bottled in Autumn 2015. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention, but left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Fuji apple and apple peel sweetness, light tartness, peach sour gummy, lemon peel, white wine grapes, vinous, oak, and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet Fuji apple, tart, peach sour gummy, white wine grapes, lemon, light funk, oak, with light notes of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Despite being forgotten in the cellar, this turned out to be still really good, with a good balance of sweet, tart, and funk. It drinks really easy and doesn’t feel ‘Imperial’ at 10.2% ABV.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Stout - Russian Imperial, Three Floyds Brewing Co., USA

Three Floyds Dark Lord

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Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 15%
Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
Other Notes: Maroon wax

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Dark Lord is a gargantuan Russian Style Imperial Stout, with a reverse cascading head that starts out billowing the color of burnt oil like the Dark Lord rising from the black primordial beginnings. Its resonant vinous aroma has been described as cherries, sweet malt, molasses, burnt currants, plums with a port wine alcohol undertow. Mochachino notes buried within. Motor oil consistency, hellishly smooth yet divinely burnt and vinous. The first sip coats your palate with a palatial charred fruit and chocolate blanket. Alcohol burn wiggles its way down your throat with a thick body.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2015 vintage, very nicely maroon waxed, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with only a thin brown head and sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Coffee, dark fruit, plum, prunes, fig, molasses, oak, chocolate, light roast.
Taste: Sweet, dark fruit, charred notes, plum, prunes, fig, cherries, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, coffee, burnt sugar.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice warming sipper. Maybe approaching too sweet, but the charred and burnt notes do sort of keep it in line.