285. Hill Farmstead Double Citra

This is a the only beer I have had from Hill Farmstead's single hop series. In this series they bitter, flavor and dry hop the beer with a single type of hop. It would be very interesting to taste the entire series to see how the hop varieties change the aroma and flavor of the beer. The series includes both single and double IPAs.

This is a double IPA which again is my favorite style of beer and the citra hops give it tons of citrus aromas. Taste has a bit of sweet malts in the beginning that quickly give way to loads of citrus and grapefruit or pineapple flavors. Taste is crisp and clean, very easy to drink for a double IPA and very enjoyable. You truly cannot go wrong with Hill Farmstead beer. 
Pros: Everything 
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 8.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead
Brewers Description: An American Imperial Pale Ale bittered, flavored, and dry hopped exclusively with Citra hops from the American Pacific Northwest. 8% abv.

283. Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude #4

Another superb beer from Hill Farmstead. Everything about the beer from this brewery is as close to perfect as I have found. Every beer is different but still has the huge aroma, beautiful color, unfiltered look and amazing taste. 

This is a double IPA which happens to be my favorite style of beer and as you can see has a bright orange color, thick white head and just looks amazing in the stem glass that I purchased from the brewery. Lots of citrus and tropical fruits in the aroma and a bit of pine. Flavor follows with loads of hops and a hint of  sweetness. This beer has an excellent feel to it and is very drinkable for an 8% ABV double IPA. Only one more bottle of Hill Farmstead left but I am planning another trip to Vermont in a couple of months. Will be stocking up again and looking forward to anything new from Hill in the coming months. 

Pros: Everything 

Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 8.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead
Brewers Description: Our experimental Double IPA experience continues. Hybrid Imperial IPA... Think Double Citra Meets Double Galaxy.

281. Hill Farmstead What is Enlightenment?

Another pale ale from Hill Farmstead and this one is special as it was brewed for their second anniversary and uses a different mix of hops than Edward. The beer is lighter in color than the others from Hill but has the same cloudy appearance and white head. Aroma had tons of citrus and tropical fruits, very enticing and certainly draws you into the beer. The taste has more citrus and lemon notes than Edward and is excellent with a hoppy finish that makes you want more. 


I really cannot say enough good things about Hill Farmstead's beers. They are everything I like in a beer; fresh, unfiltered with plenty of hops but not palate wrecking. Have a couple more bottles in the fridge and will get to them very soon. 
Pros: Everything 
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 5.4% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead

Brewers Description: American Pale Ale brewed in honor of our Second Anniversary. Simcoe and Amarillo hops.

278. Hill Farmstead Harlan

You might start to see a pattern over the next few weeks with lots of beer from Vermont. After my 3 day trip last week I have tons of Vermont beer to drink and review. Will most likely start with the Hill Farmstead 750 ml bottles. I am sure the bottles would keep just fine but why chance it as they make some of the very best beer available.

This is Harlan which is Hill's IPA or as they describe it a more aggressive version of Edward. Edward is certainly the best pale ale I have reviewed so it is no surprise that I enjoyed this one just as much. Color is similar a very nice unfiltered orange with solid white head. This beer leaves amazing lacing on the glass too. 


Aroma is very pleasant - strong but not overwhelming with lots of fresh hop and tropical and grapefruits. The best way to describe the taste on this one is fresh. All types of hop flavor here with some pine, tropical, grapefruit and citrus. Just enough of a malt character to balance it out but the beer still finishes with a slight bitterness. Overall another excellent beer from Hill Farmstead. 
Pros: Not over the top like many of today's IPAs, very drinkable
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 6% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead

Brewers Description: Harlan is Edward’s slightly more aggressive alter-ego. Dry Hopped exclusively with Columbus hops.

Vermont Beercation 7/4/2012

Last week I headed to Vermont for a 3-day trip with my wife, her sister and her husband. I spent a couple of days looking at reviews of places to visit and getting input from my Twitter and FB followers on places not to miss. After spending 3 days visiting 6 breweries and eating tons of great food I have to say the trip was as good as I have had.

We left Maine shortly after noon on July 4th and hit a micro burst just west of St Johnsbury. This was some of the worst weather I have ever driven in with huge amounts of rain, street flooding and multiple trees down. We had to detour several times and ended up many miles north before finally making our way back through Stowe to Waterbury. See photos and notes about the storm here.

After making it to Waterbury we were ready for supper and stopped at The Reservoir for dinner and drinks. At this point I had been driving for 4+ hours and needed a beer. Fortunately they had a great tap list as well as some great burgers. I had a Hill Farmstead Edward, then an Abner and ended with a Celia Saison from The Alchemist.

My brother in law opted for a sampler including; Lawson's Knockout Blonde, Fiddlehead IPA, Harpoon Ginger Wheat and Hill Farmstead's Abner. I tried each of these in addition to my 3 beers and enjoyed them all. I have reviewed Edward previously and will be reviewing Lawson's Knockout Blonde in the near future. The others will have to wait for a future trip to Vermont as I did not take good pics or notes while drinking them. I can say the Celia Saison was different than anything I have had before. It is a Gluten free beer which may appeal to some people but for me the taste was a little too funky. The food was amazing with great chicken wings, sweet potato fries and burgers. After this stop we made our way to our hotel in Burlington for the night. It was a long drive and we needed our rest for the next three days.

On Thursday our first stop was The Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, VT just north or Burlington. They had a huge selection of beer, wine, glassware and pretty much anything else you would need. We ended up with 3 cases of Heady Topper, bottles from Dogfish Head, Founders (Double Trouble) and much more that we cannot get in Maine as well as some Lawson's Finest Liquids glasses. They did not have a limit on the amount of Heady Topper which was great as I needed to bring home a bunch for my Maine beer drinking friends. After this we made our way back to Burlington and spent some time on Church Street for some shopping. This is a great little marketplace that has something for everyone. We came back to Church Street on Friday and I will post some info on the restaurant we went to shortly.

For lunch we made our way to American Flatbread which is within walking distance of Church Street and they have their own brewery. The food there was amazing with my wife and her sister getting a very nice salad and then splitting a couple of pizzas. The small pizza was enough for two people to share even though the waitstaff encouraged us to get a large. We also had several beers from their tap list and since they serve halfs we were able to enjoy a bunch of different styles without drinking too much at lunch. We also ended up taking home a growler from Zero Gravity (their in house brewery) which I will review soon. (Read more after the break)

Growlers - the best way to drink beer at home

If you have been following my blog lately you will have noticed a lot of growlers purchased and reviewed. Most growlers are sold directly from the brewery at times convenient for the brewers. This is beer that comes straight from the kegs into a 64 ounce glass container, capped and sent home with you and in my opinion the very best way to enjoy craft beer at your home, family gathering or other event. I have growlers from most of the Maine breweries that offer them and refill them as often as possible. They store well in the refrigerator and will last 7-10 days if unopened (in theory they could last a lot longer but somehow they never do in my fridge as they opened and consumed shortly after purchase). Once opened you have a couple of days to finish. 64 ounces is 4 pints of beer so for me 2 pints a night for 2 nights and it is gone. Below is a recap and photos of growlers from several Maine breweries.

Oxbow Brewing Company - Newcastle Maine

Oxbow is one of my favorite breweries and if you want to enjoy their beer at home you have to visit their brewery between 2:00 and 6:00 on a Friday afternoon / evening. This is the only time the brewery is open for growler fills. I do not recall the cost for growlers but I believe it is $15 for a new growler and $12 for a refill. Whatever the cost is this is money well spent as every beer from Oxbow is top notch and unlike anything else you will get in Maine. They also distribute kegs to bars and restaurants in Maine and Washington DC so keep an eye out for their clear tap handles and if Oxbow is on tap give it a try. 

Tim & Geoff are great and you will enjoy the time you spend at Oxbow checking out the artwork and brewery. I believe sales are cash only so make sure you plan ahead.

Rising Tide Brewing Company - Portland Maine

Rising Tide only recently started selling growlers after moving their brewery to Fox Street in Portland. They have installed a tasting room and will be filling growlers from 4-7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays / 12-3 on Fridays and Saturdays with tours at 1:00 on most Fridays and Saturdays. Nathan and Heather have an excellent brewery and are great people, again you will enjoy your time at the brewery and certainly will enjoy the beer.

Cost was around $17 for the first full growler and I believe it was $11 for refills. Cash is preferred however they will run a credit or debit card if needed. I will be down there on Tuesday and will update this post with the accurate cost then. 

Read more after the break

226. Hill Farmstead Everett

This is the second beer from Hill Farmstead and another excellent choice. Pour is black with a solid tan head that leaves huge amounts of lacing on the glass, a beautiful beer. Lots of aroma including plenty of coffee, cocoa and roasted malts. Exactly what you would expect from a quality porter. 


Taste has everything and just does not stop. Robust coffee, chocolate, vanilla, flavors and mild amount of alcohol in a full bodied beer. Smooth going down and one of my favorite porters.


Anyone interested in a road trip to Vermont some Saturday?
Pros: Aroma, tons of flavor

Cons: Only available in Vermont

Alcohol Content: 7.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead

Brewers Description: Everett (1908-1939) was our grandfather’s brother; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to him and his 13 siblings. In his honor, this Porter is crafted from American malted barley, English and German roasted malts, American hops, our ale yeast, and water from our well. It is unfiltered and naturally carbonated. Decadent in its depth, with a complex backbone of chocolate, coffee, and malty sweetness, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Everett.
Ingredients: Pale, Caramel, and Chocolate Malt, Roasted Barley, Columbus hops; Ale Yeast, and our Well Water.
21º P

211. Hill Farmstead Edward

(Updated 7/10/2012) - Last week I took a 3-day trip to Vermont and the mini-vacation was mostly about beer. We ended up visiting 6 breweries including Hill Farmstead on the way home. I bought 4 - 750 ml bottles of Edward and it is just as good as I remember it. This is a great beer from a great brewer just too bad we cannot get it in Maine. 


(Original Post 4/7/2012) After months of reading about Hill Farmstead and Alchemist Heady Topper I finally received a package of beer from Vermont. One of the insurance brokerages I work with is based in Vermont and some of their employees came to a conference in Portland Maine on Tuesday and we were able to work out an exchange of some beer only distributed in Maine for some local Vermont beers including this one from Hill Farmstead. This is a smaller growler than those sold by Oxbow and others I have reviewed but it is fresh beer poured from a tap, just the way I like it.


Color is a very nice orange with a very small white head. The aromas are plentiful with lots of citrus and pine hops, one of the best smelling beers I have had. At 85 IBUs this one is probably closer to an IPA than a pale ale but it really does not matter what style it is as this is a great beer. 
Pros: Easy to drink, well balanced, hoppy

Cons: Hard to get outside Vermont

Alcohol Content: 5.2% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 85
Rating:   
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead

Brewers Description: Edward (1917-2002) is our grandfather; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to him and his five children. In his honor, this American Pale Ale is dutifully crafted from American malted barley, a plethora of American hops, our ale yeast and water from Edward’s well. It is unfiltered, naturally carbonated, and dry hopped. Aromatic and flowery, with impressions of citrus and pine, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Edward.

Ingredients: Pale and Caramel malt; Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Columbus, Simcoe, and Warrior hops; Ale Yeast, and our Well Water. 13ºP