Ice and Beer Go Great Together....

Day #415 Anna / Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro, VT

Previously from this brewery: Arthur, Clara, Harlan, and George

Courtesy of some ice and freezing rain in my neighborhood, I just slid back down my driveway.  No, not on purpose, it's just that BlogNamedBrew Manor sits on a hill, and getting up the driveway in winter can be quite an adventure.  I like to think of it as an Winter X Games sport... can Gary walk up the icy driveway, get about one and a half feet from the steps near the house, and then slide alllllllllllll the way back down to the bottom without falling?

Indeed I can, and in fact today I did this feat while talking on the phone with my sister.  Let's see Shaun White do that.  I have skills.  I also have wet socks, as it's easier to get back up the hill in socks than dress shoes.  Life is hard in the suburbs.

But enough about my adventures, let's talk beer.  Tonight's beer is Anna, a saison from Hill Farmstead in Vermont.  This one was on draft at Pinnochio's, where I had lunch last Monday.  Pinnochio's is a pizza shop with an amazing beer list, a huge bottle selection, some very good food, some questionable service, a beer garden smaller than my car, and mountains of copyright infringement going on.  Back to the beer: in the glass, you see a dark, hazy golden color with a good bit of white foam.  The aroma is light, with grain, citrus, and spice.  The taste brings you loads of tart lemon, yeast, peppery spice, some malt sweetness, and a moderately dry finish.  An outstanding beer, and by now you should know that any time you see Hill Farmstead on draft, order it immediately and do not ask questions.

U MAD, Walt Disney?

Hill Farmstead was a nominee in my Brewery of the Year discussion, although they came up short in the end.  I do accept bribes for my 2013 list, should anyone from Hill Farmstead be reading this.

Thing to Think About Today:

The only music that goes through my head as I ski/skate/slide/toboggan down my drive way in the winter?  That would of course be Fantastic Voyage, and you're all welcome to join my new winter sport.  If you make it down safely, there's a huge party waiting in the trunk of my car for us.  It's going to be legendary......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3QAHZicSjQ

"Slide, slide, slippity slide / I do what I do just to survive"

Day 378: Hill Farmstead Arthur

I cannot be trusted around sushi. After an evening of sheer oceanic gluttony last night, I'm going in for Round 2 sushi dinner. Same restaurant. Some of the same people. I'm curling my hair and considering wearing glasses as a disguise. And yes, the food is that good. 

In the spirit of back-to-back sushi nights, I'm reviewing back-to-back beers from Hill Farmstead. As you may recall, just three days ago, I shared my commentary on their brew by the name of Clara. Both were had at TJ's 9th anniversary party a few weekends ago and if I had to pick a winner in a Hill Farmstead battle, I'd go with the Arthur.  

Arthur is a saison or farmhouse ale and is named for the brewer's grandfather's youngest brother. Per the Hill Farmstead description of Arthur, it is a saison crafted from American malted barley, American and European hops, their distinctive farmhouse yeast and water from the farm's well. It is unfiltered and naturally carbonated.

From the picture, you'll see that the Arthur poured a hazy but not cloudy deep gold color. It smells of tart yeast and malt. A fantastic smell that I love in a saison. The flavor was light bread, grass, a little more funk than I expected and a very nice subtle pear. My notes indicated some hesitation between green apple and pear. I wrote down and crossed out both of them multiple times and settled on pear.  

Beer stats

Style: Saison / Farmhouse ale

ABV: 6%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed beers from Hill Farmstead 

My review of George

Gary's review of Harlan

My very recent review of Clara

Day 375: Hill Farmstead Clara

Is this week whipping by for anyone else? All week I've had the "Holy crap! It's 4:45 p.m.!" panic. I imagine this will continue the remainder of the week at which point, I'll just run away from all the work I didn't get done this week. New year. New start.


Another creepy hand photo.
Sweet.



Today's beer is from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont. Hill Farmstead is a great family story that starts with a great-great-great-grandfather who was a tavern owner and continues through today with some phenomenal beers with great family connections. I encourage you to read more about them here.

This particular beer is the Clara--named for the brewer's grandfather’s sister. The brewery rests upon the land that was once home to her and her 13 siblings! This Clara is a grisette, which is a style of beer I've come to enjoy thanks to my beer adventure. 

It is to coal miners what a saison is to farmers.  It also may be served by French prostitutes. So there's that...

Clara poured a hazy wet straw color with a small white head.  There was plenty of lacing left behind as I enjoyed this one.  The smell is mellow fruit and fruity hops.  The taste is pepper and grass and very bright.  At 4% ABV, it was quite sessionable.

Beer stats

Style: Grisette 

ABV: 4%

IBUs: unknown

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed beers from Hill Farmstead 

My review of George

Gary's review of Harlan

Beer is Insane (in the Membrane)

Beer #223 Harlan / Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro Bend, VT

We've survived another week, and we're a few steps closer to the goal.  Survive and advance, my friends, survive and advance.  Not much planned for the weekend, although we're cramming in a 20+ mile bike ride, farmers market visit, trip to the Mini dealership, a trip to a new bottle shop in the area, a visit to Tired Hands and dinner with friends, and all of the remaining episodes of Breaking Bad at our disposal.  Okay, so maybe we have a few things planned here and there.

Today's beer is Harlan, an IPA from Hill Farmstead.  Had this one on draft at Teresa's Next Door, which was fortunate timing as there had been a Hill Farmstead event the day prior.  In the glass, it has a hazy straw color, with a fluffy white head, although that might be related to the fact I had the last beer in the keg.  Your nose picks up aromas of lemon and pine, and when you take a sip you get a dry hop bitterness, with lemon, grapefruit, and pine throughout.  There's an earthy quality in there, and this beer is unquestionable proof that fantastic IPAs are not the exclusive domain of the West Coast or Colorado.  Hits the right spot at 6% ABV, and I'm moving it into my Top 25 for the year.

Hill Farmstead has become a "cult brewer" (my phrase) over the past two years, building up an incredible reputation and devoted fan base in a short amount of time.  In an earlier paragraph, I mentioned that finding this beer on draft was fortunate - that's because any time a local bar taps something from this brewery, a swarm of beer geeks descends on the bar like a plague of thirsty locusts, devouring all the Hill Farmstead beer in their path.  As their production is limited, people have in fact started selling bottles of their limited releases on the web for hundreds of dollars (although, the brewery is working to put an end to this illegal practice).  If you see it on draft, drink it immediately.  Do not wait, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Thing to Think About Today:
Hill-related thing to go with your beer tonight, perhaps appropriate to kick off a Friday night?  Sure, why not!  Cypress Hill, the floor is yours:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RijB8wnJCN0

Beer 36: Hill Farmstead George or Damn You, Sinuses, Damn You Straight to Hell

Much to my chagrin, I woke up with a headache to end all headaches on Saturday.  I'm assuming it was of the sinus variety as I could barely pick my head up off the pillow without my eyeballs threatening to pop out of my head or my teeth attempting to set off on their own.  Me and pain don't mix well.  So last night at around 10:30 p.m., my dream/nightmare came true.  ?uestlove was indeed the mystery DJ at the exhibit opening that I decided I could not rally for.  As he was taking the stage, I was in my pajamas near tears in tears.

Somehow I actually felt better about things in the morning when I woke up with the same sinus headache on Sunday morning.  Who knew feeling so bad could make me feel so much better.  But a bunch of Advil and a giant cup of coffee later, I finally kicked that damn headache.  But I've definitely delayed my efforts to be more daring in 2012.  Rats.

Anyway...on to the the beer.  Today's beer is Hill Farmstead's George.  Funny thing about Hill Farmstead is that they name all their beers after family members.  George was the brewers' grandfather's brother.  Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to George and his 13 siblings.  George of the beer variety is an American Brown Ale.  But George didn't exactly present as a brown ale.  It was very stout-like.  It poured with a thick tan head.  It smelled sweet with some fruit and hops.  The taste was complex -- I swear I tasted tea, roasted malt, and it drank much thicker than the milk stouts from earlier in the week.  It was lightly carbonated and finished with a hopped bitterness.

I would love to try more beer from Hill Farmstead, but unfortunately most everything that was on tap at Teresa's Next Door (Wayne, PA) had kicked by the time I got there.  I realize I don't have photographic evidence of Hill Farmstead's George, so instead I leave you with a great photobomb:

Tailgreat 2011

Happy three day weekend, folks!  There is definitely more beer here with my name on it!