Flora - Hill Farmstead Brewery

vfgccp

New York

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A – Pillow of whip cream head leaves a spotted, but solid lace.

S – Light apple, peach, salt water taffy, and a hint of farm funk.

T – Light and soft up front. Tart and dry center with upripe white peach, touch of orange zest and white grapes. A kiss of oak settles the backend, and sweetens a bit with agave.

M – Light up front but builds into a medium body. Soft throughout and lightly dry on the finish.

O – A great summer brunch brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2011 23:24:48 | More by vfgccp

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft at Eulogy.

Pours a light golden orange color that is opaque with a two finger frothy, soapy white head that slowly fades into a thick lingering head.  Spotty lacing and chunks of soapy rings left behind.  

Slightly earthy, funky aroma that's bursting with lots of tropical fruit along with zesty spice and bready yeast.  Peppery with faint barnyard hints and light fruit.  Hints of mango, blood orange, pineapple and grapefruit.  Amazing!

Medium bodied with a perfect balance of funky barnyard, estery fruit and subtle spice.  Lots of citrus character with hints of blood orange, mango, pineapple, grapefruit and orange peel.   incredibly complex and dangerously drinkable.  Excellent balance of sweeter notes, earthy funk and zesty spice.  Highly recommended!  

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2011 20:46:26 | More by corby112

dragonWhale

New York

3.58/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloud of gold fills the glass.
It stares back at me, judging.
We all fall short of the glory,
Under stars and a lemon tree,
The slight funk of the night
Wafting through, just right.
The fields of wheat blazed through
Cut down by an angry beast -
A foul-tempered yeast - The barrel
Gives a bit of itself, not too much.
Keeps some for itself, no doubt.
Through the clean tart finish
I lick my lips clean, desirous
Maybe just a pinch more.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2011 01:48:22 | More by dragonWhale

Brad007

Vermont

4.22/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Flora pours a beautiful mild blonde color with a one-finger head.

The aroma is sour with hints of cherry and apple that entice the taste buds.

Taste is slightly sour upfront with a good amount of apple, cherry and oak (or is it bourbon) upfront. Very subtle.

The mouthfeel is full of faint, lingering sourness with hints of grape and apple.

An excellent example of the style. I would love to try some more.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2010 22:35:57 | More by Brad007

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.22/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap poured into a wine glass at the fall harvest event.

Pours a nice hazy orange color with a small light white head - turns into some fine lacing. Nose is similar to Florence but there's a noticeable funk presence here that I really like.

Taste is again very similar to Florence but pumped up in every way, it's got a more earthy tone to it, with some of the funk and oakiness to it. Really a nice step up from the normal version. Mouthfeel is pretty creamy and mellow, nice smooth carbonation lends it to being a damn easy drinking beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2010 21:21:27 | More by kingcrowing

Skrip

South Carolina

4.46/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into a Hill Farmstead oversized wine glass. batch 4

A~ crazy multiple hues of glowing orange. nice fluffy white head and a tad bit of lacing.

S~ lots of lemony tartness up front followed by some nice peppercorns. then of course the bready saison yeast on the finish.

T~ pretty much follows the nose with way more wine funk. heavy citrus and lots of pepper. just an all around great saison! mmmm....! the tartness!

M~ i love how wine barrels seem to give a thicker, slight oily feel. other than that, nice carbonation all around and a slightly dry finish.

O~ oh how i love HF saisons! i would drink any of them every day if i could! this one is aged in wine barrels so of course its a little superior =] overall i'd say... DELICIOUS!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 01:21:20 | More by Skrip

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Batch 4. 750ml capped bottle into a Cantillon tulip. Shared with schen9303.

A slow gusher. Pours a .5 finger foamy white head with as always, great retention. Beer is a crystal clear goldenrod that reveals ample carbonation. Lacing is thick, layered and web-like with excellent cling. Perfect.

Nose is white grape must tartness, some cobweb, wood, and floral/citrus/spice notes like coriander, orange peel, and a dash of peppercorn. Pretty mellow but very appetizing.

Opens citrus, froth, wood, and funk. Grape skins, coriander, and some Brett funkiness towards the middle. More spiciness at the back with a citrus and grape finish. A light, spritzy champagne-yeast tartness in the aftertaste. Delicious. Probably the best HF Saison I've had to date.

Light bodied with ample carbonation. Prickly and lively in the mouth and goes down quenching, smooth and aggressive. Messy finish with a dry, lingering aftertaste. So incredibly drinkable and quenching at the same time. I could easily take down gallons of this and enjoy every sip.

This beer is almost perfect in every way. Possibly one of the best beers I've had from Hill Farmstead... which is saying a lot considering all of their world class offerings. Flora is magnificent from start to finish. It looks incredible, smells incredible, the flavor is complex, yet light and quaffable and the body and ABV are such that I could drink this all day, every day. Flora is a masterpiece. Do yourself a favor and seek it out!

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 01:33:40 | More by SpeedwayJim

emerge077

Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Mark for sharing this one with us! Quick review from written notes.

Hazy gold color, with some visible micro sediment, topped with a thin layer of white foam that showed some lasting retention.

Light fruity sweetness in the aroma, along with some white wine minerality.

Tart and juicy grapefruit taste, puckering dry tartness in the finish. Effervescent, clean, crisp feel. Fresh and fruity. A very quenching Saison that hits all the right notes for me. Probably the closest to Fantome that's brewed stateside in my opinion. Highly recommended. Thanks again Mark!

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 02:19:38 | More by emerge077

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to TurdFurgison for this bottle. It's a batch 1, opened 2/16/2013.

Pours a hazy bright yellow with a thin head. Very pretty.

Smells of wine, bread, flowers, not very bold aromas but nice.

Taste is more sour than the nose, but the tartness is still very mild, this is a subtle beer and not in your face. I get bread and flower character again, plenty of wine barrel with grape skins, maybe some apple.

This is a really nice beer but not necessarily a stand out in the HF lineup we had. Most of the easier to get saisons were just as good.

8.2/10

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 15:35:27 | More by AlexFields

cfrances33

Illinois

5/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Batch 3 and batch 4 bottles, about a week apart, poured into a Hill Farmstead glass. Flavor profiles and review notes were checked and were nearly identical for both batches.

Pour: A hazy, glowing light orange with a nice two finger white fluffy head. Head is pretty sticky and leaves very nice lacing. Body is quite radiant.

Smell: Tart lemons and pear skin up front, followed by a light funk and light breadyness. Some white wine notes in there as well. A really nice oak comes through as it warms.

Taste: Tart lemons, pear juice up front, and a white grape must. A light funk, and some bready sweetness. A little bit of oak towards the finish really rounds everything out. Finishes tart with lemon juice and is quite dry.

Mouthfeel: Insanely drinkable. The beer is supremely refreshing. Very juicy, yet equally dry. Begs you to have another sip right after the first.

Overall: This beer is perfect. More simplistic, yet more elegant than Juicy. More drinkable and flavorful than Civil Disobedience #5. Fantastic. If any difference between batch 3 and batch 4 were to be noted, batch 4 had a slightly greater wine barrel presence, potentially due to the longer maturation in the barrels

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 18:48:33 | More by cfrances33

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Batch 3

Pours hazy medium yellow/straw with a small off-white head and some aggressive bubbles. Slight lacing down the glass.

Aroma features light fruits such as lemon and pear with a little bit of a grape like sweet. Good funk and a nice clean tartness.

I'm not sure words can describe how good this beer tastes, but I'll try anyway. Starts out with lemon, apple and pear flavors. As it rolls over the tongue, the tartness increases. Never getting overly sour, but pleasantly tart. Some white wine notes come into play as there are moderate amount of oak and a little chardonnay flavor. Finishes grainy and sublimely tart.

Creamy mouthfeel with good carbonation levels making the tartness really pop. I could've drank 3 bottles of this in one setting.

This is the best HF beer I've ever had and that's saying something considering how much I laud most of their stuff already. An absolutely perfect sour that was well balanced and complex without any one flavor or sensation overpowering the rest. I savored the last few sips of this and let it roll around all the parts of my tongue getting every last drop while secretly wishing I had chosen this to drink by myself instead of split with the girlfriend. Outside of Lente (which I'd need another taste of to compare) probably the best sour I've had.

If you have any bottles of this, please disregard the above review. They are bad. Send them all directly to me now for proper disposal.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 17:53:52 | More by jmarsh123

Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.18/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From a 750ml to hill farmstead glass

A: It looks like golden hone but light and somewhat translucent with a thin white head.

S: It smells very much of the wine barrels that it was aged. (didn't have any more notes)

T: Wow the taste follows the smell I am not a wine guy usually especially whites, but this tastes almost like a wine though it maintains integrity as beer. It definitely has taken in all of the flavors of the aging barrels. There is also a taste of citrus and berries it seems sweet but I often confuse sweet and dry.

M: It is lightly carbonated that feel almost reminds me of Champaign and goes down very easily.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 04:35:23 | More by Pinknuggets

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml into a couple snifters. The brew appears a hazed golden color with a fluffy white head. The cap hokda fairly well and as it recedes, produces a stringy webbing of lacework on the glass. A light swirl brings up a finger of yellowish cream.

The smell is tangy with citrus inclusion that are partially leaning towards lighter fruit elements coupled with a floral quality. As the brew opens up there are sulfuric tones mixed with cheese. Some mild tannins from the barrel and a pleasant vinous quality shows itself once the brew goes beyond ideal temperature.

The taste is quite tart with a flavoring of something along the lines of chardonnay. Fruity hints of pears, apples and lemon meets up with wheat, grass and earth. Towards the backend are some sulfuric notes that focus more on the earth and sulfur with a mild cheese to grassy character.

This is a light bodied brew with an effervescent level of carbonation. It is tangy and vinous more than expected. Overall a very good brew but despite its range of character, I kinda lost interest in this half way through my glass. It shows promise and its something id like to revisit again sometime but i wasnt the biggest fan of the sulfur and cheese inclusion. That aside, there are some good things going on here.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 19:55:05 | More by stakem

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 ml capped bottle into a couple of glasses. Thanks go to Stakem for sharing this during a recent Hill Farmstead tasting.

Pours a hazed gold, with a finger of frothy bright-white head. This stays rich and bubbly and coats the sides of the glass with swathes of creamy lacing. There’s a nice robust look to this. Wine barrel jumps right out in the aroma, with a tannic fruitiness that sits dryly in the nose. Honey, tartness and light funk sit along the back.

The taste is tart and earthy lemon character, some dark fruitiness, wheat, a touch of vanilla and honey. A dry tannic feel from the barrel sits on the edges of this, while a mildly funky tartness lingers in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a firm bubbly creaminess to the carbonation that expands out into the mouth. This overall flows pretty easily in the mouth and helps handle the strong tartness.

While I certainly found this to be interesting, the combination of wine barrel, Brett and wheat gave this a rather funky tartness throughout the profiles which my palate never did fully adapt to. I’m glad that I was able to try but I think that they’ve pulled off better with their barrel-aged Saisons from here.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 14:40:53 | More by Kegatron

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.7/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Presentation: 750 mL bottle slightly chilled and split with a friend. Poured into two Hill Farmstead tulip glasses. This is a Batch 4 that I picked up from the Brewery Saturday.

Appearance: Light straw yellow in color. A bit hazy. Gushed just a bit upon opening, but none of the beer was lost. Really nice white head.

Aroma: Really strong tart notes are noticable right off. Lemon, some definite funk, green apple are there. Some light wine barrel notes do a nice job smoothing this out too. Took me a while to want to taste this as the aroma was so outstanding.

Taste: Nice, crisp but strong sourness upfront. The lemon and green apple notes are really big. This almost feels more at home being called a sour than a saison. Plenty of funk and a slight sweet tone to balance out the sour from the wine barrel. The wheat does well here too as a counter to the tartness. Really refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and really light. The carbonation is pretty spot on.

Overall, I thought this bottle of Flora was near perfect. Really strong sour character and bright flavors really work well here. I have had batch 3 previously and I don't remember it being this sour or nearly this good. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 19:02:36 | More by Gosox8787

Kinsman

New Hampshire

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Birthday treat to myself picked up at the brewery this afternoon. Pours a clear light golden color and a foamy white head with a nice sticky lace.

Wine notes come across the nose right away with a nice fruity note and some spice note in the background. Bready backbone lays a nice foundation for the palate upon with the cider and grape flavors build on. Lemon citrus notes come through midway and take over from there on. A bit musty and spicy from the base beer but the barrel flavors hide it pretty well.

Light crispness and a medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, a good saison is only made better by the barrel treatment. Enjoying this quite a bit more than Florence.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 01:17:46 | More by Kinsman

smakawhat

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a Hill Farmstead wine stemware glass.

A little bit of a minor gush out of the bottle, Hits the glass with a classic creamy and whipped up tiny bubbled white head. Lots of clingy lacing while drinking. Body is a mix of opaque and clear with some whispy lacing coming off the side. Real nice glowing brassy gold, and lemon and peach apricot brown hues.

Nose is quite impressive. Hot brett, and toasty white baguette baked bread. Little lemon, lots of fruit, white vinegar, faint pepper. Fruit angle hits in many places, apricot, peaches, really nice smell.

Taste on the palate is wine like vinous, bringing all the brett like heat but tolerable. Lots of toasty bread finish on the aftertaste. Lemon zest, citrus and apricot. Real great thick white vinegar character on the palate.

Overall a great dry bretty saison, with huge fruit flavor character to it. Real fantastic brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 13:59:10 | More by smakawhat

UCLABrewN84

California

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle pour at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours a murky light yellow with a foamy beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, wine, funk, and spice. Taste is much the same and is quite sour. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good and drinkable beer with some great aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 01:40:17 | More by UCLABrewN84

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 (batch 3) poured into a tulip glass.

Poured with a huge, wispy head. Settles leaving thick lacing. Color is a gorgeous, radiant orange.

There is a musty grass aroma with a hint of citrus.

There is a dry citrus flavor upfront followed by sharp, dry tartness.

This is so light and refreshing. Just dry enough to leave me wanting more....sip after sip.

Definately another Hill Farmstead beer to seek and try.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 22:42:32 | More by DaveHack

kels

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Thanks to my awesome fiance for this surprise in my Christmas present this past year. I've been up that dirt road to Hill Farmstead in the summer...can't imagine it in December!

Pours a hazy bright straw yellow with vibrant visible carbonation and suspended matter floating about. The initial soft whisper of white head fades quickly to a floaty skim, leaving behind stringy rings of lace.

A tart yeasty funk hangs in the nose, accompanied by the slightest hint of herbs - parsley-like. Definitely smells more like a wine than a beer from the aging the French oak wine barrels.

Lock-jawingly tart is the first thing that comes to mind; however, in a quite pleasant way. There's refreshing lemon and a hint of green apple, and the floral/herbal finish has a heavy predominance of dill and parsley. Very nice, very crisp, very drying, very refreshing. Completely clean and dry finish.

Absolutely delicious, yet unusual enough to provide a challenge to my palate. Not one I could drink daily right now, but one I'd probably be sad to go without if I had a few more bottles to put down.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 22:48:05 | More by kels

MasterSki

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another bottle generously shared by Todd at my birthday bash. Served in a taster glass.

A - White foam settles to a thick collar and a few specks of lace. Murky dark straw body that's appropriate for the lower ABV.

S - Earthy and musty brett, peppery yeast, hint of sweet malts, oak, wheat, and an aged quality that is mildly evocative of an old attic.

T - Taste has more bready malts, with notes of spicy oak, funk, mild acidity, and an earthy and leather finish. Again, there's a nebulous 'old' quality to this - not sure what batch we were drinking - but it's not off-putting and seems to work with the earthy flavors.

M - Medium-light body, pleasant moderate carbonation. Dry, crisp, and refreshing. Pretty much what you'd expect from a barrel-aged 4.8% wheat beer.

D - Another solid beer from Hill Farmstead, but in the lower tier of their Saisons. Would rather have Art, Anna, or Clara over this offering. Still, quite easy to drink and helped break up a chain of heavier beers at the party.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 18:02:53 | More by MasterSki

05Harley

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch #3 (silver cap)
(150 calories)

Purchased on 2/18/12 @ Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro VT.

Pours a light golden color with a big two inch soapy white head. Tiny fines are visible suspended within the golden haze as heavy lacing adorns the glassware. A few lines of carbonation can be seen rising to the occasion.

Aroma is zesty with lemon leading the way followed by oak, grassy hops, pepper and a boat load of funk. Nice earthy tones here.

The flavor is rich in citric fruit, wheat bread, white wine and mineral water. A near perfect balance between sweetness and acidic aftertaste.

The body is light with moderate to low carbonation. Mouthfeel is acidic by nature and leads to a fairly strong tart feel. It doesn't take long to notice the dryness set in but it goes perfectly with the style.

Overall a fine example of the style, full of flavor and quite sessionable to boot. A must have for any BA.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 00:33:53 | More by 05Harley

RuckusDu

Colorado

4.23/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - large white head which quickly falls to an 1/8 inch. Body is cloudy yellow/gold/wheat. Good lacing.

S - light tart flavors. Lemon, apple, and grapefruit. Some funkiness in there as well.

T - beautiful beer. Nice acidity of lemon and grapefruit. Well balanced.

M - light body and just less than moderate carbonation.

O - Kelsie likes it so it must be good. Wonderful.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 21:18:38 | More by RuckusDu

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle, batch 1, received from youbrewidrink. Thank you, Joe. The bottle mentions this is 5% ABV.

Pouring a hazy straw yellow with a dense, white head with excellent retention and lacing, this is top notch as far as appearances go. Lacing is minimal, but that's OK. The nose is pretty excellent. Opening with a blend of straw, grass and light honey, the saison base is still extremely noticeable here. The Brett hasn't done too much here, though there is a very nice blend of clove and light tropical fruit notes that complement the saison yeast. The wine character is mild, with the fruity vinous notes working well with honey. Both the nose and appearance suggest white wine barrels were used. The nose is wonderfully integrated and very harmonious, creating a deceptively simple nose that's actually quite deep.

The palate opens with a blend of straw, hay and Brett-derived flavors of clove, a little pineapple and some more wet hay. The base saison was probably too dry to give the bugs a lot to chew through, though. Mildly floral with a touch of honey on the mid-palate, this dries up on the finish leaving a blend of hay and clove. The wine barrel character comes through as a mildly boozy white wine with some tannins. There doesn't seem to be much from the saison yeast here, though that could be the age.

Ultimately, the palate is a let down compared to the nose, it just doesn't mesh together like the nose. The bone dry beer just doesn't have enough of a foundation for the Brett to work with. Rousing the yeast does help. Light in body and highly carbonated, this does feel a little watery on the palate at times. Solid stuff, though I have a feeling this beer shouldn't really be aged.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 02:19:23 | More by DefenCorps

scottfrie

California

4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for this one Michael!

A: Pours a lightly hazy citrus golden with a couple fingers of bright white head that slowly faded into a bubbly film that left streaks of sticky lace down the glass.
S: Light notes of peaches and other light fruits, wheat, straw/hay and earth. I’m getting a few lightly tart notes from the wine barrel as well.
T: Big notes of wheat and lightly tart citrus, lemon peel, chardonnay, hay, grass, straw, earthy funk, peach, apricot, and herbal, earthy hops and spices.
M: Medium-full body, soft and fluffy but ample carbonation, drying but not a desert. Decent barrel influence.
O: The wine barrel adds an interesting tartness to this saison that sets it apart from the other ones that I’ve had from this brewery. Unique and interesting, but not my favorite of HF's lineup. I'd drink this again though. Cheers, SneezyAchew!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 08:51:47 | More by scottfrie