Flora - Hill Farmstead Brewery

Bardwashrind

Colorado

5/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Batch 3

As many have stated, there are characteristics in the beers from Hill Farmstead that ring true and nearly iconic. I certainly have caught the bug and fallen under the spell that come with each new bottle or growler from this impressive brewery. I have had a previous experience with Flora, and yet, Batch 3 caught me off guard.

This is simply near perfection.

Funky but restrained, wild but with character, tart but wonderfully balanced and complex in such a long, heady way, there is something special about this bottle. While it shines with flavors that are comfortable and even defined, there is still a slight edge of origin that can't be replicated. This beer, possibly more so than other HF brews, sings with sincere voice of truth as to where it was created.

Flora doesn't plow one over with loud intensity, it's the subtle whispers that infect your head as the first glass is nearing end. Each sip is like a growing beam of light that takes over, heightens the moment and boarders on euphoric. I'm in envy of any within a 100 mile radius of this brewery.

It's the space in-between movements. The silence after the bang. The first light from beyond the darkness.

If this is the direction Hill Farmstead is taking with their spontaneous cultures/wine barrel aging program than we have a great deal to look forward to. This truly is the most engaging and exciting brewery in America, possibly the world. I only hope to one day see the view from the farm.

ISO: Flora batch 3, permanently.

Fucking magic right here.

Batch #1
Bottle came from the generous hands of RSchaeffer. Thanks so much for kicking things off like this.

The obsession fully takes hold after this bottle.

Upon the warmth of a later summer evening, the thought of a wine barrel finished Saison made perfect sense.

Flora poured with a lively head that topped our glasses with thick foam. Yeasty bread and peaches came to mind after first whiff. Some barrel notes, perhaps nutty and even hay based without being at all funky. Pleasurable with a rustic styled approach.

The initial taste brought upon a faint smile for it was so bare bones in application. Brett, stone fruit (peaches), more yeast and a distinct Saison element showed through. The mouth feel came off a touch on the lighter side but multiple sips allowed for the barrel presence to continually be felt. Quite nice because the base style could still be known. Not dominated by wine or oak but fairly obvious that more than just stainless was being applied.

Only the third Hill Farmstead I have tried but the first where I feel I understand where this brewery is coming from. While intentionally looking for subtle flavors, they can be found, if just drinking for thirst quenching reasons, the beer is still delicious.

Most likely one of the closest comparisons to that of the rural breweries of Belgium/France that specialize in farmhouse styles.
Flora was very enjoyable and the end of the bottle brought a sense of desire through delight that will only be fulfilled by experiencing more beers from Hill Farmstead.

4
4
4
3.5
4

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 16:15:14 | More by Bardwashrind

drabmuh

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 3 shared by someone at a recent tasting, thanks!

Beer is yellow with a haze, nice big white head, small and medium bubbles, some lacing.

Aroma is Brett and a little grain with a mild malt sweetness behind it, strong overall, I like the aroma.

Beer is light in body on a dry finish, mildly bitter, a little grainy, the midpalate is all yeast, Brett b probably maybe some fruitness from some Brett c as well. Fruity and floral with a funk and oakiness at the back half, a nice saison and I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 18:20:32 | More by drabmuh

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I shared this one with everyone after the bottle share a few weeks back. Bought it at the Brass Rail for way too much money...I believe it was a Batch 2

A - Pours murky golden yellow with a nice one finger tall white head leaving very light streaks of lace down parts of the glass.

S - Smells of typical saison funk, lemon, green apples, fresh cut grass, oak and some wet earth. Nothing too complex yet still very nice.

T - Starts off with some fruitiness - mostly citric fruit and fresh green apples - quickly giving way to hints of oak, grass, damp earth and plenty of chewy wheat. I was expecting a bit more funk, all tho I am not sure if it needs it. Finish is dry, lingering on the pallet long after consumption.

M - Light body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Fairly dry finish lingers on the pallet for quite awhile after each sip.

O - I had the base beer of this one and thought it was decent but this one is definitely an improvement on that one. The barrels really helped to round things out. Good stuff for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 18:51:52 | More by orangesol

oline73

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy yellow color with a hint of orange. There is a layer of white head that fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Slightly funky and quite herbal. Light and crisp, very nice.

Taste: Very light with just a touch of funk. There is a wine tartness. This beer is really refreshing.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is light with foamy carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: Light and easy to drink with a mild wine note. I thought this was a very good Saison.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 01:20:46 | More by oline73

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Shared with JLindros, batch #3.

A - Poured into a golden hue with a fluffy two finger head that left lots of big, sticky side lacing. That nice two finger head slumped down to leave a nice thick blanket.

S - Nice funky yeast notes with good sour notes from seemingly almost Brett. Lots of those taste, aromatic white wine barrell notes too. Good lemon citrus aspects too.

T - Starts off with nice lambic sour qualities, very nice vinuous notes from the white wine aging. Fades to leave a very bready wheat note with a nice flemmy finish. The sourness definately draws one back for more. Aftertaste is very bread like.

M - Mouthfeel is a bit flat due to the bottle blowing up upon opening. No warning at all! Slightly dry at the end.

O - Overall, this isnt my favourite beer from Hill Farmstead. Its still a tasty beer and I'm very glad I bought it. Dont think I could have put back a whole bottle myself.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 20:52:18 | More by rudzud

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to rudzud for sharing, batch 3.

Erupts over the top after popping the cap, big fluffy head fades semi slowly with tons of lacing, super hazy golden wheat orange color, bit of yeast chunks at the bottom.

Nose is like saison brett, really nice saison farmhouse with light lemon, hint floral spices, floral saison yeast, nice brett, funk light barnyard, light musty vinous like aroma, hint of tart fruit and acidic wild sourness, light chardonnay and toasty oak.

Taste a bit sweet then quite sour, tart fruit and light lemon, acidic, a bit of brett like funk and some dry bready malts. Nice lactic acid, lambic. Then saison, light farmhouse saison, touch of light wheat, fluffy, hint spices, but a bit thin. Hint of a vinous like chardonnay, and hint of toasty oak. Finish is juicy,a bit of lemon peel bitterness and tartness, bit more lactic acid, bready malts, an interesting wheat and farmhouse saison dry finish as well.

Mouth is a bit thin, feels like it should have lots of carbonation but somehow doesn't which I think makes it feel a bit thin overall.

Overall fantastic, great saison base, nice funk and wild flavors, great lambic like tart fruits and lactic acid, bready malts and light wheat flavors add a move twist, as well as light chardonnay barrel.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 19:00:05 | More by jlindros

largadeer

California

3.53/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Rating is a composite of the two batches.

Batch 1:

Milky pale blond with a tall lasting white head.

Smells great. Very floral, perfumey. Nice fruitiness, very berry-like, specifically blackberries. Vinous notes, citrus, strawberry.

Palate has a sharpness to it up front, a nice blackberry-strawberry fruitiness. Citrus, too, along with vinous notes and a mild lactic character. Very light with a dry and tannic finish. Exceptionally good.

4
4.5
4.5
4.5
4.5

Batch 2:

Same appearance as batch 1. Tons of cheesy funk on the nose here. Very bretty, a bit metallic. Tastes cheesy, lactic, funky, vinous. Dry finish. Not great, this batch has an overwhelming blue cheese character. It's drinkable, but it doesn't live up to batch 1.

4
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 20:48:45 | More by largadeer

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Originally posted under Florence (incorrectly) This is the beer I had and the bottle confirms it.**

Special Thanks to Jctribe25 for providing this bottle in one of our informal trades. Patrick is a great Ba member and a fantastic trading partner.

Enjoyed this bottle at a tailgating pre-party for the Zac Brown/Kenny Chesney concert. The beer was a perfect match for the sunny somewhat hot afternoon. A nice refreshing saision.

A fluffy cloud like head formed and showed excellent retention. Slightly hazy, dull gold straw in color. Excellent lace.
Very fruity, a touch of barnyard, earthiness. Some yeast and some spice. Very intriguing. Yes, the aroma is very saison like.
Nice effort here. Deep and complex come to mind immediately. Bright and lively as well. Light fruit, pepper, yeast and spice all blend to create a wonderful flavor. Plenty of earthy notes in the flavor as well. Maybe green apple, pear. Not sure I would have ever noted wheat as a special ingredient.

Very refreshing and light. Flavor is complex and body is delicate. A nice combination.

I had no expectations here and really enjoyed this beer. It did fit our event perfectly and I really enjoyed it. Well done! Thanks Patrick

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 20:41:32 | More by Reagan1984

claspada

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice very cloudy yellow/straw color with a big white head.

Aromas begin with a nice straw, wheat presence. There is a lemony tartness that emerges as it warms coupled with some grassiness, earthiness and a little oak.

The tastes begin with grainy wheat malt, some hay/straw and a light sourness. Light fruit notes of apple and pear with lots of lemon zest and some green apple. Some bacterial notes with a bit of grassy and earthy funk.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with above average carbonation, but it works with the stle here. Finish is dry and crisp, almost like a really good pilsner-like bite at the end.

Overall this was a very good beer, not the best of the style or something I necessarily need or want to have again, but this is also not a style I really love. Would be great during the warmer monthes of the year for sure, but is just not hitting the right mark for me on this chilly fall day. Still quite good and recommended if readily available to you or if it can be acquired easily.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 15:56:55 | More by claspada

homebrew311

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to the Central PA crew for sending this in the gang bang BIF.

A: pours cloudy yellow, thin layer of white head, not much in the way of retention

S: nose is fragrant with notes of citrus, in your face lemon with hints of banana in the background, sourdough bread, some floral notes as well

T: tart up front, lemon zest, some hops are present, slight bitterness in the middle, the finish is sweet

MF: high carbonation, light body, very refreshing

O: nice blend of spice and lemon, not a typical wild ale, has the taste profile more similar to a weiss of some sort, either way it is a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 07:20:48 | More by homebrew311

jbernier83

Maine

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

Poured into an Allagash Coolship glass with lots of fluffy pale straw colored head with slightly darker liquid. The foamy cushion dissapated fairly fast leaving a thin layer or bubbles.

Smells is of apple, banana, honey, and plenty of funk.

White wine, tart lemon zest, slight oak, bretta funk, with a hoppy finish that is nice and bitter.

light dry mouth feel fairly bubbly, but leaves the mouth feeling a slight rubbery coating.

I really enjoyed this, taste the yeast seemed mild at the start yet very apparent in the finish. Felt refreshed after drinking it and would love another glass.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 00:56:15 | More by jbernier83

Florida9

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Very cloudy straw colored pastel yellow. Forms a large white head that quickly reduces to a mere surface coating.

S: Lots of funk. Gum ball, yeast, apple, and a little banana.

T: Starts off with a light lemon sweetness. Tart with a buttery chardonnay-like quality. Rather vinous. Yet the flavor is light. Reminiscent of a white wine.

M: On the lighter side, with a slight viscosity to it. Medium carbonation.

O: Very good. Rather complex set of flavors. Typically saisons are quick drinkers, but this one made me slow down and really appreciate it.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 01:29:07 | More by Florida9

vfgccp

New York

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
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

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a flared pokal.

Big thanks to the Central PA group of the Gang Bang BIF for this bottle!

Never had a barrel-aged saison before (that I can remember, anyway...), so this oughta be a fun li'l experiment. It pours a clear pale straw topped by a finger of white foam. The nose comprises red wine grapes, tart-ish orange, dank oak, and a touch of grass. The taste holds notes of sour grapes, wheat, honey, sourdough, light clove, and some very light mandarin orange. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a pretty dry finish. Overall, a very nice saison, one that definitely seems to get a boost from the wine barrels.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 03:35:03 | More by TMoney2591

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.29/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

Served along side Hill Farmstead Art, Arthur, Civil Disobedience, and McKenzie Irma Extra.

The beer is yellow and hazy, with a sizable white head that leaves ample lacing on the snifter. The aroma brings brettanomyces, oak, citrus, pale malts, grain, yeast. The flavor is pretty good. Heavy on the brett character, and a bit unbalanced. Still, a tasty and enjoyable beer. Medium bodied with solid carbonation. Good beer. I would have this again.

Update: had this again tonight. Lovely aroma and beautiful balance. Delicious.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 17:44:05 | More by Huhzubendah

yourefragile

District of Columbia

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

Batch 2, capped but not corked 750 mL bottle share by Mr. Thorpe. Tasted with Art, Arthur, et al.

Color is cloudy, pale golden with a thick white head. Head fades quickly to a collar of bubbles with nice sheets of lacing.

Aroma is a pleasant blend of funk, citrus, wheat, pale malt, straw, and grass. Some oak, but not as much as Art.

Flavor starts similar to Art. Light saison yeast; more sweet than spice or funk, before some fruit and wine transition into a dry, wheat and yeast based finish. Lemon, grassy and herbal with subtle wine and oak tinges. Brett funk is present throughout, but not as strong as others have mentioned. Very unique and enjoyable. Similar body to other HF saisons, medium thick with a crisp, dry finish.

Haven't tried both batches yet, but Number 2 is drinking well right now.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 04:17:37 | More by yourefragile

Soonami

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BrewerDan23 for sharing this bottle.

This beer pours a very cloudy gold with just a little island of lazy white foam. The beer smells overwhelmingly bretty with huge funk that's like bad breath. The beer is very dry and thin, low in carbonation and has little hopping. The beer tastes mostly like funk with over ripe papyas, buttery oak and cracker-y malt. To me, it's a fairly one-dimensional brett-bomb and I was looking for a bit more complexity.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 15:58:44 | More by Soonami

SpdKilz

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Taken from notes. Had at a small tasting at wedgie9’s apartment and thanks to Ryan for the bottle. Batch 1.
Appearance – Pours into a tulip with a hazy gold color. About a finger of head is achieved with a soft pour that dissipates slowly leaving nice chunky lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell – A wonderful aroma of barnyard funk, lemon zest, apple, wet hay, leather, honey, and tartness.

Taste – To be honest, the taste is a bit of a letdown. I was expecting a bit more in your face funk and flavor, but it was a bit subdued. Perhaps a bit more of age would have been beneficial to this beer. The initial taste is not so much sour/tart as it is earthy. Hay and barnyard must (not funk) is prevalent, slight lemon and apple sour citrus flavors, wheat, oak, and bread. A complex beer, albeit not what I was expecting.

Mouthfeel – Medium bodied, spritzy carbonation.

Overall – A good saison and one I am glad I was able to try. However, that said, I would take Bam Biere over this any day. I wish the sour/funk was a bit more dominant. Drinkability was great, and I would honestly love to try this with a couple years on it.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 02:54:35 | More by SpdKilz

cosmicevan

New York

3.68/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

enjoyed this at a barrel aged tasting on 2011-08-06 alongside art and earl.

golden straw yellow with a bubbly head that's gone pretty quickly. very wheat and musty on the nose...almost rubbery. someone in the group said it has that "new car" smell and that is a good way to describe it. pretty muted taste. again, somewhat rubbery and "new car." the mouth was smooth, not fizzy...good. overall a good beer, not great. the barrels didn't do much to the flavor and the base beer doesn't see so wonderful. glad i tried it, but not something i'd knock out my cellar to get, although this beer is as advertised, wheat saison in wine barrels, the summation just is not that spectacular in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 02:56:07 | More by cosmicevan

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml Batch 2 bottle, courtesy of Knifestyles, into a tasting glass.

A: Clear straw body with some floaties (I got one of the last pours at the tasting table; others' glasses are totally clear); one-finger head of super-fine white bubbles; Great retention, solid sheets of lace. Very nice.

S: Beautifully floral (and therefore aptly named) and winey, with lightly fruity white wine and delicately leafy + floral hops. Some dry, toasty oak as well. Terrific.

T: Follows the nose - white wine fruitiness is up front, followed by some vanilla oak and finally a dry, floral hoppy finish. Great.

M: Light body with moderate, soft carbonation. Nice.

O: Excellent beer; I don't know about calling it a Wild Ale, but the barrel definitely added some nice depth and complexity to this fresh and refreshing brew.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 01:13:05 | More by woosterbill

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Batch 1 bottle, corked & capped, purchased at the anniversary party in May. This pours a clear pale golden color, SRM of 3 or maybe just a little higher. Nice foam, pillowy and dry looking, with sheets of lacing on the glass.

The nose has just a hint of bret, funky and sweet smelling. Other then that a little cidery, maybe a touch of smarties too. I've been impressed with the subtleties of the HF beers I've tried and the aroma on this one is no exception.

It tastes nice but is a bit simpler than I'd wanted/expected. Clean tasting, nothing major from the malts except maybe a little sweetness, a dry but understated bite in the back from the bret, some floral things too from the hops or yeast, nice but not deep. Maybe that's what HF was after, they really seem to craft beer in a way I haven't experienced from too many other breweries.

Overall this was solid but a little straightforward. I'd definitely have it again (and I will as I have more bottles). I'll review the batch 2 bottles later when I try them.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 20:31:55 | More by TurdFurgison

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Todd for sending me this beer. Capped bottle from Batch 2.

A: The beer pours a very cloudy yellow/straw color with a big white head.

S: There is a nice lemony tartness with a hint of green apple. A decent amount of funkiness, particularly grass, straw, and musty oak. Some fruit notes and a fairly strong aroma of wheat.

T: Light fruit notes of apple and pear with lots of lemon zest and some green apple. Big wheat aroma with a bit of bread. Some bacterial notes with a bit of grassy and earthy funk.

M: Somewhat light in body with medium carbonation and a dry finish.

O: I liked this one a bit more than Art. Really nice and complex.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 01:02:11 | More by womencantsail

Bendurgin

Maine

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Andy for sharing another beer from Hill Farmstead. Poured into a chalice. This one pours a light straw with about an inch of fluffy white head. Lots of lively visible carbonation on this one with sticky lace.

As andy was pouring this I could smell apples. Granny Smith apples are a dominant aroma here with a little bit of lemon and some oak and grapes. More of a brett flavor is dominating the pallet. A lot different than the aroma. Lots of brett and oak on the pallet. Soft white grape flavor here with a little bit of a floral hop flavor to finish.

Really a nice light body here with soft carbonation. A really well done saison. The wine barrel aging seems to be pretty well done here.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 01:17:51 | More by Bendurgin

andrewinski1

Maine

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip. Nice large sticky head atop a barely hazy light golden color.

As I poured this I got a strong aroma of apples. This delighted me because it reminded me of the aroma in the Fantôme Saison. Upon sticking my nose in there I get a slight hint of lemongrass and peach.

The taste is a wonderful balance of toast and biscuit malt in the front and fruitiness in the finish. There is a touch of honey and the oak makes it's presence known.

This is very light and drinkable, the carbonation makes a crisp and refreshing drink.

The aroma and appearance got my hopes up really high; though the taste falls slightly short of the best Saisons in the world, this is well deserving of high praise.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 01:17:51 | More by andrewinski1

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +9.2%
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