Riwaka Pale Ale - Hill Farmstead Brewery

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from tap into provided stemware at the 2012 Harvest Fest. Pours a hazy light orangey hay with a good amount of foam. Huge huge hop aromas...realy nice pine and citrus. Taste is fantastic pine, citrus, grass hop flavor but almost bitter/sweet at the same time. Very well balanced with the malts as the usual hop bomb bitterness is so well masked that just the hop flavor is noticeable. Superb huge hop APA!

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2012 23:51:40 | More by DrinkSlurm

Sean9689

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at HF Harvest Fest 2012 and poured into HF wine glass.

Pours a golden yellow color, hazy, white frothy head, spotty lace. Aroma is citrus zest, grass, and light pine...very little malts in this beer. Flavor is citrus and grass, less pine then the nose. Light body good carbonation, oily hoppy finish.

An excellent APA that was just super-easy to drink and contained a massive amount of hoppy goodness. How can you go wrong with that combo? Answer, you can't. Another winner from HF.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2012 19:45:26 | More by Sean9689

jbertsch

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice golden color. A big hazy. Fluffy white head.

Wonderful aroma of citrus fruits and grass. A little straw-like grain noticeable.

Taste follows suit. Slightly astringent citrus-hops (lemon, grapefruit) and lemongrass greet you with a touch of bitterness up front but smooth out immediately. Mild honey-like malts in the back. The finish sweetens just slightly. Very chuggable.

Mouthfeel is smooth as always with HF beers. Decent body for the lower ABV.

Overall this is very much like What Is Enlightenment, but with a slightly bolder body and not as borderline watery. However, as good as the aroma is here, it's just a notch below the incredible nose of W.I.E.

A beautiful little pale ale, yet again, from HF.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2012 13:18:30 | More by jbertsch

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750ml growler filled at the brewery yesterday. Split two ways. Poured into a Hill Farmstead stemmed glassware.

A- Pours a yellowish golden with about a finger's worth of thick frothy white head that leaves nice thick layered lacing. Decent carbonation. Very similar in appearance to the Simcoe Pale ale that I drank earlier today.

S- Pale malts and some wheat mixed with light citrus hops that have light aromas of lemon.

T- Perfectly balanced between light lemon hops and pale malts. Finishes with a light lemon taste. Not as flavorful as some beers, but very pleasant flavors coming through that make for a very enjoyable beer that I could drink over and over again.

M- Super refreshing, super drinkable- goes down almost like water, nice carbonation, fairly light bodied, probably one of the best if not the best mouthfeel I've experienced on a pale ale.

O- This was a fantastic APA, without a doubt one of my favorites. I can't say Riwaka is my favorite hop varietal, but this beer was fantastically made. Don't expect a ton of citrus, but nice light lemon qualities that balance with the pale malts very well. The drinkability on this beer was amazing, I could easily drink a 2L growler of it. If you like light beers without overpowering citrus and a very high drinkability this beer is definitely the beer for you.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 22:26:26 | More by jaasen64

phingdong

New Hampshire

4.68/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap from a friend's kegerator. Picked up at HF last week (thanks Shaun and Phil!). Multiple glasses. Looks similar to all HF pale ales, which is a nice, vibrant orange with a fluffy white head. The aroma is fantastic. Combines the grassy, dank, earthy hops traits with the citrus and tropical. The taste follows the nose. Piney, earthy, tropical and just delicious. The flavor profile is one of the best I've had (and a single hop at that!). At 5.2%, this packs a mountain of flavor. I could drink this forever.

Too bad these hops are so scarce. I hope the next crop of Riwaka is more abundant and this is made again in the future. Perhaps even an imperial Riwaka...

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2012 18:46:17 | More by phingdong

plaid75

New York

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draft at the Blind Tiger, NYC.

Poured a hazy bright orange hue with a one finger frothy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a light piney hop with a slight essence of tropical fruit.

The taste was upfront piney with secondary waves of grapefruit and pepper. Soft malt provided an adequate platform.

The mouthfeel was clean and toward the thinner side of the style.

Overall a tasty hop forward ale. Easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2011 17:37:35 | More by plaid75

Brad007

Vermont

5/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Note: IPA brewed with Riwaka hops from New Zealand.

Pours a mild amber color, bordering on orange/ruby red with a thin head into my glass.

A heavy citrus presence greets the nose, mainly grapefruit and mango. Unique.

Grapefruit and mango notes greet the tongue. Certainly not as strong as sorachi ace with more of a balance. Buttery malt shows up near the edge of the tongue.

Mouthfeel is dominated by the buttery malt. Very chewy with a texture that amazes.

Shaun has done it again. Riwaka is an amazing IPA that will challenge your palate. I just have to give this a perfect 5. I'm constantly amazed by what he can do and this IPA is a must-try!

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2010 21:55:18 | More by Brad007