Clara Grisette - Hill Farmstead Brewery

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

2.05/5  rDev -48.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

1 liter swingtop growler to tulip. Sampled on 8/11/11, one week after the fill. This growler did some traveling, so the temps were up and down a couple of times. I'm hoping that the counter pressure fill and the small 1cm headspace helps to hold up the beer.

A: No pop on opening. Very little effervescence visible. Scant 1 finger white head, bubbly & whispy and quick to diminish. The body is a light yellow-orange with golden hints, mostly clear with a touch of haze. Despite the small head, the lace stuck to the glass in decent amounts.

S & T: Light and very straightforward malt bill with notes of straw and general grain aroma. Hops suggest dried grass and flower stems. The earthiness is ample and light notes of funk and must back it up. Light rubbery phenols bring the score down. Short flavor duration.

M: Carbonation aside, the mouthfeel delivers what you expect out of a 4% beer. With no sound upon opening, its no surprise that the carbonation is very soft, and the main reason for the below average mouthfeel score.

O: Pretty lackluster given it's pedigree. I sampled this beer at the brewery as well and still wasn't very impressed. Perhaps my bottle will offer a different experience. I'll update this review when it's opened...

Serving type: growler

11-24-2011 13:21:23 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

merc7186

New York

3.25/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer poured a bomber into a tulip glass.

A: Hazy Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Yeasty, Mild Pepper, Mild Corriander

T: Yeast, Mild Pepper, Watery

M: Decent Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Mildly Spicy, Mildly Watery

Overall, watery and disappointing...avoid.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 01:34:57 | More by merc7186

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle to HF stemmed tulip.

A - Partly cloudy pale yellow colour. Two fingers of lightly fluffy white head that quickly reduced to one finger with great lacing. Some large pieces of sediment floating in the bottom of the glass.

S - A musky barnyard funk aroma up front. Bready malts and lighter clove and peppery spice notes present as well.

T - The funk really hits up front and is accompanied by a pretty big tartness. Some wheat and Belgian yeast notes are present as well but the big barnyard funk presence really takes this beer over and dominates the other flavours that palate. There are also some grassy and herbal hop flavours in the background and a strange aftertaste that has hints of dill.

M - Medium body. Very dry. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 14:40:49 | More by TheSevenDuffs

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.33/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured a cloudy straw yellow color with lots of carbonation, perhaps to much

S: Herbs, hay, peppery, light funk and lemon

T: Light pepper, lemon with hay, horseblanket, some Earthiness

M: Light bod, dry but this beer falls flat on its face with flavor about midway to end.

O: Average

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 15:03:55 | More by barleywinefiend

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -17%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Bottle: Poured a light hazy yellow/straw color ale with a large dirty white foamy head with excellent retention and good lacing. Aroma of lemony wheat notes is a bit tarter then expected with light funky ester. Taste is also dominated by lemony tart notes with some wheat malt notes and light funky ester. Body is full for style with good carbonation. No brewing but those lemony notes are just not my favourite flavours.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 20:24:55 | More by Phyl21ca

trevorjn06

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours and opaque straw color, almost looks like a Hefe. Huge head, persists.

Aroma is bright, citrusy lemon notes, some bright hop character, light earthiness.

Flavor is very dry overall, citrus, yeast, light funk/earth. Some peppery notes. Bracing hop bitterness and lingering astringent/bitter notes.

Overall has a great nose and some good flavors going, but the finish is harsh.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 00:44:49 | More by trevorjn06

bmwats

Louisiana

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 ml. bottle into a tulip.

A: Cloudy, hay color. Substantial, bubbly white head. Craters slowly, leaving an uneven surface, a blanket of carbonation, and some dry residue. Lots o' beer ring lacing. Head renews thoroughly with each pour.

S: Sourdough bread, with a slight hint of raspberry.

T: Light wheaty flavor of sourdough with just the slightest hint of sweetness. A little light pepper.

M: Very light body with a pungent, biting finish, and a bittersour aftertaste.

D: Goes down easy, not much resistance, and nothing off-putting.

Atmosphere is pretty solid. Nice body, thick head and lots of lacing. Light, but decent aroma of fermented sourdough, and hints of raspberry. Flavor is a very light combination of the same... pungent sourdough flavor with a slight sweetness. Overall, this is a good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 02:58:23 | More by bmwats

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.53/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Nice off-white head, hazy golden pour

Smell: Touch of earth and sweet, floral notes. Light hops

Taste: Similar, touches of floral and citrus notes

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation

Overall: Decent beer, not something I would seek out again. Fairly standard offering.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 20:31:13 | More by craytonic

grittybrews

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a hazy yellow with a finger of off-white head. Aroma with hints of pepper-dominated spice, lemon, and mild funk.

Dry, airy mouthfeel. Flavors of grass, biscuit, lemon, and tart fruit esters on the finish.

Light and enjoyable but not entirely distinctive.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 14:38:15 | More by grittybrews

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my Hill stemmed tulip glass with a huge almost 3 finger fizzy airy head that fades semi slowly, with spotty lacing, over slight hazy golden tan colored beer.

Nose has a nice farmhouse aroma, light toasty malts, wheat, earthy farmhouse funk like, light golden almost Belgian like golden malt aromas, hint lemony and grassy, touch of bready like yeast aroma, and a touch of a grassy floral hop.

Taste starts a bit yeasty, bready yeast and some farmhouse rustic earthy flavors, light saison flavors with a light golden malt, some wheat flavors as well and a hint of wet hay. It has a creamy like feel as well. It wants to get crisp but the farmhouse saison flavors seem to prevent it from doing so. Hint of a lemony citrus and some grassy flavors, a slight grassy floral hop character. Finish is dry and more bready and yeasty flavors, nice saison flavors and farmhouse lingering, little bitterness, and a bit of a saison spice flavor.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied but a bit creamy, lots of carbonation.

overall OK, but not their best saison. The saison flavors are fairly nice and it's a light but tasty beer, however the biggest issue is the yeastiness of it, way too yeasty unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 00:27:45 | More by jlindros

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a Hill Farmstead wine glass.

Appearance - Hazy golden body with a very large white head. Lace clings to the sides of the glass, but never fully settles. A pillow of foam on the surface.

Smell - Yeasty, like Anna. Lots of hay and wheat. Bright acidic lemon aroma.

Taste - Tart acidity is immediately apparent. Cracker malt flavor. Lots of wheat. Yeasty, but not as much as the nose. Peppery finish.

Mouthfeel - Grainy, pleasantly sour. Well carbonated. Light and easy to drink.

Overall - This was my first Hill Farmstead beer years ago at the Blackback Pub. Revisiting it for the first time. Admittedly, it's not Hill Farmstead's best beer, but it caught my interest back then and has held it ever since.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 02:16:17 | More by Alieniloquium

starrdogg

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden-yellow with a big fluffy white head and a lot of bubbles floating to the top. Lots of carbonation.

S: Smell is that typical saison yeast aroma mixed with something else more earthy/grainy that I can't quite put my finger on and a little bit of sweetness. Definitely a little bit unique in the smell.

T: A little bit lemony, a little bit peppery and a little bit grainy with almost no sweetness at all to speak of. As I drink on, the graininess really becomes the dominant flavor. It's actually got a good amount of flavor considering such a low ABV, but I'm not blown away with it like I am with some of the other HF stuff.

M: Very light-bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Finishes very dry.

O: Another strong effort from Hill Farmstead, especially given that the style "grisette" is not one I've ever encountered before, but I don't think it measures up to some of the other HF saisons like Anna. It's still a nice, flavorful, light, easy drinking beer, however, and there's always a place for something like that in this world.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 00:56:37 | More by starrdogg

youradhere

Arkansas

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

South Sound Tasting Notes

Pours a cloudy pale gold, thick white head that lingers. Smells of lemon with citrus hop character, slight grassy aroma. Taste is sulfur and lemon, lots of hop astringency, very clean flavors. Mouthfeel is pithy, high carbonation quickly scrubs flavors, very astringent and dry. Overall not bad, flavor is etherial and a bit too astringent on the palate; refreshing none-the-less.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 18:18:49 | More by youradhere

womencantsail

California

3.8/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for sharing this one, Bobby.

A: The beer pours a cloudy pale yellow color with a big white head.

S: Somewhat funky with a very floral aroma. There's a light lemon/lemon zest note with some mild herbal notes. Slightly peppery with some cracker malts and a hint of skunk.

T: The flavor is heavy on the cracker/pale malt flavors and pepper. Highly floral and very yeasty. There is a faint herbal quality to the beer which is nice. A touch of grass is also present.

M: Light in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Light and easy drinking with good flavors. Good warm weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 00:03:41 | More by womencantsail

mdfb79

New York

3.8/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From 11/05/11 notes. Big thanks to starrdog for sharing this one; thanks man! Poured into a snifter.

a - Pours a murky dark yellow color with one inch of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident. Some frothy lacing left on the glass and a minute or two or retention.

s - Smells of spices, floral hops, earthy notes, and some citrus hops. Much more floral in the nosethan Vera Mae was, with less citrus. Good, but I'd give the edge to Vera Mae.

t - Tastes of spices, floral notes, yeast, eathy/dirt notes, light funk, and light citrus hops. Again, very nice, though I slightly prefer Vera Mae.

m - Medium body and high carbonation. I think it is a bit too carbonated, which hurts it a little bit.

o - Overall a very good saison, though of the 3 Hill Farmstead saison's we tried this was my least favorite (order went Vera Mae > Civil Disobedience 2 > Clara. More spice here than Vera Mae and a bit too carbonated, but certainly something I'd like to have again.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 19:43:38 | More by mdfb79

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.8/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 mL served in a tulip.

Hazy yellow with a soft white head. Nice retention and thick lacing. Aroma is floral, yeasty and bready. Mild sweetness, little hop or fruit presence. Light bodied, crisp and refreshing with a dry earthy finish. Strong malt body with a pleasant floral flavor throughout. A nice saison, but nothing exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 20:41:14 | More by yourefragile

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy yellow to grapefruit coloured body with immense head. Mild barnyard aroma. Not much going on,some bitterness and pepper just a refreshing beverage that would be great in the summer, particularly with sessionability of abv.Above average mouthfeel, bulked up by some oatmeal. John’s bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 12:30:21 | More by northyorksammy

smakawhat

Maryland

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

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

I don't know what it is but this guy makes really great looking beers. Shocking and creamy white and lots of meringue like peaks of thin bubbles, settle slowly to a real bright orange body with good amounts of carbonation. Rolling fire column smack in the middle, slow rising pinhead white bubbles trace the edges of the glass rim. Sexy great looking beer, particularly love this orange hue color.

Nose is classic saison, a little downplayed but real solid. Faint pepper, wine like yeast and brett sense. Lemon sour, dense sense of malt presence coming.

Taste is a bit lacking, but boy what a creamy mouthfeel on this. Dense and creamy palate, thick and whipped, unfortunately there isn't a lot of flavor going on in here. Subdued funk and a hardly acidic, hints of mellow butter (not diacetyl) cream. Big thick presence but toned down malts. Very mild sweetness, mixing well with that great creamy body.

It's an interesting beer, but there's just little to say about what's on the palate, no sweetness but no sourness. No hop but no malt kick. Saison characters of fruit, funk, acid, pepper, spice, etc... not really. The beer comes off as incredibly neutral. It smells looks and feels fantastic but just doesn't bring the final knockout punch. It's a very subtle beer for its style, but by no means not worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 17:32:25 | More by smakawhat

UnderJoath

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle brought back from HF by good ole BeerMeFitz

Pours a hazy light orange with a large fluffy head. Citrusy aroma with a little spice, almost like oregano or a subtle coriander. Tastes of citrus zest, honey, and a bit of grass. Highly but not overly carbonated mouthfeel. Refreshing, but I wouldn't travel to Vermont for any more.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 03:57:16 | More by UnderJoath

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes on 12.18.2011

750ml poured into a Bruery Tulip glass.

A - Pours a honey straw color with an explosive near-white haead. Good retention and rings of lacing are left on the glass.

S - Belgian yeast, spicy, pepper.

T - Wheat, corn, honey, pepper.

D - Light body, tons of carbonation.

O - Light and refreshing. Spicy, but nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 05:46:21 | More by HuskyinPDX

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up at Hill Farmstead, poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a nice crystal clear dark golden hue with a fluffy/big bubbled two finger head that faded rather quickly leaving some nice side lacing.

S - Aromas are the typical musty hill farmstead saison. Light wheat and lemons here with the faint barnyard.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with a touch more bright lemon, gentle wheat and funk. Pretty good. Nothing earth shattering, but still pretty flavourful.

M - Mouthfeel is lighter with ALOT of carbonation. Almost a distractingly amount of carbonation. Its nice and light but yah, almost too much carbonation here.

O - Overall not a bad saison. For me, I'm not generally a huge fan of HF saisons. They're all either consistently around 4 (which is still damn solid) or outstanding barrel aged. I'll still keep buying them though, as its still worth the money.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 01:09:27 | More by rudzud

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Split a 750 ml poured into a duvel glass

A: pours a lightly hazy golden with a touch of orange. A massive two fingers of fluffy white head with excellent retention and lacing... Very nice looking brew.

S: get a good dose of the grains used in the aroma... Particuarly the wheat, along with a slightly tart lemon aroma, their farmhouse yeast certainly is distinctive, there is a very light but if grassy barnyard in the aroma... But I would have to say the nose is mostly earthy wheat and oats.

T: the tart yeast notes step up considerably in the Tate from the aroma, the oat and wheat notes are still there, but no longer the dominant character. The tartness comes in right up front followed by the barnyard funk and earthy wheaty character. Tasty overall

M: medium lush body with medium crisp carbonation, stings the palate a bit, works well for the style.

O: a nice brew, I love the character of hill farmstead farmhouse yeast... Nice tart citrusy and earthy wheat an oats, nice balance and great drinkability.... Tons of flavor for such a low abv brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 04:50:34 | More by PeterIngemi

FosterJM

California

3.91/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1734th Review on BA
Bottle champagne flute
750ml

Shared with my coworker Antti

App- A nice and orangey golden color with some yellows mixed into it. A bit shimmery and buttery looking. The head on this was nice and puffy and then fell to some really great cling and sticky lace.

Smell- This was very similar to southern stars Walloon. Where this seemed like a saison at first but turned a bit. Lighter, more earthy and grainy from the wheat and a bit spicy like a small rye but unique in that sense.

Taste- I enjoyed this little beer. Drank bigger than the 4% would lead on. A bit small on certain aspects of flavors but with that spicy pseudo rye tinge, and with a bit of the wheats coming in it was a nice balance and duality of flavors. A little of a saison peppery note.

Mouth- Even for a small AbV this had a nice medium wet body behind it with a good medium carbonation. Dry, earthy, grassy and balanced.

Drink- Leave it to Shaun Hill to take an obscure small ABV beer and make it damn good, love HF stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 22:18:23 | More by FosterJM

DearthVader

California

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750 poured to HF Belgian stemmed tulip.

Thanks phingdong!

Pours a glowing straw yellow with the signature 4 finger foam head that climbs an extra inch out of the top of my glass. It stays perfectly intact and doesn't spill an ounce. Very clear body with a ton of carbonation bubbles racing around wildly. Extremely sticky lacing is left behind.

Smell is very bready with slight spiced up lemon zest.

Taste is up front with the peppered lemon and bread. Grassy notes with a floral coating follow.

Hill Farmstead has the mouthfeel mastered for every style. This is slightly different from most of their Saisons in that its extremely light. I typically prefer a slightly creamy body in my Saisons, but you can't help but love this. Super light and crisp and probably the most drinkable beer to touch these lips.

Hill Farmstead is making me consider having Vermont be my retirement destination sometime in the very late future. I've enjoyed everything They've put out so far.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 07:57:54 | More by DearthVader

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle purchased from the brewery last Saturday. Poured into HF stemmed glassware.

A- Pours a translucent orange golden with about two fingers of fairly dense lightly bubbly white head that has great retention and leaves a thin layer of lacing. Nice carbonation of steadily rising bubbles. Towards the end of the bottle there is definitely significantly more haze from the yeast sedimentation which reduces the transparency.

S- Lightly sweet smell of yeast, a significant amount of floral notes, barley, a little bit of honey, and some pale malts. A little bit above average aroma strength and fairly pleasant.

T- Lightly sweet with a little bit of floral hops, honey, barley, and some pale malts + yeast on the finish. At first I didn't really care for the aftertaste, it was a little bit too heavy on the pale malts but towards the end of the bottle it definitely improved significantly and balanced out a little bit more. Overall it definitely packs a decent amount of taste for a 4% saison.

M- Fairly light, easy to drink, refreshing, a little bit over-carbonated.

O- This definitely wasn't my favorite HF beer, but it was still very well done for a 4% saison. All the flavors were well balanced and it was definitely a decent session beer. For one of HF's lowest ranked beers, this beer is still actually pretty good and definitely enjoyable. My only major complaint was that it was slightly over-carbonated. Overall it was nicely crafted and I recommend trying it out if you like saisons, just don't expect anything that will blow your mind.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 00:14:39 | More by jaasen64