Simcoe Pale Ale - Hill Farmstead Brewery

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.63/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Blackback Pub in Waterbury.

A: Hazy pale amber body, 1-finger white head. Good retention, nice lace. Solid.

S: Bright, fruity hoppiness. Huge grapefruit, tropical notes, and pine resin. Amazing.

T: Pure hops, nothing else. Huge fruitiness up front, strong bitterness on teh finish. Cleanly bitter, almost chalky finish. Great.

M: Soft, creamy, delicate. Wow.

O: Incredibly good pale ale. I enjoyed it far more than Edward.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2012 22:47:20 | More by woosterbill

brystmar

New York

3.5/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First time at the brewery! :D

Not a big fan of Simcoe hops so not expecting to love this. Beautiful pour as usual, decadent hoppy aroma. Super fresh, smells great!

Taste is a different story. Distinctively Simcoe tones to kick things off. Hoppy, bitter, not juicy or citrusy. I'm not a huge fan of most beers from this style either, and Simcoe hops don't help in this regard. I'm sure many will love it, but this isn't for me.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2012 19:48:58 | More by brystmar

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First had: on tap at Pinocchio's, Media, PA
Also got a mini growler to go.

Sampled on tap, but later poured from my growler into a Zero Gravity jumbo pils glass. Effervescent! Cloudy golden-yellow color, aggressive poured to obtain a full 4-finger, white, foamy head; this receded to a thin bubbly cap but otherwise retained through the session leaving sheets of lacing on the glass. Aroma...it just doesn't get any better than this. On of the best-smelling beers evar, I believe, LOVE Simcoe hops, and mighty fresh too. Tons of lemon and grapefruit on the nose, grassy and sweet. This followed through to the taste, a blast of hop bitterness up front, followed by a crisp zesty flood of lemon and grapefruit; pale malts bringing up the rear for a mild toastiness in the background. HF, you've done it again. This really treads the sharp border between a APA and an IPA, but you don't hear me complaining either way. Crisp vivacious mouthfeel, light-medium body, and wonderfully drinkable. Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2012 16:08:55 | More by Rifugium

drabmuh

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes. Growler shared by yourefragile, thanks! Served in a Hill Farmstead stemmed tulip. Another winner from the winningest brewery on the planet.

Beer is yellow with a mild haze to it. Nice white head, some lacing, nice carbonation.

Aroma is super hoppy, very forward, not a hint of malt anywhere...anywhere.

Beer is light and fruity with a great finish. I love love love this beer. I'm glad I got to try it and would definitely have this again.

Serving type: growler

11-15-2012 14:40:36 | More by drabmuh

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Share with rudzud and many other great friends.

Pours a big fluffy 1+ finger head that fades with lots of sticky lacing all over the glass, hazy grapefruit color.

Nose has tropical fruit, resinous hop oils, grapefruit, a decent amount of passion fruit, light citrus, rind, mango, fluffy malt, light papaya, and a bit musty.

Taste has fresh hops, tropical fruit, mango, papaya, resin, lots of passion fruit, some grapefruit, little rind, juicy, fluffy malts, little sweetness that turns to dryness, great hop flavors, light hop oil resinous and fairly bitter. Finish is dry and bitter resinous, passion fruit, grapefruit, tropical fruit etc.

Mouth is med bodied, decent carb.

Overall nice but not great, showcases simcoe pretty well but not an amazing beer overall compared to most Hill Farmstead IPAs.

Serving type: growler

10-28-2012 22:59:06 | More by jlindros

largadeer

California

3.5/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks, Jason.

Cloudy amber body topped by a clinging head. Nose of cooked grain, strangely wort-like. The hop aroma really hones in on the spicy, piney aspect of simcoe, with a touch of floral and citrus character beneath. While it smells OK, it's lacking the depth of a beer like Row 2/Hill 56. The palate is heavy on resinous, bitter hop flavors and cooked, caramelized grain. Slightly spicy and floral, quite bitter in the finish. Pretty good stuff, but nothing special.

Serving type: growler

10-23-2012 23:24:52 | More by largadeer

Pinknuggets

Vermont

3.95/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured From a 750ml from last weekends trip to the brewery

A: Pours Golden orange honey hazy and completely opaque with about a 2cm head

S: It smells of oranges and other fruit a very "fruity" aroma smells like the hops

T: The taste is very hop forward with a full blast of hops but there are notes of citrus and orange that follow the smell. However it fairly quickly turns to bitter from the hops but it is not overwhelming and fades nicely to the finish.

M: Mouthfeel is oily and syrupy it goes down smooth and is pretty drinkable

O: Overall I really liked this IPA it is interesting to the single hop versions every once in awhile. May not live up to the other hill farmstead IPAs but much better then your average IPA. If you are an IPA person definitely worth a try but won't blow your mind. For some reason I feel like I liked it better on tap when I sampled at the brewery but who knows.

Serving type: growler

10-11-2012 23:43:34 | More by Pinknuggets

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a growler at Hill Farmstead yesterday. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a wonderful hazy golden hue with a wonderful two finger white head that fades to leave thick side lacing and a nice rich white blanket.

S - Very nice orange notes, light biscuity malts, light mango. Not bitter smelling, very nice clean. Getting super faint peach.

T - Nice light biscuits here with lots of hops. Delicious, delicious simcoe! Light grassy flavours with good citrus (orange), light mango as well as light peach. Simple and well executed.

M - Mouthfeel is top notch. Super refreshing and drinkable.

O - Overall a delicious APA. Simple, clean, well executed. Well worth the buy as it showcases simcoe hops excellently.

Serving type: growler

10-11-2012 18:27:11 | More by rudzud

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Growler to HF stemmed tulip.

A - Completely cloudy deep yellow colour. A small layer of bright white head formed with decent retention.

S - Fresh citrus and lighter tropical fruit aromas up front. Grapefruit, tangerine, peach and mango. Some honey/caramel sweetness from the malts in the background.

T - A good bitterness up front with fresh grapefruit and tangerine flavours coming to the forefront. Some pine and lemon flavours are also present.

M - Medium body; creamy. Light carbonation. Typical dry HF mouthfeel.

Serving type: growler

10-10-2012 01:52:19 | More by TheSevenDuffs

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml growler shared with good friends after an amazing weekend in VT. Reviewed from notes.

A- Murky and unfiltered pour into a pint glass with a lot of yeast haze in the golden orange body. Bubbly white head forms with a frothy texture. Cap is a finger in size and retains decently. Nice lace patches.

S- Peach is big from the hops with some citrus around too. I find the peach juice hint is unmatched from mostly any other beer. Very nice mango and peach feel. Not over the top hoppy but the base yeast and malts are fairly clean.

T- Cracked grain notes and slight yeast bread make a background for the hops here. Simcoe adds peach, zesty and citrus hints but not as juicy as the nose. The grain seems to integrate more here. A great biscuit, grain and bread presence opens up with time and warmth.

MF- Lighter end pale ale body supported by a nice creamy feel and crisp moderate carbonation. Clean bitterness in the finish.

Simcoe shines with a base beer that allows it to. Peachy for the most part with a pale ale feel when all is said and done. The aroma is outstanding.

Serving type: growler

10-10-2012 00:52:34 | More by cbutova

Chico1985

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another 750ml growler provided by cbutova.

Another pour full of haze, a pale kinda rusty-orange. Big ol white head retains pretty well as a full cap leaving some lace.

Scent of orange juice, biscuit, and grassy hops.

Taste is solid as well, a bit weak at first comes out more after some time. Big citrus, lots of biscuit and bready malts, pale malts, peach, grassy and earthy hops. On the simple side but pretty great.

Smooth mouthfeel, medium carbonation, easy drinking. No complaints.

I'm a sucker for the deadly citrus/peach/biscuit combo, this seems like a light stripped-down version of that kind of beer. Not exactly mind-blowing but wouldn't be difficult to drink this all day.

Serving type: growler

10-09-2012 18:02:29 | More by Chico1985

andrewinski1

Maine

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a taster glass. This beer has that same great hazy melon-orange color with a generous head one can expect from Hill Farmstead pale ales.

The aroma is full of piney, punchy hop flavor. It is also slightly dank.

The taste has a mild malt flavor that gives a hint of breadiness. This is quickly overrun with grapefruit rind and pine in the finish.

This is light, with a smooth velvety mouthfeel. Another top notch pale ale from these guys.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2012 01:43:02 | More by andrewinski1

Bendurgin

Maine

4.18/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Shared by Andy. Thanks. Poured into a tulip. This pours a hazy dark gold with a pillow of white head.

The aroma has a sweet citrus backbone with some grassy hops and a touch of sweet malt. Nice dry bitter hop profile on the pallet. Grassy hops with just a touch of citrus sweetness in the background.

The body is medium and somewhat sticky. Good carbonation. Overall this one is great. A nice showcase of simcoe.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2012 01:35:29 | More by Bendurgin

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

64oz growler from Harvest Fest
Hill Farmstead wine glass

A: Pours hazy almost bright yellow gold color. I get a full finger of head still coming up. Leaves some lacing sheeting as you drink.

S: Lots of fruity grapefruit. Juicy hops for sure. Some pine. Some orange rind. Very low malt bill here, nice overly hoped pale ale.

T: Nice mild bitterness up front. Bitter grapefruit, pine, etc. These flavors continue to develop in the middle of the mouth. Minimal malt bill here. Maybe just two row and a touch of caramel malt. It's not "balanced" and I lot that about it. Dry bitter finish that sticks with you.

M: Lighter medium bodied. Bitterness lingers.

Serving type: growler

10-05-2012 14:08:03 | More by inlimbo77

Gushue3

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into Jacks Abby pint

A Hazy straw yellow in color with a generous bubbly white head. doesn't look like much carbonation in the beer and sticky lacing is left after the head goes down to a fat ring of foam.

S My nose is a little stuffy so take that for what it is. citrusy hops and a little malt.

T Lemony citrus with some grapefruit and a piney bite. Some malt body showing up too. Finish is bitter and lingers a bit.

M Very little carbonation, almost flat, doesnt happen often with the swing top growlers. Medium feel on the tongue and finishes slightly sticky.

O tasty pale ale. I'm glad I could pick this up this past weekend.

Serving type: growler

09-29-2012 23:53:37 | More by Gushue3

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler fill of Simcoe Pale Ale during the Hill Farmstead Harvest Fest. Served 3 days later.

The beer pours a hazy light amber with a small creamy white head on top. The foam dissolves down to a thin sheet on the surface leaving behind a few spots of lace on the glass.

The aroma is loaded with hops. Grass and pine dominate, but notes of lemon and grapefruit are also present. The aroma lasts quite a while and doesn't dissipate like other hoppy beers.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is watery on the palate with mild carbonation. The flavor is loaded with hops. It begins with lemon and grapefruit citrus. Some light tropical fruit appear in the middle and it finishes dry and moderately bitter with pine and grass notes. Hidden in the background is some bready malt that does a good job of holding this beer together. Once gone the lemon and pine flavor lingers on the palate.

This is beer loaded with hoppy flavor. Not a lot of bitterness or sweetness. A hop lovers delight.

Serving type: growler

09-25-2012 23:00:59 | More by WanderingFool

merc7186

New York

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a growler into a tulip glass.

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

S: Grapefruit, Orange Rind

T: Grapefruit Rind, Mild Grainy Malt

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Drying

Overall, a pretty solid Pale ale, outstanding nose, milder on the taste.

Serving type: growler

09-24-2012 22:36:12 | More by merc7186

Brad007

Vermont

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hope I'm not wrong but I'm going to assume that this is the Simcoe Single Hop that is currently on tap. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.

Pours a cloudy amber blonde with a very thin head into my glass. I'm guessing that it's unfiltered.

The namesake says it all: A mellow dose of Simcoe hops greet the nose. The malt background smells soft and buttery.

Wow. Like drinking straight-up hop juice. A blast of Simcoe hops that just keeps on giving, followed by citrus.

The mouth is dominated by bitterness here with citrus zest. Again, "airy" and warming.

Highly recommended. Get it while it lasts on tap?

Serving type: growler

09-24-2012 00:18:35 | More by Brad007

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml growler filled at the brewery yesterday. Poured into my HF stemmed glassware.

A- Pours a very hazy yellowish golden with about a finger's worth of white frothy head that has decent retention but fades to a thin layer living very nice layered lacing. Nice carbonation, about average for a pale ale.

S- Nice citrus hops of lemon zest, lemon peel, some grapefruit, smells fairly juicy with some grass notes mixed and pale malts. One of the better noses in my opinion that I've had on a pale ale, but a little bit too zesty/peel like for my senses. Definitely a little bit above average aroma strength.

T- Citrus, zesty lemon, a little bit of bitter grapefruit, hops, some light grassy tones., finishes lightly bitter with a pale malty taste mixed with lemon peel. The taste was very good, however I wasn't a huge fan of the aftertaste and it was a little bit too zesty for me. Reminded me a little bit of Life w/o Principle.

M- On the lighter side, nice carbonation, easily drinkable, refreshing.

O- This was a nice pale ale however there were some characteristics that I thought threw it off slightly to my preferences. It had a little bit too much zest to it that gave it a nice citrus characteristics, but a little bit too much of a peel quality. The other HF beer that I'd say is closest to this (although still fairly different) is Life w/o Principle. I could easily drink this again, however I could see how some people might not care for it.

Serving type: growler

09-16-2012 17:21:32 | More by jaasen64

TheDudeRules

Minnesota

3.08/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Very bright in color. A fingers worth of head. Light lacing persists. Sweet citrus on the nose. Slight sweetness up front followed by a hop bite, but it's not aggressive. Rather dry and bitter finish.

I honestly find this beer quite boring. Could probably drink it all day but there is no point. I was done with it after my 8oz pour. Nothing was striking or profound that I needed more. Essentially you've had this same type of beer 100 other times so there is really no reason to reach and get this. Hands down my least favorite HF offering.

Serving type: growler

11-27-2011 17:46:33 | More by TheDudeRules

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL growler, thanks Conor! Shared watching football in a Hill Farmstead wine glass.

Pours a dark, dull golden bronze color with a wispy finger of white head and a thin collar throughout and light lacing. Aroma is straight Simcoe, with strong fresh pine notes and light citrus hops. Flavor is dominated by pine hops, minimal bitterness and a stronger than expected malt body. Not much citrus presence or bitterness in the finish. Body is a little lighter than expected from this series and lacking smoothness in the finish. Simcoe is a little heavy throughout, but still a very enjoyable APA.

Serving type: growler

09-25-2011 23:38:43 | More by yourefragile

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

big thanks to baconsausage for this

pour is a dirty golden yellow and orange. fluffy white head with lacing running down the sides. great retention.

light pine with a balanced dose of citrus

a great combo of pine and citrus blending with a bread like malty backbone. the finish really brings out the pine as it lingers in the mouth.

nice moderate to mild carbonation. body is light and easy without feeling thin.

a delicious pale ale with a near perfect representation of simcoe

Serving type: growler

09-21-2011 21:43:28 | More by hooliganlife

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to aapp for sending out a 750mL growler of this, and as well to imagineiii for sending one for us to share down here. Served in a tulip.

Pours a nice golden color with a several-finger white head. A bit of lacing on the way down and a collar throughout. The nose carries some nice light pine resin as well as some floral and citrus notes. Flavor dials up the pine quite a bit, taking it to the next level. Bitterness and pine work incredibly well together. Smooth bitterness in the finish, though not quite as smooth as with the Amarillo version, as the bitterness is a bit more heavy-handed, though no complaints about that. Another big hit in the single-hop series. I'm glad someone is finally doing these things right.

Serving type: growler

09-16-2011 09:58:05 | More by Thorpe429

ChrisPro

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler shared by spycow. Thanks!

A - Light orange, little haze, pillow of white foam sits on top.

S - Tons of mango, weed and resin.

T - Great tropical hop flavors shine through. A little sweet bready malt, but a very sharp bitterness on the finish. Seems slightly out of balance.

M - Light bodied. Resinous and an overly dry finish.

O - Fantastic nose and great hop flavor. If the IBUs were dialed back just a few, I'd find this to be a near-perfect APA for my palate. Still, Shaun knows how to use those hops.

Serving type: growler

08-29-2011 22:48:28 | More by ChrisPro

AgentZero

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to spycow aka Chris for sharing this growler.

A - Hazy orange/yellow colored beer with a bit of a white head that left some spots on the sides.

S - Nice tropical fruit, some herbal bitterness, little pine and resin. Great smelling.

T - Big tropical fruit, little pine, grapefruit. Has a nice sweet malt backbone going on there. Nicely bitter to close out.

M - Lighter bodied with good carbonation and a bitter finish that is quite quenching.

O - Great beer, and like Alex said, no cat piss smell or taste with the Simcoe wich can be a problem with this hop sometimes. Really good and refreshing beer, would love to drink this regularly.

Serving type: growler

08-25-2011 03:57:20 | More by AgentZero