Biere De Norma - Hill Farmstead Brewery

joel66

New York

4.6/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle poured into one of my HF tulip glasses

Deep amber color with a white fluffy pillow head. Very nice retention, little to no lacing.

Nose was oak barrel, raisin, prune and funk

Flavor was extremely complex yet well balanced between sweet and tart. Oak barrel aging really brought out the complexity of fine red wine. Reminded me of coterone only with more funk.. slight sweetness from red grapes, almost fig like. As it came to room temperature the tartness became sharper and imo, even better if that is possible.

Mouthfeel was light and refreshing.

Overall I would rank this second only to juicy in the HF lineup.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 03:17:03 | More by joel66

TheRuss9585

Vermont

5/5  rDev +11.6%

05-23-2013 16:38:12 | More by TheRuss9585

lakersfan16

Alaska

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%

05-22-2013 03:49:24 | More by lakersfan16

VaTechHopHead

California

4.75/5  rDev +6%

05-19-2013 19:44:05 | More by VaTechHopHead

ehammond1

California

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%

05-19-2013 17:13:02 | More by ehammond1

VAbdoyan

California

4/5  rDev -10.7%

05-13-2013 19:10:46 | More by VAbdoyan

thezoobrew

New York

5/5  rDev +11.6%

05-13-2013 18:10:33 | More by thezoobrew

vissai

California

3.75/5  rDev -16.3%

05-12-2013 17:01:23 | More by vissai

IPAyForHops

California

4/5  rDev -10.7%

05-02-2013 23:03:06 | More by IPAyForHops

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a semi-cloudy deep ruby red color with a light, bubbly, semi-frothy white head, very good legs and sticks to the glass.

S - Oak, white grapes, tart red grapes, barnyard, funk sweetness,

T- Tart, oak, red and white grapes with a lingering puckering sourness., fruity.

M - Full medium body, thick, puckering.

O - ery unique and amazing.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:12:57 | More by jzeilinger

unclekeith

Alaska

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%

04-23-2013 16:06:16 | More by unclekeith

jaylib

California

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%

04-23-2013 03:52:33 | More by jaylib

drummermattie02

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%

04-22-2013 14:20:12 | More by drummermattie02

Skrip

South Carolina

4.59/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

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

A~ ruby red hue, darkish brown, slight copper color. nice white fluffy head and a little lacing.

S~ some orange and lemon/lime tartness followed by lots of oak.

T~ wow! grapes and black cherrys up front, then comes the orange, grapefruit, lemon/lime tartness. followed by a lot of oak just like the on the nose. pretty sour all the way through. this has crazy complexity and still very well balanced.

M~ heres where the honey comes into play, smooth but rather thick. perfectly carbonated and slightly dry from the tartness.

O~ yup... amazing! why did i ever doubt it? well probably because Biere De Mars usually isn't my go to style but this definitely stands out from everyone i've ever had. a little of their saison style comes through as well, which i find in some of their beers like Abner and Wheat Is The New Hops. this is exactly what i love about HF. their well water also might have something to do with their outstanding brews. next time i go up there i'm totally asking them to fill a growler with their water haha.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 02:55:13 | More by Skrip

acurtis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -10.7%

04-20-2013 04:47:34 | More by acurtis

owend

New Hampshire

4.48/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-red hued, slightly murky dark copper color with a small white head that leaves behind some light lacing

S- funky along with a nice blend of fruity sweetness, oak, a bit of grass, and bready malts.

T- Bready malts with a sharp sour apple tartness nicely cut with oak overtones. Hints of not quite ripe stone fruits, including apricot and plum. Dry finish with a bit of lingering tartness on the back of the tongue.

M-relatively low carb, medium body.

O-Another very nice offering from HF. Very complex beer that offers a wonderful blend of flavors that truly develop during tasting

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 00:21:01 | More by owend

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottle poured into HF stemmed glass. 2012 vintage- 1200 bottles, ~850 released. Second time having this in the last month.

A- Pours a slightly murky reddish brown with a slight yellowish hue. Thin layer of white foamy head that leaves some spotty lacing and recedes to a fairly flat top.

S- Vinous fruits, sweet lightly bready malts, light sauvignon blanc wine and oak presence that balances nicely with the vinous fruits, slight vinegar tartness.

T- Vinous fruits of light grapes, some cherries, etc. (not overly fruity), balanced with sweet malts that have a subtle bready presence, finishes with a fairly light tart presence, some light oak, and wine presence. Very well balanced although a little bit sweeter then I was expecting and slighlty less tart then I was hoping.

M- Medium bodied, very easy drinking, just the right amount of carbonation, smooth.

O- This was another great beer from HF, but I wouldn't say I was blown away by it. It was slightly different then I was expecting having a slightly sweeter and less tart presence then I was expecting. I've only had a few Biere de Gardes as I wouldn't say it's a style that is brewed a lot, but this is easily the best of the style I've had and perhaps one of the best representations of the style out there. That being said I wouldn't say I enjoyed this that much more then Shaun's more common offerings such as Anna, Arthur, etc.. I highly recommend checking it out though and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 19:40:15 | More by jaasen64

UCLABrewN84

California

4.43/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Callmecoon for sharing this one at Retsinis' tasting.

2012 vintage. 1200 bottles.

Pours a clear dark orange with a foamy bone colored head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with fruit, acidic, and wood aromas. Taste is much the same with fruit and grain flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of acidity on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with some great aromas and flavors that make this beer super easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 04:38:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

CliffBrake

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%

04-06-2013 16:13:33 | More by CliffBrake

HopsHopenstein

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%

04-02-2013 23:43:23 | More by HopsHopenstein

POTABLE83

New York

4.75/5  rDev +6%

03-25-2013 16:51:14 | More by POTABLE83

DaSolomon

New York

4.66/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Opened up in a nice mini tasting with thezoobrew!

A: Nice deep amber color, with a solid inch of head.

S: Sweet, fruit funk, oaky and bretts full notes that danced on the nose

T: wow this was so smooth and easy to drink, sour and tart were very balances, with figs, red wine, oakiness, vanilla notes all coming through, very well balanced

M: perfect carbonation levels, very nice mouthfeel easily can drink this all day

O: another hit by HF, the hype behind this is not a let down, would like to see how age affects this.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 18:46:29 | More by DaSolomon

tom10101

Quebec (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%

03-20-2013 20:29:33 | More by tom10101

nzerbe

New York

4.75/5  rDev +6%

03-16-2013 13:38:27 | More by nzerbe

AutumnBeerLove

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +6%

03-15-2013 17:50:48 | More by AutumnBeerLove