Society & Solitude #3 - Hill Farmstead Brewery

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.9/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Originally this was bought for a trade with Aceboogie, but the gentleman never gave me his shipping address so, "unfortunately", I now have to drink this. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Even after 2 weeks of sitting in my fridge this pops with a loud POP and pours a very hazy golden orange juice with a BIG nearly three finger off white head that faded down to a quarter inch thick, creamy blanket with nice side lacing.

S - Outstanding. Dank, wet hops and an overhwleming amount of tropical aromas (mangos and pineapple). This is like a glass of tropical juice with no ABV at all and super light malt.

T - Wow. Even two weeks old this packs a whallop! Delicious pine, citrus rind, and delicious mango. Argh is this outstanding! Some slight malty sweetness with that nice DIPA bitter finish. SOO tropical and wet!

M - Can I give this higher than a 5? No ABV detectable, with that lovely bitter finish. Knock your socks off good for a mouthfeel. Its poundable!

O - Yeah...outstanding. The guys at Hill Farmstead really know how to fill a growler too. Just delicious. Actually glad this guy decided to cut off all communications!

Serving type: growler

05-07-2012 21:54:49 | More by rudzud

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Michael for acquiring the growler for me. Shared with Mike and Adam.

The beer is golden yellow and mildly hazy with a half inch of white head. Good retention and plenty of lacing.

The aroma is seductive. Oh my...citrus, crack, hops, voodoo magicks, etc.

The flavor offers a ridiculously smooth blanket of hops. Utterly chuggable. Not too sweet, with a ton of citrus. A touch of malt in the finish, but most definitely a showcase for the hops. This is exactly what I look for in a DIPA.

One of the most drinkable DIPAs I have ever had.

Overall, this reaffirms that Hill Farmstead is one of the best breweries on the planet. Highly recommended.

Serving type: growler

05-30-2012 03:25:31 | More by Huhzubendah

durrrr

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on tap at Blackback pub in VT.

This beer pours a hazy golden orange with thin head. beautiful color. Smell is amazing. Very fresh with lots of fruit, some tropical mango, citrus a little dankness and maybe a hint of apple? There is a sweetness to the smell but not much malt noted. Tastes delicious! very fresh, strong hop character with great bitterness throughout. This beer is wonderfully balanced with little alcohol present and a creamy mouthfeel with perfect carbonation for the style. Hill Farmstead has created another world class DIPA. I hope they brew this again!

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2012 23:02:46 | More by durrrr

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.58/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750ml growler to HF stemmed tulip.

A - Poured a hazy peach colour with a slight yellow glow at the very bottom of the glass. One finger of bright white head formed with decent retention and some good lacing.

S - Massive grapefruit aroma up front with some tangerine, peach and mango aromas. A faint hint of pine and a very light malt sweetness in the background.

T - A sharp bitterness up front with fresh grapefruit, tangerine, peach and a light mango flavour. A very small sweetness from the malt bill adds a touch of balance but there is no question that this is a hop-forward IPA. Very fresh and vibrant palate.

M - Medium body and very silky. Full of tongue-coating hop oils. Light carbonation.

O - Another home run from HF.

Serving type: growler

05-16-2012 00:59:28 | More by TheSevenDuffs

largadeer

California

4.53/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Growler from gn0sis. Thanks!

Appearance: Hazy golden body topped by a thick and lasting head.

Smell: Massive amounts of grapefruit, zesty and sticky. This is extremely dank stuff. Herbal, weedy. Little to no malt presence on the nose.

Palate: A ton of grapefruit again; bitter, resinous, herbal. A lot of marijuana flavor mid-palate. Quite dry - moreso than other Hill Farmstead DIPAs I've tried. Mouthfeel is fantastic here, very sticky and dry with a big bitter kick that never feels astringent. This is exceptionally good stuff, I hope it's brewed again.

Serving type: growler

05-03-2012 22:30:34 | More by largadeer

silentjay

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

as with all Hill Farmstead IPAs, this is unfiltered and so hazy you can barely see through it. A nice two-fingered pure white head recedes rather quickly, but leaves tons of lacing.

Definitely lots of Columbus hops. earthy, dank, and a bit spicy with some pine and a big shot of citrus.

citrusy hops are more evident in the flavor, balancing with the columbus heavy earthy aroma. very hoppy, but not very bitter. most of the hops were added late in the brewing process, I think. malts are just there for support. goes a bit tropical and sweet in the middle before the earthiness again takes over and some pine comes in as well. a very "dirty DIPA" I guess. It's like drinking a great IPA in a pine forest with a bunch of people smoking pot around you. Unique for a style that has thousands of "me too" beers.

medium bodied and resiny with a nicely effervescent carbonation.

Not my favorite IPA or DIPA by Hill Farmstead, but it still knocks the socks off most you can find. Definitely unique blend of hop aromas/flavors.

Serving type: growler

03-29-2012 04:32:58 | More by silentjay

tewaris

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Society and Solitude 3
Very fresh growler sent by my friend in VT.

Quite hazy looking and I am positive that it's the hops. This is a double IPA but it drinks like a pale ale. The hop profile is right up my alley too: grass, pine, weed and ginger. No sweetness and none of the tropical fruit bullshit. I am f'in loving it.

No balance so to speak, just a very dry and fresh tasting IPA. The ginger note is a new one for me but it works very well. Reminds me of Heady Topper and wows me in the same manner Heady did.

4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5

Serving type: growler

04-05-2012 19:07:19 | More by tewaris

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: Poured from a chilled 2L growler into a pint glass. Picked this up from the brewery a day ago, so it is still very fresh.

Appearance: Pours a really full, creamy white head with really nice retention. Pale cloudy orange in color with bright highlights throughout.

Aroma: Big pine, grassy and floral hop notes with a nice full tropical hop notes in the background. Not as fruity or sweet as some of the other Hill Farmstead IPAs, but really nice nonetheless.

Taste: The hop presence definitely dominates throughout. Big grassy, piney notes upfront provide some bitter notes. This is not overly sweet at all and is really nicely balanced for a DIPA. Really nice hop notes with just a touch of fruit in the background. Really easy to drink considering the ABV.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied. Definitely on the drier side for an IPA. Really crisp and refreshing though.

Overall, another great DIPA from Hill Farmstead. This one took me a little longer to get into, but the balance of bitter and sweet notes really works well. Definitely not as big or juicy as some other IPAs but really easy to drink and incredibly tasty. I will definitely look for this next time it is available.

Serving type: growler

04-09-2012 12:01:28 | More by Gosox8787

cbeer88

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

64oz growler poured into Hill Farmstead glass.

Appearance: Somewhere between a very light orange and a dark yellow. Fluffy white head with some staying power, and excellent lacing down the glass.

Smell: Crazy pineapple and some other nebulous citrus hops aroma.

Taste: A citrus-y hop monster. Pineapple dominates with some pine and a decent malt backing to balance. Zero alcohol to speak of.

Mouthfeel: Pretty light bodied for a DIPA, dry, moderately carbed.

Drinkability: High - this hits my personal DIPA sweet spot of being nicely balanced and relatively low ABV at 8%. This growler will be split with another and crushed tonight, as it drinks incredibly well.

Overall: Another chalk mark in the long line of incredible Hill Farmstead DIPAs. This is right up there with their other highly rated DIPAs. As another reviewer said, this is strangely reminiscent of Heady Topper.

Serving type: growler

04-30-2012 00:24:59 | More by cbeer88

CADMixes

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

tasted from a 4-day-old growler in a hf stemmed glass.

A - hazy goldenroad with a huge head that makes an appearance at the end of the growler pour. excellent lacing on this one.

S - tropical aromas like pineapple and mango are what's happening here. they're backed up by citrus and maybe a little booze.

T - lots going on here, including slightly sweet malts, citrus, and dry piney hops. grapefruit predominates as you get near the finish, which is dry but not that bitter and leaves the slightest bit of sticky hops in the back of your mouth. ridiculously balanced with a hint of warming alcohol.

M - medium body. carbonation is lively and flawless for the style.

O - very smart and balanced double ipa with interesting fruity components in the aroma and taste. hf could probably make a thousand citrusy ipas and it would be hard not to love each and every one.

Serving type: growler

05-01-2012 01:24:36 | More by CADMixes

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice creamy fluffy head 1 finger fades slowly with lots of lacing, murky orange peach colored beer.

Nose tropical fruit, grapefruit, lots of tangerine and clementine, fluffy malts, juicy tropical fruit and citrus, delicious wafting tropical hop, light peach. Awesome.

Taste brings lots more juicy tropical fruit, grapefruit, tangerine, guava, hint of citrus and musty resin just a hint, nice semi sweet candy hop and citrus candy, hint of chewy spicy hops, etc. finish is semi dry, tons of tropical fruit, light citrus, so much fruit, nice.

Mouth is med to slightly heavier bodied, little oily, nice carb.

Overall awesome, great tropical fruits and hops, amazing nose, hops are almost perfect, so good, I could drink the whole 2L growler by myself.

Serving type: growler

05-26-2012 03:00:29 | More by jlindros

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Biere de Norma release. Beautiful orange-gold with thick white head. Aroma is wet grass, citrus (peach), honey and onion. The most Dank of the Society and Solitude series. Lots of grassy and resin flavors and citrus peel. Full bodied and sharp. Classic Hill Farmstead IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2012 04:55:23 | More by Luk13

skivtjerry

Vermont

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours golden and cloudy, with a big sticky head. Smells wonderful; the citrus typically seen is overpowered by pine and dankness. Taste is more of the same with a hint of sweet malt that can't compete with the hopfest. Body is fairly sturdy for the style, reminds me of Heady Topper. People drinking with us said it reminded them of Heady too, though a distinctly different beer. Overall a nice one. Think of it as Heady Topper's slightly shady cousin.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2012 13:48:09 | More by skivtjerry

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a murky golden-yellow color with a finger of frothy white head atop. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a full of tropical, citrus, and pine hops, with some grapefruit and pineapple, and some sweet caramel malt.

T - Starts off with some citrus and tropical hops with lots of grapefruit and pineapple flavor with some bitterness and a bit of sweet caramel malt. Through the middle piney and earthy hops come through with stronger bitterness and some more sweet malts. The finish is a mix of tropical and citrus fruits, with lots of grapefruit, some resiny pine, bitterness, and a bit of sweet malt.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a resiny, dry, and bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Big hop forward DIPA with lots of citrus and tropical fruits and bitterness coming through. Hop profile is really nice from start to end.

Serving type: growler

04-16-2012 04:24:22 | More by ngeunit1

landhoney

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Columbus? Really? Excellent IIPA, very complex flavor and aroma but very drinkable. Excellent hop aroma, citrus/piney on the nose, some tropical aroma as well. Nice balance of bitterness, touch of malty sweetness, but nice dry finish. Overall an excellent IIPA, really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: growler

04-27-2012 14:31:43 | More by landhoney

MasterSki

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another beer generously shared by Sean. Served in a Kuhnhenn goblet.

A - Half-finger of white foam settles to a collar, thin, wispy cap, and minimal spotty lace. Pale, white peach flesh body.

S - Even at 8% this is more of a DIPA instead of the West Coast IPA-plus. Moderate pale malt backbone balances sharp and juicy citrus flavors as well as mild herbal notes. I also appreciate the well-hidden alcohol.

T - The taste seems more hop-dominated, with zesty citrus rind, some herbaceous and mildly chive-y notes, and moderate bitterness in the finish. Malt character seems further in the background here, although it's still fairly balanced.

M - Initially the carbonation is somewhat zesty, but it quickly retreats to a medium-low leve. Juicy, medium body, soft and pleasant, with no obvious alcohol present.

D - Gee, another well-executed DIPA from Hill Farmstead. Who would have guessed? Didn't like this quite as much as 'What is Enlightenment?', but I would still gladly drink this any day of the week.

Serving type: growler

05-14-2012 22:53:49 | More by MasterSki

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Michael for bringing this one back from the HF Anniversary Party.

Beer pours a hazy golden-yellow with a fluffy white head. The smell is full of citrus fruity hops with a bit of sweetness in there. Flavor is very citrusy up front, but not as sweet as I expected given the aroma. It's got a bready malt character and the malt comes through more than I expected. The finish is also noticeably more bitter and dry than the average HF DIPA. There's a lot going on here and I like it - very complex. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with nice carbonation. Overall, this is yet another great DIPA from Hill Farmstead. It's not quite on the level of Abner or Ephraim, but this stands above most other beers out there. Extremely drinkable and delicious.

Serving type: growler

05-30-2012 23:47:02 | More by starrdogg

drabmuh

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler shared by somebody, thanks. Beer is yellow and has a mild haze, a thin white head of small bubbles, moderate carbonation.

Aroma is citrus and a little sweetness.

Beer is medium to light in body, nice hop palate a great bitterness on the end, fruits and light in the middle, carbonation was appropriate but a little more would have thinned it out. I would have this again as much as I can drink.

Serving type: growler

06-19-2012 01:47:35 | More by drabmuh

Sean9689

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml growler into HF stemmed tulip.

A - Pours a hazy burnt orange color, white head, sticky lace, thin film on top, thick collar.

S - Big orange peel, citrus, and light mango sweetness. Huge doses of orange/citrus/mango which mixes both bitter hops and light sweetness.

T - A little more bitter then the nose suggests and features orange peel, citrus, light tropical sweetness. The alcohol is light and just perfect for this DIPA. Finish is all citrus peel with a nice bitter bite. Not a hop-bomb or malt-bomb, it's done just right.

M - Light to medium body, perfect carbonation, super-refreshing DIPA, oily finish.

O - This does remind me of an Imperial Harlan, which is just simply an outstanding idea! The citrus and mango sweetness is an excellent combo, and this is one of the more orange-forward DIPAs I can remember. This beer doesn't attempt to over-hop or over-malt you to death, it simply impresses you because it's just plain good. Not sure if I've ever called a DIPA refreshing, but this one is. Outstanding.

Serving type: growler

05-09-2012 02:20:56 | More by Sean9689

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to a great trader for getting this growler out my way. Served in a Hill Farmstead long stem tulip. Pours a nice orange color with a good white head and a bit of lacing. Nose carries loads of dank hops. Columbus heaven. Can’t get enough. Body is light-medium with really nice bitterness. Fantastic.

Serving type: growler

05-14-2012 12:45:27 | More by Thorpe429

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 mL Hill Farmstead swingtop growler into a Firestone Walker tulip.

Beer pours a beatuiful, hazy, golden straw color that's VERY cloudy. Two finger head that quickly recedes. The nose is a mix of citrus and dank hops. There are lots of grassy, floral tones. No noticeable pine or citrus. This is an interesting tasting beer. It has a very nice hops presence with spicy, floral notes galore. Very juicy beer. The mouth is nice. It's got a good hoppy bit to it that's lush on the tongue , with a dry bitter finish. Another awesome Hill Farmstead IPA. One of their best.

Serving type: growler

04-11-2012 23:20:48 | More by Retail1LO

lnashsig

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Many thanks to Jason Richard for muling this growler for me, a very generous and awesome BA. And, thanks to Bhollas (Brandon) for going in with me on the shipment.

This is beer #25 for #BOTG challenge! Go Astros!

Popped the growler, nice "pop" after opening it up, glad to see this held up well through the trip, still plenty of carbonation. Poured from growler into DFH snifter. Pours a cloudy yellow orange color- very light for a DIPA. Resembles IIPAs like Yellow Sunshine and Heady Topper. Something up with the Vermont breweries and their IIPAs resembling eachother? Who knows. Nice sticky lacing and fluffy white head. Decent retention. This is a great looking beer. Smell- buttery, citrusy hop resins, grapefruit, lemon zest. Def of the lighter side of the citrus range here. Taste- Nice grapefruit sweet blast followed by a EXTREMELY sour citrus blast. Not sour as in "a sour", but its just so damn citrusy that it puckers. Hop resins coat my teeth and mouth and go down the back of my throat. Wow. The offset to the bitter hop blast comes in the form of the sweet grapefruit notes, like taking a bite into a sweet grapefruit. Not balanced, but a really nice salute to the citrus bomb New England IPA style. Well done.

Serving type: growler

05-03-2012 23:28:16 | More by lnashsig

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Society & Solitude #3 pours a hazy straw yellow with a massive rocky, white head on top. As the foam disappears it leaves behind clumps and lines of lace on the glass.

The aroma is loaded with hops. Pine and grapefruit citrus plus some tropical fruit notes (pineapple) are all present.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer has a firm carbonated fizz. The flavor is loaded with hops with plenty of sweet malt to balance the bitterness. Hoppy flavors of grass, pine and grapefruit citrus dominate. In the background caramel and pale malt flavor are present. It finishes bitter with lingering pine and grass notes when gone.

There's enough sweetness in this beer to balance out all the hops. It's full of flavor and easy to drink.

Serving type: growler

04-29-2012 00:02:20 | More by WanderingFool

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.3/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml growler

pours a bright murky faint golden yellow. creamy fluffy white head. very nice sticky retention and lacing.

tropical and citrus on the nose, grapefruit, orange, ripe mango.

more bitter in the flavor. less citrus and a bit more pine. some white grapefruit through out. malty pale finish.

moderate carbonation and body, a bit light feeling.

overall, this is REALLY good. very easy to drink, never overpowering.

Serving type: growler

04-14-2012 23:55:30 | More by hooliganlife

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pour is a dark hazy peach with a slightly off white head and decent lace. The nose is extremely nice, heavy grapefruit and citrus, notes of orange peel and zest. The taste offers more grapefruit, fairly tart, nice citrus in the back and assertively gentle bitterness in the finish. The body is airy and soft with a fair carbonation and semi dry finish. This is a great ipa with an extremely assertive hop, nice tropical notes, with enough malt undertones in the nose and flavor to keep it in check.

Serving type: growler

06-18-2012 16:44:58 | More by cpetrone84