Civil Disobedience #4 - Hill Farmstead Brewery

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.45/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle opened on 9.1.12.
Bottled May 2012

A - Pours a dark coffee brown with a huge light brown, foamy head that lasts forever.

S - Sweet woody, maple, brown sugar, subtle floral notes.

T - Sweetness, then some tart wood, Belgian spice finish. Multi-layered.

D - Great carbonation with a lighter body. A nice tart and spicy finish.

O - This one hits you in stages, very good and multi-dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 05:26:44 | More by HuskyinPDX

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle purchased in person at the release. Poured into HF tulip. Split with one other person.

A- Can see some of it start to very slowly gush from the bottle before being poured, no where near as bad as the first bottle we opened about a month ago. Pours a hazy slightly reddish brown that at the beginning of the bottle looks more black. About two fingers of mocha caramel fluffy head that slowly recedes and leaves thick layered lacing coating the glass. Plenty of carbonation, can see lots of tiny bubbles rising along the sides of the glass.

S- Light sulfuric sour funk, light dark chocolate, some very light roasted malts hidden in the background, some tart dark citrus fruits. Not too much sour/tart funk going on, but definitely a little bit more then I'm used to in black saisons.

T- Light sulfuric funk mixed with tart citrus fruits and a little bit of light chocolate + roasted malts on the finish followed by more tart citrus that lingers on the palate for a while. A little bit of oak that smooths all the flavors out. More oak and chocolate come out as it warms up. Everything is very well balanced and quite tasty.

M- Medium bodied, nice carbonation, very easy to drink at a surprising 8% abv.

O- This was yet another great beer from Hill Farmstead. This is at least my 4th time having this beer (twice on draft, twice from the bottle) and each time I like it more and more. At 8% the abv is very well hidde. All of the flavors are very well balanced without too much chocolate or sourness coming out. I had the Sour Black from Weyerbacher last night, while I would say I enjoyed that one I would definitely take this one. I haven't had too many black saisons, but I'd have to say this one is my favorite so far.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 23:59:20 | More by jaasen64

MasterSki

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Sean for sharing this offering. Served in a Bell's tulip.

A - A finger of tan foam lingers before slowly settling to a solid cap and splotchy lacing. Very dark brown body.

S - Very interesting blend of flavors here - vinous oak, mildly tart fruits, a touch of sulfuric funk, citrus hops, and a bit of smoke and roasted malt.

T - The taste is similar, but with a heavier emphasis on the smoke and roasted malt character - almost a touch a ham. Finishes with vinous acidity, lactic sourness, and dry oak. The smokey and sour combination is a pretty unusual one.

M - Medium-bodied with a juicy texture and a touch of grit. Finishes dry and tannic, with extremely well-hidden alcohol. Pleasant carbonation.

D - I enjoyed this beer a fair bit, but I imagine it will be polarizing - our tasting group was pretty evenly split. Much better than #2, but a bit worse than #1 & #3. I'd be interested to see which flavors 'win' with some additional aging. Not a beer that you'd want to drink in large quantities though.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 22:49:26 | More by MasterSki

brystmar

New York

3.65/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Mac = the man!

Beautiful pour is typical of a HF brew; dark brown/black body with copious tan head. Great retention.

Aroma smells infected. Phenolic and muddled, sour yet slightly riddled with infection. Hmm, not the greatest.

Dark fruits against the saison background. Still a touch phenolic, yet the blend of flavors seems to (kind of) work. Creamy body might be the best part of this beer.

Disappointing for a HF brew; everything else they make is among the best of style. Speaks volumes about your brewery when a better-than-average brew is a massive disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 00:54:04 | More by brystmar

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to David for this bottle. Poured in to HF stemmed tulip glass.

A - Dark black; completely opaque. Two fingers of fluffy light brown head that receded to one finger. Good lacing.

S - Big oak aroma up front with some lighter sour notes present. A pretty prominent vinous fruit aroma is present as well along with some Belgian yeast, roast and hints of chocolate. A complex aroma.

T - A big burst of oak up front that immediately gives way to a big roast profile and hints of semi-sweet chocolate and some lighter coffee notes. A good tartness is present throughout along with a fairly bold vinous fruit profile with a slight sourness at times. The various components of this beer come together very well. Complex.

M - Medium body, somewhat silky. Moderate carbonation.

O - The only complaint I have is that the saison flavors weren't really evident. That said, the flavours that were present were exceptional.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 01:07:53 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared thanks to Huhzubendah, thanks Matt!

The beer pours a nice dark dark brown with very little lacing or head, nice look.

The smell is dominated by fruits, some yeast strains. Some dark molasses malts, not bad.

Sort of astringent fruity notes and powdered cocoa malts. Some decent taffy like sweet notes too, just ok. Some yeast and farmhouse like notes.

The feel is ok, the taste lasts a while, which is cool. Overall good carbo and not very boozy.

Not bad not great. This confirms my opinion of hill farmstead being a little overrated so far, at least in my opinion, still need to try a lot of their big beers. Kind of like the Dallas cowboys of breweries to me so far....

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 00:37:55 | More by Dreadnaught33

cosmicevan

New York

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

thanks to Joeybones3, shared this with the local crew on 8/8.

a - poured brown with a thin foamy head ans streaky lacing that slid down the glass.

s - oak, some sour cherry. smells really nice.

t - sour, saison, black malts. oak. some earthiness in the background. sour cherries with a hint of chocolate.

m - pretty smooth. even balanced tart. finishes off nicely.

o - overall, wonderful sour dark saison. some saison qualities, but mostly black malts soured.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 02:00:35 | More by cosmicevan

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.48/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 750 mL bottle opened by myself. I got this at the release a month or so back. Served chilled and poured into my Kate the Great tulip.

Appearance: Apparently chilling this so thoroughly worked well as I got zero gush (as can be the case with some HF beers I have found). Not quite black, more like dark brown. Pours a substantial three finger head that holds very well. Extremely light and cloudy.

Aroma: Some coffee and char upfront, but really nice fruit, green apple and tart lemon in particular, breaks up the monotony nicely. There is definitely an oak component in here as well. Some earthy and funky tones really balance this out well.

Taste: The dark malt notes hot first, but the sour kick of green apple and lemon really brighten this up quickly. Plenty of oak tannins throughout. The earthy quality from the yeast really brings this together. This is definitely a Hill Farmstead saison. The balance of sour and funk really reminds me of a lot of Shaun's other beers.

Mouthfeel: Light, full carbonated and smooth. Very refreshing.

Overall, black saisons can be hit or miss with me, but this one is probably my favorite of that style. Great balance of the dark malt and saison yeast plus really nice oak notes. Incrediby balanced and really refreshing. This was a really pleasant surprise. I could drink this all day and not get sick of it.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 02:39:12 | More by Gosox8787

gory4d

New York

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Mac for the trade.

Pours dark brown with a high tan head, translucent - no floaties. Smell is subdued, some notes of grass and minerals but not much more; opens up a little as it warms, but stays mild. The taste also seems a little one-note at first, just some mild sourness with a tannic, fruity finish, but as it warms there's more depth, with a faint savoriness to it as well as the more evident herbal and vegetal notes. It's well carbonated, a little oily. A very nice wild beer, in some ways reminiscent of an oud bruin.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 15:14:08 | More by gory4d

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Hill Farmstead wine glass.

The beer is opaque, a deep, dark shade of chestnut brown. The head is over an inch thick, receding quickly and settling in at around a half inch. Copious lacing all over the vessel.

The aroma is funky, earthy. Notes of wine are evident from the start. Tart fruit, perhaps currants.

Great flavor. Everything comes together beautifully. Delicious. What a complex and fantastic beer. Lots of tartness and wine barrel notes. Dark fruit character.

Medium bodied and smooth. Lingering sour, lactic, tart feel on the palate.

Overall, yet another fantastic brew from Shaun and the folks at Hill Farmstead.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 02:02:24 | More by Huhzubendah

Verecund

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2012. 750ml opened on July 29, 2012.

Slow gusher. CD4 pours dark brown, with faint burgundy hues on the edge of the glass when held up to the light. It yields four to five fingers of lightly tanned head. A little overcarbonated, but settles down after a few minutes.

Features a disobedient nose of jammy cabernet grapes, tannic oak, eucalyptus, some miscellaneous plummy dark fruit, and Belgian saison yeast. Subdued sourness.

The front of the palate is a little flabby, featuring a hint of roast, currant, cabernet grape, lemon, and substantial oak. Fruity, with a pleasant sourness — you have to search a little bit to find the saison base. The mid-palate reintroduces the heavy, tannic oak found on the nose, and CD4 finishes dryly, curtly, with just a pinch of pepper.

Medium, medium-thin in body with middle-of-the-road carbonation.

This grows on me over time, but I wish I had held my one bottle a little longer. An ambitious beer that just misses the mark for me, if only because of the quality of Shaun's other saisons.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 01:12:30 | More by Verecund

abuliarose

New Hampshire

4.58/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Hill Farmstead glass revealing a finger or two of tan head over dark brown body. Caramel and smoke on the nose along with a bit of lemony funk and a stone fruit floral essence. Taste is slightly tart and evocative of grilled unripe plum with some smoke and woodiness on the finish. Earthy underneath. Lively carb on the tongue, medium-bodied. Overall very refreshing and deliciously complex.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 22:29:41 | More by abuliarose

sisuspeed

New Hampshire

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into some Hill Farmstead stemware. A finger’s worth of lightly-tan head rests on top of a murky dark brown body. Nice lacing on the glass. Black currants, cocoa and a hint of smoke on the nose. Earthy oak notes in the background with a touch of soured grape. The flavor is a nice continuation of the nose and brings out some soured cabernet notes and grassy earthiness. The body is smooth, almost creamy, with appropriate carbonation and a refreshing level of sourness throughout. Overall, an excellent black saison. Slightly reminiscent of Russian River’s Consecration.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 22:15:40 | More by sisuspeed

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Shaun for this one.

Pours a light creamy head covering, slight hazy dark murky brown colored beer with decent lacing.

Nose has a nice creamy dark malt aroma, hint of lactose like with bits of chocolate and caramel. Light dark saison malts underneath with saison spices as well, lots of vanilla oak, light lactic sour and hint of wild funk.

Taste starts with light bitterness the quickly turns to malts. A hitn of a metallic twing, light vanilla oak and creamy brown malts, lots of tartness with light lacto and other funk, hint of chocolate like porter malt, light tart berry flavor too, long tart berry fruit profile that lingers a while, and some fluffy malt to round it off. Finish is a bit drier, long lingering tart berry flavor, hint of dark saison spices and dark malts, and just a bit of funk.

Mouth is fluffy, good carbonation, med to fuller bodied.

Overall awesome! Great malts, saison flavors, dark malts, tart berry, and nice funk. A well made beer with lots of good flavors and still very drinkable. Wonder how it will age.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 00:31:27 | More by jlindros

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This review is aka "Look at me, I'm an idiot reviewing a beer on draft and from a bottle". As long as you let me BA, as long as you let me... 750 mL bottle shared with Dyan.

Pours a clearish dark brown, muddy mahogany with a large, retentive light tan head. Thick streaks of bubbly lace cascade down my HF wine glass. Similar to Jimmy, this has a complex nose that is pulled in seemingly divergent and incompatible directions: lemon, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, Belgian yeast, citrus rind, plum and apple all mingle in each whiff. Body is medium thin with moderate carbonation, thin throughout, with a dry oaky finish. The bottle has a much more prevalent fruity presence than I recall from draft samples. Cherry, honey and red grape hit the front of the palate before the oak and barrel dry out the finish which still has a residual vanilla like sweetness. Darn, this is a complex and distinct dark saison that will be interesting to age.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 03:44:04 | More by yourefragile

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thank you, Michael.

A very dark brown with reddish highlights, a dense, brown head with excellent retention and nice lacing, this is a nice looking beer. The nose is great! Fruity (plums, raisins, currants), red wine, a nice roast, moderate saison funk and a nice yeast character. Moderate oak presence, lending some vanilla notes as well. Adding the yeast lends a cheesy component to the nose. Most excellent.

The palate opens roasty, mildly lactic, fruity and vinous. This is surprisingly well integrated, with a nice lemony and lactic sourness. Currants and dark fruits are present, and are livened up by the base saison. Medium-light in body and moderately carbonated, this feels quite nice on the palate. Drying on the finish with vanilla, oak and roast with just enough of the saison pepperiness, this is fantastic stuff. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 03:25:29 | More by DefenCorps

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the hill farmstead release for civil disobedience 4 and Jimmy. Poured into my hill farmstead tulip.

A - poured a dark brown hue with a two finger fluffy mocha head that leaves sticky side lacing and a very nice blanket.

S - Aromas of funk and sour vinuos barrel ans possibly some light char.

T - Taste is slightly funky with alot of sour funky barrel notes. Nice and vinegary with good grapeskin

M - Mouthfeel was solid with good funk and light chocolate very tart and nice.

O - Overall this beer was pretty tasty. Nice chocolates and funk here. Delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2012 14:38:01 | More by rudzud