Society & Solitude #4 - Hill Farmstead Brewery

jegross2

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewing Society & Solitude #4 from Hill Farmstead. This might be my favorite IPA that they make, which is to say a lot since Shawn Hill makes some of the best IPA out there.
Score: 97

A week only growler poured and served in to a snifter glass and enjoyed on 08/02/12. This is a backlogged review from notes.

Appearance: Pours a slightly dull, unfiltered orange-peach color with two fingers of off-white head that settles to a thin layer atop the glass. Good oily lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Fresh tropical citrus and pine. Loads of grapefruit, mango, pineapple, orange rind and grassy hops. Oh boy! 4.75/5

Taste: Aggressively hopped grapefruit, lemon, and pineapple upfront, which slowly washes away as more of the piney/grassy hops comes through towards the finish with only a hint of lingering tropical flavor on back of tongue. Touch of dirtiness/earthiness on the midpalate to balance out sweet citrus favors too. A near perfect balance is struck here between the sweet and bitter elements, with growing degrees of bitter, slightly dank qualities in the finish as it warms up. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied with a low amount of carbonation that lets the bitterness sit heavy on the tongue. Juicy on the tongue. 4/5

Overall: Yet another knockout IPA experiment from the master. This imperial IPA gives Heady Topper a serious run for its money.

Recommendation: Absolutely seek this one out if/when rebrewed again, unless you hate IPAs.

Pairings: Hawaiian pizza.

Cost: $25 for a 2L growler (including the cost of the container).

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:25:31 | More by jegross2

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.2/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 mL growler poured into a Kate the Great snifter.

Appearance - Very hazy orange. Small white head. Light, but almost contiguous layer of foam remains atop the beer. Surprisingly leggy as I swirl it.

Smell - A two-faced smell. First aroma is a gigantic pineapple and mango flavor. Almost like there's mango juice in it. Sweet smelling. Behind it is a distinct grapefruit pungency. Almost as if there are two glasses of beer in front of me and I'm smelling both at the same time.

Taste - The flavor lacks a bit of the depth the aroma has. The flavors blend better, but they are also a touch diminished. The grapefruit is more dominant than the tropical fruits and the grapefruit becomes much more dominant in the finish. Builds to a strong bitter grapefruit finish.

Mouthfeel - Low-ish carbonation. Probably due to the growler. Medium body. The bitterness is extreme, though, much like Society & Solitude #3. Like chewing on a grapefruit in the end.

Overall - Everything is great except the finish. Still an extremely enjoyable IPA. Maybe not something I could drink 5 of like Heady, but still excellent. Please continue these hop experiments, Mr. Hill, but cut back on those bittering hops, please!

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 23:14:54 | More by Alieniloquium

andrewinski1

Maine

4.33/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a wine taster. The color is hazy straw to melon. There is a nice quarter inch head and lots of sticky lacing.

The aroma has a lot of sweet melony hops mixed with a touch of piney hop aroma.

The taste mixes sweet melony flavor with slight citrus notes and a touch of pine. The hop bitterness perfectly complements the malt sweetness. Yum.

This is medium to full bodied with nice subtle carbonation. This is super fantastic as expected from Hill Farmstead.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 04:05:19 | More by andrewinski1

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to yourefragile for sharing this one. Served in Hill Farmstead stemware. Pours a moderate peach color with a nice white head and some spotty lacing. Nose has heavy citrus and tropical notes. Mango big in the flavor, followed by heavy bitterness. Touch of passion fruit. Really bitter, but still crushable. I would have liked a little less on that for more focus on the flavor blend of Citra and Galaxy.

Serving type: growler

12-16-2012 19:30:11 | More by Thorpe429

mltobin

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Notes from a few months ago; served on-tap in New York City.

Appearance is golden honey with 1 1/2 fingers of a bright white head. It looks very inviting. The nose on this comes through with pine, mango, grass and hops. Meanwhile the taste, has grains, biscuit, more mango, hops, very nice. It is a tasty beer to be sure. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, rather bitter. It drinks fairly easily for a DIPA, but not too much so. It is a damn fine beer and it was a treat to enjoy it as part of a day spent in NYC.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2012 02:35:05 | More by mltobin

stoutluvr420

Vermont

4.23/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Perfect summertime brew, pours a near clear orange gold with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has an outstanding combination of slightly sweet citrus with slightly bitter pine backed by grass. Flavor has citrus up front that transitions to grapefruit and pine with a hint of chive, backed by light grain. Love this one!

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 01:24:12 | More by stoutluvr420

MrVonzipper

California

4.88/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks LambicKing!
Pours a fairly hazy peach color with a great fluffy white head with great retention and lacing.

Lovely nose full of tropical fruit, pineapple, apricot, mango and citrus peels.

Flavor is fantastic. Amazing light citrus. Fantastically balanced with a slightly fruity sweetness up front and finishing with a lovely citrussy and mildly bitter hop back end.

Mouthfeel is phenomenal. So light and crisp. So good on this un-godly hot CA summer day.

Overall, God I wish HF was in CA. I've had this and Abner as far as their ipas and both are just phenomenal!

Serving type: growler

09-13-2012 00:14:21 | More by MrVonzipper

MaxSpang

Ohio

4.73/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 750ml growler into a Founders tulip. Thanks to Cam (UrbanCaver) for hooking me up!

APPEARANCE

Let's face it, IPAs almost always look sexy. This beer is no exception. It's a hazy orange juice color and sits under a rather large slightly off-white head. It had beautiful lacing throughout the (too short) drinking session. This is the kind of beer that would make even the most prude chap get all hot and bothered.

SMELL

This beer filled the room with hoppy goodness when I opened the flip top. Tons of Citra yumminess, which brings tropical fruits like pineapple, grapefruit, and mango. The Galaxy brings passion fruit and more citrus. There is a bit of a grape-like aroma as well. For being 8%, there's no alcohol to be found on the nose. This. Beer. Smells. Great.

TASTE

This is bonkers. It seriously tastes like a blend of freshly squeezed grapefruit and orange juice. I almost expect a little pulp while drinking this. There is a very good amount of tropical fruit character, like mango, a lot of pineapple, blood orange, etc. It's not as bitter as other IPAs I've had. Usually, when an IPA isn't bitter I get disappointed, but in this beer I don't miss it at all. It actually tastes less bitter than grapefruit juice while leaving all of the wonderful sweet fruit flavor. No alcohol to be found in this fella. The only negative thing I have to say about this beer is that there is the absolute SLIGHTEST dank/grassy flavor, but that's only because I drank my Haterade earlier. Overall, the Citra and Galazy are playing together so wonderfully in this beer you'd think they were soul mates.

MOUTHFEEL

Slightly under carbonated, which I can probably attribute to the 830+ mile trip that this beer had to undergo in the growler. That being said, this beer still has a wonderful mouthfeel. There's just enough residual sugar to keep this beer from going down exactly like water but is by NO means a struggle to drink. The body is medium-light, which is just about perfect for an IPA. There is a tiny bit of hop resin that lingers after the swallow, and it feels more like a grapefruit pith. Yum!

OVERALL

Hill Farmstead has been gaining a ton of respect lately, and beers like this are the reason for it. This is stupidly delicious and a triumph of brewing. I don't want to sit here and fan the flames of all the Hill Farmstead hype, but in my experience they totally deserve it. For me, the amazing thing about this beer is that it has the one thing that I don't like about Imperial IPAs - it's sweet, not bitter. I generally don't like IPAs unless they are tongue-splitting bitter. But this beer makes a fool out of me, and proves that you don't need an IPA that destroys your taste buds to be amazing. Whatever they are doing at Hill Farmstead they're doing right.

Cheers.

Serving type: growler

09-08-2012 23:41:57 | More by MaxSpang

fiver29

Ohio

4/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Mike for sharing this growler. Pours cloudy golden amber hue with marshmellow off white head. Aroma has a nice mix of citrus bitter hops with a touch of pine. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor has upfront citrus tart note, then the finish has a strong and somewhat astringent hop bite. It lets you know that its a double. Even though it doesn’t really taste like a double. Its very deceiving. Thanks again Mike.

Serving type: growler

09-08-2012 15:53:09 | More by fiver29

woosterbill

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to the ever-generous kingkong for the growler. Shared with friends and poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Cloudy pale orange body under a finger of large-bubbled white froth from a vigorous pour. Not much internally-produced head, but for impact bubbles they stick around well. Very light lace. No better than average.

S: Lovely hop dominance. Quite dank and herbal up front, with citrus and tropical fruit following close behind. Just a hint of toasty malt. Excellent, but not quite room-filling.

T: Spicy, piquant hoppiness right away, with mango, grapefruit, and spruce resin dominant on the middle part. Huge herbal bitterness pounds the back of my tongue throughout the slightly malty finish and persists to the end of the citrusy, almost eternal aftertaste. Super flavorful, but a little shy of truly dynamic.

M: Medium body, light carbonation. Very soft and delicate, but a touch too close to lifeless.

O: Excellent beer, but I enjoyed both Double Citra and Double Galaxy significantly more. Thanks again, Patrick!

Cheers!

Serving type: growler

09-07-2012 02:18:17 | More by woosterbill

Verecund

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml growler opened on September 4, 2012. I'm fearful for the day when a google search of "Society & Solitude" brings up Hill Farmstead beers instead of Emerson, but according to Greg Currie, literature can't give us insight into the mind and its workings anyways, so I drink Hill Farmstead when I could be reading Emerson.

Pours a cloudy tangerine yellow-orange. A finger of resilient, creamy white head sticks around.

Riper-than-ripe juicyfruit nose. Unbelievable tropical fruit, mango, tangerine, lemon citrus, pineapple, maybe a hint of green leafy bitterness. Bright, bitter, and brilliant.

More of the same. A citra bomb on the front of the palate, beaming citrus and pineapple, playing right into galaxy's passionfruit/tropical fruit brilliance. Mango juice. This beer sweats more juicy, fruity bitterness than other beers are made of. Resinous finish. Just enough sweetness to pull this back from the too-bitter.

Creamy; medium, medium light bodied.

At this point I'm convinced Shaun knows something other brewers don't. One of my personal favorites from his repertoire of IPAs/DIPAs, and playing right into my weaknesses, S&S #4 is a nearly perfect showcase of what citra and galaxy can do.

Serving type: growler

09-06-2012 01:39:16 | More by Verecund

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.58/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Positive Pie. Served out of a Hill Farmstead snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Served with a .5 finger white head which dissipated quickly. Spotty lace with good stick. Beer is cloudy honey. Clarity hurts, but solid on all other fronts.

Nose is honey, citrus, sap hop bitterness, papaya, peach, and other tropical fruit. Moderately aromatic. Very good.

Opens citrus sweetness. Papaya, tree sap hoppiness packs a bitter punch that's balanced out by a tropical fruit malt body that emerges towards the middle. Citrus comes out even more towards the end. Finishes with a hop creaminess that fades into a bitter aftertaste. Perfect.

Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Abrasive and lively in the mouth and smooth going down. Messy finish with a lingering aftertaste. Complements the flavor profile amazingly.

Another outstanding hoppy offering from Hill Farmstead. Solid if not near perfect on all fronts.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2012 01:50:39 | More by SpeedwayJim

cosmicevan

New York

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to GrumpyOldTroll for the share! Notes from 8/29.

a - brew poured a murky orange yellow with thin fizzy head and spotty lacing. swirling the glass rebuilds the head. looks a bit like honey in a glass.

s - earthy citrus. tropical fruit bouquet.

t - great balanced bitterness with a citric blast. great tropical fruit notes.

m - smooth and even with great carbonation. just a well made beer.

o - Hill Farmstead has come to earn a solid reputation and this is just another beer that backs it up. yet ANOTHER fine DIPA from one of the best breweries out there. these guys just don't make bad beer. they don't even make mediocre beer...very pleased with this beer.

Serving type: growler

08-31-2012 03:33:53 | More by cosmicevan

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 64 oz. screwtop growler filled on Saturday at the brewery. Keep chilled since being filled. Poured into a pint glass and enjoyed.

Appearance: Cloudy straw yellow in color. Pours a nice full, three finger head. Leaves a really nice lacing up and down the glass.

Aroma: Huge citrus aromas upfront. Lots of tropical fruit, mango, pineapple, and some resiny pine. A really pleasant and aromatic hop profile.

Taste: Cirtus and tropical fruit notes really shine here as well. The bitterness is not overpowering at all. Tons of mango, pineapple, and grapefruit. Some pine comes in near the end, but any of the bitterness is offset by some of the sweetness of the alcohol and malt, which adds a touch of light honey. Really balanced and tasty. Completely drinkable.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and very crisp. Really refreshing and easy to drink.

Overall, another spectacular Hill Farmstead IPA. Definitely one of my new favorites and one I would like to have them revisit soon. Really tropical, balanced and refreshing. Considering the ABV, this is really easy to drink a lot of. A definite winner.

Serving type: growler

08-29-2012 00:52:11 | More by Gosox8787

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.58/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I drank this at Matt's birthday tasting last night. Thanks for sharing this, Matt!

Mildly hazy orange yellow with a dense white head that falls off to a disk. The nose? JFC. Big fruit - citrus, stone fruit, bright, redolent and resplendently hoppy. Not grassy at all. Beautiful aromatic. The citrus is more orange and tangerine than grapefruit. Fantastic stuff.

The palate opens with a great balance between bitterness and fruitiness, with the brightness of Citra front and center, while the tropical notes from Galaxy play a secondary but crucial role. Delicate but firm, there's pineapple and mango coupled with a very enjoyable citrus note. Malt character is mild, a little doughy, even. That said, this is all hops. Drying, mildly fruity and a touch resiny on the finish, this has great balance between the fruity flavors and bitterness. Medium light in body, moderately carbonated, this is fantastic stuff.

Serving type: growler

08-27-2012 00:06:28 | More by DefenCorps

FoundersPounder

New York

4.83/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Farmmhouse in Burlington, VT. Amazing DIPA. Prevalent fresh delicious hops as always from Hill Farmstead.

One finger head on the pour. All sorts of fruit on the first sip with an extremely hoppy, resiny finish. Medium body and medium carbonation. Near perfect for a non Russian River DIPA ;)

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2012 23:54:48 | More by FoundersPounder

smakawhat

Maryland

4.93/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from growler taken from brewery in less than 18 hour period poured into a Hill Farmstead wine glass.

A slight dull lemony yellow body, but some nice faint green hues here also ever so slight. Opaque. Easily one to two finger rich creamy white and merringue head, thick clumps of lacing, big retention, lots of staying power. Wonderful looking brew.

What a great nose on this. Citrus and tropical hob bomb, without the mushy sweetness. Smells like fresh tropical fruit from the island. Mango, faint peach, incredibly fleshy, with warm earthy hop tones, and even a grain fresh ripping malt sense. Unreal.

Taste brings pure magic. Juicy palate and wonderful tropical fruit punch body, with a good thickness. Hop juice finish, mild resin, with big hints of mango and soft baguette dough french bread on the aftertaste. Full, rich, luscious.

Overall just and amazing creation, flooring. Just a stunning brew. Reminds me of a superior Odell Myrcenary.

Serving type: growler

08-23-2012 04:45:03 | More by smakawhat

hagbergl

Massachusetts

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

I made the pilgrimage to the Hill Farmstead Brewery in early August and picked up a 2 liter growler of this particularly fruity Imperial IPA brewed with Citra and Galaxy hops. Why 2 liters? Let's just say I couldn't resist. Beer was poured from the growler into my St. Bernardus chalice. Review is from notes.

Appearance (5/5): A medium strength pour from the growler produces a luxuriant 2 finger, white head of foam that sits atop a body of opaque, peach orange colored beer. A significant amount of sticky lacing lines the sides of the glass. This is one of the most picturesque IPAs I have seen: it has the signature HF peach orange hue and opaqueness due to its being unfiltered and demonstrates ample head and lacing. Everything you want to see in a beer, nothing less.

Smell (5/5): Notes of pineapple, tropical fruit, some pine. There is a distinct earthiness to the S & S #4's aroma that I really like. There are faint hints of malt that push back, albeit gently and, ultimately, ineffectually against the tidal wave of fruity hop aromas.

Taste (5/5): The first thing anyone notices about this IPA is the absurd level of fruitiness going on: mango, pineapple, orange, passion fruit, grapefruit, and cantaloupe. A little piney flavor is worked in there as well. The bitterness is medium-ish, to put it technically; hop astringence is less prevalent than hop sweetness and fruitiness. S & S's bitterness grows as you consume and the hop oils saturate the tongue, however. A nice biscuity malt provides a nice bit of token resistance. Minimal alcohol presence in the back does not distract at all from the wonderful hop flavor experience. Legit perfection here.

Mouthfeel (5/5): Society and Solitude #4 has a medium body and good medium-light carbonation. This is a very smooth beer. Unlike many IPA's, this one doesn't have much prickliness to it. It is highly drinkable and never feels thick or cloying because of body, poor carbonation problems, or resinous-ness.

Overall (5/5): Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude #4 is, simply put, incredible beer and is one of my favorite Imperial IPAs. It is a beautiful, exceptionally fruity, mildly bitter, and immensely drinkable beer that begs to be had fresh. Whenever you see it on tap or at the brewery in Greensboro Bend, VT, make sure to snag some. I hope all you hop-lovers enjoy it as much as I did.

Serving type: growler

08-23-2012 03:38:53 | More by hagbergl

ehammond1

California

4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler

Thanks for sharing this with me, corregidore!

Hazy yellow and light golden with a moderately sized near-white head eventually leaving lines and spiderwebs of lace down the glass. Pretty.

There's a huge assortment of citrus/fruity hop elements in this: grapefruit, mango, nectarine, and orange; sensing a theme? There's enough bread/biscuit to backbone this nicely.

The flavor is similar to the aroma as the citrus and bright fruit/hop notes stand out, though balanced nicely enough by biscuit and mild caramel. Moderate bitterness; remarkably drinkable.

Medium bodied with high carbonation.

My favorite on a night that included many fine beers.

Serving type: growler

08-19-2012 02:19:05 | More by ehammond1

HopHead84

California

4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

8/17/2012

Huge thanks for the generosity. Much appreciated.

A: Hazy pale yellow with an inch of soapy white froth that lingers for a minute before settling to a thin layer of sea foam. Sheets of lacing coat the glass. Pretty hazy.

S: I'm immediately struck by pineapple, followed by nectarine, pine, papaya, and a floral-like spiciness with a dash of lemon. There's a light cracker and biscuit malt presence that's dominated by the grim and unyielding hop aromatics.

T: A juicy blend of nectarine, orange, stone fruit, and grapefruit rind with a light spiciness. There's a light crackery malt presence that's overwhelmed by a smooth upper moderate bitterness and a plethora of hop flavor. The finish is pleasantly clean and crisp without a hint of alcohol.

M: Lower medium body with upper medium carbonation. Dry and sticky mouthfeel.

Overall: Another excellent Double IPA from Hill Farmstead. Thanks again.

Serving type: growler

08-18-2012 04:41:15 | More by HopHead84

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on tap at the Black Back Pub. A dirty blonde with a heavy dose of hops.A bit boozy in the finish. Decent to try,grassy,pine, fruity, a good use of citra without the cat pee effect.Fuller mouthfeel.Well malted, tokeep acidic edge away.An interesting beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2012 23:28:05 | More by northyorksammy

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a hazy tan/light to medium orange in color with a light head that dies quickly to an even white lacing ring, mellow carbonation.

S - Big aromatic nose that wreaks of big ripe juicy mango, pineapple, sweet grapefruit, all resinous and drowns out the malt base. There's also an alcohol effervescence that's noticeable.

T - Matches up with the nose: Lots of resin and tropical fruit oils with a pepper spice - sweet ruby grapefruit bitterness, mango, bitter oranges, and is hop forward but as the glass warms up the light malt comes through a little more to help balance things out.

M - Light medium body and leaves a bitter sweet peppery grapefruit finish that lingers for many minutes.

O - Another great IPA from Hill Farmstead.

Serving type: growler

08-15-2012 21:42:03 | More by jzeilinger

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Deuane for grabbing me a growler of this one from the brewery.

A - Pours hazy golden orange with a dense two finger tall white head leaving sticky rings of lace down the entire glass.

S - Smells of fresh citric fruit zest, pungent hops, fresh cut grass, pine needles and some light caramel malt sweetness.

T - Starts off with a ton of hop bitterness that lasts through the finish. The galaxy and citra hops work well together but they are hard to tell them apart at times. Hints of citric fruit zest, grass and pine as well as some sweet caramel help round things out. The finish is quite bitter, lingering on the palate long after the finish.

M - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Lots of bitterness throughout with a dry finish, no alcohol detectable at all.

O - A very good DIPA yet again from Hill Farmstead. Not as good as some of their other hoppy beers but it was still a very enjoyable, easy drinking beer.

Serving type: growler

08-14-2012 21:27:41 | More by orangesol

harrymel

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank Keith!

Pours murky apricot orange with thick white foam that sticks around for quite some time. The nose really opens as it warms - peach, mango, dank, some pineapple and resin. Nice nose - not too sweet, which is norm as of late. Flavor is bitter and grainy with plenty of nuances. Pine, grapefruit rinds, some lemon and grains. I'm surprised and refreshed at how bitter this is. Medium bodied and moderated carb. Nice beer, I'm betting this is a step higher up at the brewery fresh as possible. I think the peach and mango would be stronger and really make this one.

Serving type: growler

08-14-2012 05:19:49 | More by harrymel

Kinsman

New Hampshire

4.53/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy orange color with a nice bright white head. Aroma is fairly tropical with notes of mango and pineapple alongside a healthy dose of citrus zest. A light amount of malt notes in there as well.

Citrus notes dominate the palate with a nice array of grapefruit and orange. Bitterness is there to give a little kick but does not abuse your tastebuds like many DIPAs do. Finding this to be rather sweet with just enough malt backbone to help round things out.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice lively carbonation. Overall, S&S #4 truly is a top notch DIPA that really shows how some of these newer hops like citra can be used.

Serving type: growler

08-10-2012 22:09:18 | More by Kinsman