Susan - Hill Farmstead Brewery

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.28/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Tyler for this one. 22oz. growler into a Lawson's pint glass.

Pours a .5 finger white, creamy head with good retention. Beer is a cloudy, murky papaya and pale orange. Lacing is patchy and thick with great cling. Real pretty beer considering its unfiltered.

Nose is clean and simple. Grapefruit, hop resin, citrus sweetness, and a mellow grassiness. Moderately aromatic. Nice.

Opens citrus, pine, and cane sugar. Some papaya and other tropical fruits provide a nice malt backbone against a mellow hop bitterness. Finishes citrus and resin with a light sappy hop aftertaste. Really refreshing.

Light bodied with moderate to low carbonation. Slick, smooth and slightly lively in the mouth. Goes down quenching. Slightly messy finish with a moderately dry, sticky aftertaste. Awesome!

This is pretty in line with the rest of the HF pale ale offerings... namely incredibly balanced and drinkable. Really just a well crafted ipa in every sense that showcases each of the hop varities infused into it.

Serving type: growler

11-22-2012 19:23:32 | More by SpeedwayJim

SawDog505

New Hampshire

4.53/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Need to thank Dr. H for this treat. Poured from 750 growler into my 13 oz tulip glass. Pours a very cloudy orange yellow, with a two inch sticky off white head, leaves loads of lacing behind. Smell is heavenly mango, passion fruit, tangerine, and pineapple. Taste is all of that, with a grapefruit finish. Body is thinner than I expected, not overly carbonated, not dry, and very drinkable. This another treasure from one of the great users of citra hops. Vermont can brew IPAs.

Serving type: growler

11-21-2012 22:54:10 | More by SawDog505

LarryK

New York

4.96/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Was fortunate enough to have Susan back when it debuted in NYC at at the Blind Tiger last November, along with a handful of other HF rarities. The scene was absolute chaos, with the entire place packed floor-to-ceiling and people ordering as many as four 12-ounce pours at a time for themselves; I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I was fortunate enough to score a seat at the bar about 10 minutes before keg-tapping, and got my hands on one of the first pours of Susan ever in Manhattan. Glad I got it when I did, because the sixtel kicked in 30 minutes.

Bursting with all of the wonderful citrus flavor and aroma of many of my favorite IPAs, I quickly realized what Susan reminded me of more than anything else — Zombie Dust. Citra is the star of the Susan show, but it’s also a showcase for Riwaka and Simcoe. To date, Susan is one of the few beers I’ve had that has given Zombie Dust a true run for its money. Absolutely one of the finest IPAs I've ever drank.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2012 16:30:50 | More by LarryK

jraras

Massachusetts

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

Susan: several tastings compiled to one review. On draft sample (1st sample I tried at 12:30pm w/ clean palate) into HF sampling glass, 750 < 8hrs old into wide mouth wine glass, 750 24hrs old kept chilled into HF stemware.

A: Pours a cloudy light orange with frothy white head measuring perhaps 2 fingers (maybe 1.5). Lots of lacing and a remaining layer of head throughout the experience. Typically awesome HF look on this one. Looks like Edward and maybe the Riwaka and Simcoe single hop APAs they've done recently. Approaching but not quite as dark as S&S4.

S: A blast of tropical fruits, sweet orange/tangerine, lemon zest(?), slight whiff of pale malt, more candy-like tropical fruit. I don't know what passionfruit smells like, but this might be it. Pineapple, definitely getting pineapple now. Slight flowery scent over the tropihop fruit back. Unreal nose! 5+

T: Taste doesn't have quite as much of the tropical punch that the aroma does, but still more than 99% of hoppy beers out there. Orange, citrus, lemon zest again and some grapefruit the finish has Riwaka written all over it. Awesomely subtle and lingering bitterness, but not palate wrecking by any stretch.

M: Soft, FLUFFY (Fluffhead?), gorgeous mouth feel with great drinkability. Just enough sweetness from the malts weaving with the creeping bitterness. Not cloying at all. Not "dry" per se. I want another sip.

O: I could drink this beer everyday. The aroma is the best part, but the others elements are just behind. I love this beer. Get some.

Serving type: growler

11-19-2012 01:31:08 | More by jraras

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.18/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 750 mL growler filled fresh from the brewery yesterday and kept chilled since then. Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a really agressive, creamy three finger head with great retention. Cloudy yellow/orange in color (a lot like Edward and some of their other single hop offerings).

Aroma: Tons of tropical fruit and ctirus notes upfront. Pineapple and mango notes really stand out. I am getting a touch of the Simcoe hop note in there as well that really tempers the tropical fruit notes.

Taste: The Citra and Riwaka hops offer some really great tropical notes. Lots of pineapple and mango with some orange zest and grapefruit. Not as sweet as the aroma suggests. Some pretty agressive grapefruit and bitter hop notes. As it warms more, the aggressive grapefruit bitterness builds nicely. Easy drinking and refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with a nice creaminess. Really nice, bright carbonation.

Overall, a really nice, fresh IPA with a nice tropical background. Really nicely balanced with a more bitter finish than I expected. Not only refreshing but this grew on me as I drank it. I think I still prefer Edward to this but it is definitely a really nice beer.

Serving type: growler

11-18-2012 17:49:09 | More by Gosox8787