Life Without Principle #2 - Hill Farmstead Brewery

jlindros

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler pours a huge 3 finger fluffy head into my large tulip, that fades at a med pace with ridiculous lacing, super hazy lemon yellow color.

Nose brings light lemon rind, little grassy hop profile, floral and effervescent, hint of sweet pilsner straw malt, blond ale malt aroma that's slightly toasty and straw, bit of a ctirusy aroma.

Taste starts with lemon rind, bitter rind mostly at first, that moves to a flowery tea flavor like a chamomile tea, with light earthy flavors and nice citrus. There's a light blond ale malt flavor, little toasty straw and grassy, no sweetness though, and a bit of a fluffy malt character. Citrusy again, with light grassy and lemony hop flavors and overall profile. Semi bitter at first, but finishes quite bitter for the overall beer, long bitter lemon rind profile lingering, with more of the earthy flowery chamomile and grassy flavors, and just a touch of toasty malt.

Mouth is lighter to med bodied, lots of fluffy carbonation.

Overall not bad, a unique beer that brings interesting characters between the lemon and chamomile like flavors, nice grassy lemony hops, decent malt profile still there somewhere. Drinkable mostly but not as good as most Hill beers.

Serving type: growler

01-06-2013 05:13:32 | More by jlindros

yottachem

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

03-27-2013 01:23:44 | More by yottachem

chippo33

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%

03-03-2013 16:40:29 | More by chippo33

ThrewRedButter

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.7%

02-17-2013 19:02:53 | More by ThrewRedButter

AdamL73

Vermont

4/5  rDev -1.7%

02-16-2013 18:58:55 | More by AdamL73

LinzBrit

4/5  rDev -1.7%

02-15-2013 15:28:35 | More by LinzBrit

Shilt

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

02-11-2013 16:21:12 | More by Shilt

wildcats10

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

02-10-2013 19:15:31 | More by wildcats10

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Life Without Principle 2 pours a hazy light yellow with a big, rocky head on top. The foam dissolves slowly leaving behind a fair amount of netted lace.

The aroma has a lot of lemon citrus. Very herbal with perhaps a touch of chamomile and pale malt mixed in.

Each sip of this light to medium bodied beer is soft on the palate with light carbonation. The flavor is loaded with tart lemon, tea like herbs and some pale malt. It finishes dry and tart. Once gone the lemon and herbs linger on the palate.

LWP #2 reminds me of a lemon drop or a cup of lemon tea. It's very drinkable and would be great on a hot summer afternoon.

Serving type: growler

02-09-2013 00:46:51 | More by WanderingFool

TheRuss9585

Vermont

4/5  rDev -1.7%

02-03-2013 22:08:16 | More by TheRuss9585

CypherEnigma

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

02-03-2013 15:20:02 | More by CypherEnigma

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

02-02-2013 05:11:31 | More by stereosforgeeks

drabmuh

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

02-01-2013 03:54:08 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

4.24/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml growler from Sean - thanks man! Served in a tulip while watching January's Plan 9 Burlesque show.

A - Big white foam settles to a thick cap, thicker collar, and spotty lacing. Lightly hazed lemon-straw body. Pretty much spot on for the style.

S - There be lemons alright. Lemon zest, lemon tarts, a bit of pine and grassy hop in the periphery , and a pale malt backdrop with a touch of icing sugar to it.

T - The taste is quite similar, with a heavy dose of lemon zest and pale malt sweetness. Bitterness is fairly low, and the combination of flavors is quite refreshing. Simple, but effective, and highly flavorful for 4.9%.

M - Dry, crisp, medium-light body, with no alcohol presence. Good heft for the low ABV, and the typical soft, active, Hill Farmstead carbonation.

D - A very nice session ale, and certainly better than 99.9% of Blonde Ales out there. Eminently drinkable - I drank nearly all 750ml on my own, and I easily could have tackled the 2L format. I hope Shaun revisits these in the summer, as that seems like the more appropriate season for citrus-infused session beers.

Serving type: growler

01-30-2013 07:54:45 | More by MasterSki

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

750ml growler filled at the brewery on Saturday (2 days ago). Served in HF stemmed glass.

A- Pours a pale cloudy yellow lemon color, nice consistent rising carbonation, about a finger of frothy head that recedes at an average pace leaving some light spotty lacing.

S- Lemon peels, lemon zest, lemon juice,... basically a ton of lemon, some pale malts. Very aromatic and definitely one of the most lemon forward beers I've encountered.

T- Refreshing light lemon juice, finishes with light lemon zest and lemon peels (although nowhere near as zesty as the aroma), fairly light bitterness, and some pale malts. Not as flavorful as a lot of HF beers but amazingly refreshing.

M- Light, smooth, extremely easy drinking, nice carbonation, extremely sessionable.

O- This was definitely a nice sessionable blonde from HF. The aroma was intense lemon and the taste was extremely refreshing but not quite as flavorful as I was hoping. Overall it was extremely sessionable and I could easily drink about 5 of these. Definitely would be a nice beer for the summer. If you like zesty lemon forward beers then I definitely recommend trying this out.

Serving type: growler

01-28-2013 22:55:34 | More by jaasen64

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.11/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

64oz growler, filled 1/19/13
The Bruery tulip

A: Very hazy bright yellow color. Good full finger of bright white head. Sticks around a while. Still carbonated after a week, so that is a good sign. Leaves some lacing bits.

S: Smells very light and lemony. Light malt bill for sure. Little bit of grassy/grainy hops.

T: Get that crisp lemon on tip of the tongue. It's very light and refreshing. Then on the malt bill. Dry finish. It's not like a Rattler or Shandy, much better than that and less sweet. Very tasty and refreshing. Would be a great summer brew.

M: Light bodied. Crisp finish.

Serving type: growler

01-28-2013 18:23:14 | More by inlimbo77

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

01-28-2013 02:24:45 | More by oldp0rt

lovindahops

New York

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

01-27-2013 02:15:11 | More by lovindahops

bahnfire

Vermont

4/5  rDev -1.7%

01-26-2013 21:13:25 | More by bahnfire

MEW

New York

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%

01-26-2013 01:49:45 | More by MEW

dtmets84

New York

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

01-25-2013 02:36:33 | More by dtmets84

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Kyle for picking this one up for me. 64oz. growler into a Duvel artist tulip. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a .5 finger foamy white head with moderate retention. Beer is a cloudy, unfiltered pale yellow. Lacing is stringy and spotty with average stick. Decent.

Nose is refreshingly crisp. Lemon, citrus, a touch of soap and some coriander. Pretty mellow but very fresh. Exactly as advertised.

Citrus, lemon rind hop bitterness, coriander, and some floral notes. More spiciness at the middle and end. Finishes with a touch of floral and lemon hop character. Dry and bitter aftertaste. Very solid and refreshing. Could be a touch sweeter for my taste.

Light bodied with ample carbonation. Crisp and clean in the mouth and goes down abrasive and quenching. Accented finish with a dry, slightly lingering aftertaste. So drinkable! HF is always spot on with the feel of their brews.

Overall, a very solid beer though not my one of my preferred Hill Farmstead offerings. For what it is though, a sessionable, crisp, refreshing, and quaffable beer, this is hard to beat.

Serving type: growler

01-24-2013 01:45:09 | More by SpeedwayJim

AgentZero

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -14%

01-22-2013 18:59:03 | More by AgentZero

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by Paul tonight. Thanks a lot man!

The beer is indeed blonde. Moderately hazy with an inch of soft, white head. The aroma offers lemons, floral notes, lemon zest, followed by a light dose of bready malts. Good flavor. Pretty straightforward. Pronounced lemon character throughout. Light in body with a tangy, crisp finish. A solid example of the style.

Serving type: growler

01-22-2013 02:10:47 | More by Huhzubendah

SupremePie

Vermont

3/5  rDev -26.3%

01-22-2013 01:04:27 | More by SupremePie