Mary - Hill Farmstead Brewery

weonfire

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 5 day old HF growler and still perfect. amazing.

A - Straw yellow, full finger thick fluffy head, patchy lacing, carbonation rising continuously

S - barley, grain, biscuit, earthy, grass

T - Grain, barley, wheat, lemon, grass, earthy

M - Wow. full, thick, frothy as can be, viscosity is med/high.

O - Best 'German Pilsner' i've ever head. very refreshing. mouth is outstanding. malt and yeast flavor is fantastic. at 4.7 ABV I could easily drink this all day. love it.

Serving type: growler

05-15-2013 01:56:53 | More by weonfire

cfrances33

Illinois

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Growler poured into a Hill Farmstead stem.

Pour: Nearly clear pale yellow, with two and half fingers of white puffy head. Lots of sticky lacing, and the head hangs around for a lot of the glass.

Smell: A lemony bite of up front, and then lots of breadyness. Maybe a hint of pine, and a slight yeast.

Taste: Big lemon and sweet bread up front. The sweetness is rather crispy. Finishes with some light pine, lemon, and a breadyness.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp and refreshing. Breadyness lingers briefly, and quickly cuts out clean and dry.

Overall. A very delicate pilsner. Definitely the best I've had yet. Well done. I would love to enjoy this on a hot summer day.

Serving type: growler

03-08-2013 03:15:15 | More by cfrances33

oline73

Maryland

4.21/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a growler into a tasting snifter.

The beer pours a golden color with a mild layer of off white head. The smell is very light and herbal with a nice, light malt note. The herbal quality carries over to the taste, which is very light. There is a strong bitter note that almost overshadows the pils malt taste. This is a very light and clean beer. The body is light and the finish is super dry. I really enjoyed this beer and can't say I've had another Pilsener like it.

Serving type: growler

03-06-2013 19:41:47 | More by oline73

mdfb79

New York

4.26/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

From 03/05/13 notes. Big thanks to Wherethewildbeergoes for sharing this one; thanks Joey! 32 oz. growler filled up

a - Pours a pale clear straw yellow color with one inch of white head and low carbonation evident. Looks as expected.

s - Smells of lemon, citrus, yeast, earthy notes, floral notes, grains. Nice and earthy, and the lemon is nice.

t - Tastes of lemon, earthy notes, yeast, floral hops, spice, citrus, bready malts. Little more lemon here; again, crisp and very nice.

m - Light body and low to moderate carbonation. Super easy to drink and crisp; great mouthfeel.

o - Overall a very nice pilsener. Not my favorite style but this is a very good one. It's got some of that HF-ness to it with some nice light citrus, lemon, and floral notes to it, and it is super easy to drink. Felt like I could have drank the whole growler. Worth getting, would have it again for sure.

Serving type: growler

03-06-2013 14:49:36 | More by mdfb79

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml swing-top growler poured into HF stemmed glass. Filled at the brewery the day before. Copied from notes since my computer wasn't working at time.

A- Opens with a nice "pop" and pours a light clear golden straw color with nice consistent carbonation and about two fingers of foamy, slightly bubbly head that leaves nice layered lacing.

S- Aromas of lemons, grains, fresh grass, hops, pilsener malts. Very aromatic with nice distinct fresh smells. I don't know what it is about this beer, but in my opinion it's one of the most refreshing aromas I've had the pleasure of experiencing in a beer- I could smell it all day.

T- Lemony with a nice crisp refreshing grassy graininess to it. Finishes with pilsener malts and crisp lemons.

M- Medium bodied, crisp, refreshing, nice carbonation, very easy drinking.

O- This would be the perfect beer to enjoy on a nice sunny spring day right after mowing the lawn. It is crisp, refreshing, and very easy drinking with a nice mixture of lemons and grassy graininess to it. I haven't had a ton of pilsener's and I haven't ever been a huge fan of the style (maybe I just haven't experienced enough), but this beer is easily one of the best of the style that I've had and I hope HF makes it a regular offering.

Serving type: growler

03-05-2013 18:37:42 | More by jaasen64

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.09/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Enjoyed from a growler after a beerventure with JLindros.

A - Poured into my Duvel tulip a nice barely hazy very light straw/lemon hue with a good two finger head that fades to leave nice spotty lacing and good clouding.

S - Mmmm...pilsner. Faint hay and cereal aromas with some nice toasty notes as well. Some faint grassy/earthy hop notes as well towards the finish.

T - Torn with this one. The cereal grains are there, along with toasty malts, some faint straw. There is some floral, grassy hops in the middle. The finish though is a bit on the spicy side and, as JLindros said, really kills that soft pilsner finish.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated with good crisp finish. Super drinkable.

O - Overall this was a good beer. That being said, I think the hops were too aggressive with this beer. A shame, hopefully he perfects this.

Serving type: growler

03-04-2013 03:03:45 | More by rudzud

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.01/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Fresh out of the keg and into my growler only a few hours ago.

Pours a nice fluffy bubbly 1 finger head that fades at a med pace, nice lacing, a hazy but semi clear straw lemonade yellow color.

Nose has that nice cereal grain, straw malt, little hay, cracked wheat, quite toasty pilsner malt aroma, with light hints of a lemony aroma, grassy lemony slightly earthy hops in there as well.

Taste again brings those cereal grains, toasty pilsner malts, cracked wheat and straw as well, quite toasty and grainy, light fresh dough. Then hops cut in quickly, slight spicy and earthy, bit bitterness esp for a soft pilsner, lemony slightly citrus hops, and a little grassy and floral. Lager yeast brings a soft slight crispness, and juiciness in the middle. Finish is quite bitter as it gets fairly dry and crisp, long lingering hops that get quite spicy, perhaps a hint astringent as they destroy what was a soft crisp pilsner finish, lemony flavors linger, little grainy malt too.

Mouth is med lighter bodied, nice carb.

Overall not bad, I like the pilsner profile itself, nice straw grainy malts, little soft crisp lager profile. However, the hops seem to get a little overboard, more like American hops, maybe even Chinook like spicy level, or it seems that way as they seem to run away with the beer and leave the soft pilsner in the dust.

Serving type: growler

03-01-2013 03:21:46 | More by jlindros

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Presentation: 2L fliptop growler filled at the brewery on Saturday. Kept chilled since filling. Poured into a pint glass and enjoyed with a side of steak tips.

Appearance: Very pale yellow in color and clear. Still pours a pretty aggressive head on each pour despite being filled 4 days ago. Creamy, three finger white head on my first pour. Really great lacing sticks to the glass throughout.

Aroma: Nice sweet lemon zest and a touch of grass character stands out. Some light pepper character and a touch of bitterness. Really light and balanced.

Taste: First impression is that there is a really nice lemon character. Also, some mango and passionfruit notes that are barely detectable. Refreshing and incredibly drinkable. Some hop character that gives off the lemon and a bit of an herbal quality. Some light bitterness on the end.

Mouthfeel: Really light body and incredibly easy to drink. When chilled, I almost have to slow myself down.

Overall, a really good, drinkable pilsner that delivers on some simple, tasty hop flavors with a light malt backing. The sweet, fruity character of the hops works well against the bitter, herbal ending. Well balanced and tasty. Definitely a winner from Hill Farmstead and a solid pilsner but falls short of greatness.

Serving type: growler

02-13-2013 02:19:51 | More by Gosox8787

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.71/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750 mL growler poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Slight haze to it. Mostly clear yellow. Not much head on a vigorous pour. Thin collar after a bit.

Smell - Smells like a pilsner. Slightly hoppy. Earthy hop. Grainy pale malt.

Taste - Quite a bit hoppier. Earthy and a little grassy. Grainy malts. Follows the nose with much more intense hop flavor. Bitter throughout the back end.

Mouthfeel - Medium carbonation. Grainy finish. Intensely bitter, at least it seems to me. Pleasantly dry.

Overall - It's good for a pilsner. Something I could drink a lot of, but not earth shattering like other HF beers.

Serving type: growler

02-12-2013 00:51:55 | More by Alieniloquium

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Shaun's first lager, eh? Sign me up! Thank you, Eric. Served in my Trumer Pils glass

Pouring a mildly hazy golden yellow with a dense, white head with excellent retention and gorgeous lacing, this is a rather spectacular beer to look at. The nose isn't all that shabby either. Mint, a little bit of stone fruit (rather unripe white peaches?), a little grape and a rather glorious lemon/kaffir lime leaf note are most noticeable. There is a touch of rustic/grainy pils malt present. Ultimately, though, the fruity hop flavor lends a mild sweetness that does seem a little out of place in a pils... just a little.

The palate opens with a mild grainy/honey sweetness coupled with a nice hop bitterness. The bitterness is more like you'd find in a Czech pilsner than a German one - soft in character but with a noticeable lemony bite. This similarity is also noticed in the water profile, which is rather soft, compared to the more mineral-y German pilsners. The mid-palate is crisper, though, and with a little bit of sweetness to go with the fruit and mint flavors that come through. The finish is flat out excellent. Drying, softly bitter and with a palate coating lemon hop flavor, this beer is very clean. Carbonation is moderate, working well with the delicate flavors here. Excellent stuff.

Shaun, please make a kellerbier version of this. On cask. It would be spectacular.

Serving type: growler

02-02-2013 05:55:44 | More by DefenCorps

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.51/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Shrink-wrapped 750mL swing-top growler generously shared by yourefragile. Served in a Hill Farmstead long-stemmed tulip.

Pours a nice light straw-yellow color with a fluffy white head and good retention. Really nice lacing on the sides of the glass as it goes down.

The nose carries a good dose of grain and barley with some light floral and perfume notes. Really well-integrated. Light but fairly complex. Really impressive and on par with the best American pilsners I've had, which mainly consist of those coming very fresh from Victory on tap.

Flavor starts with a nice grain character. Very smooth and soft. Comes in underneath floral-driven hops. Light earthiness and just a touch of spice. Light body and incredibly crisp. Ridiculously easy to drink. I could have easily taken down the growler and more by myself.

Serving type: growler

01-27-2013 13:31:58 | More by Thorpe429

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A-hazy golden color with a nice frothy white head and good lacing

S-malt, herbal and grassy notes, hints of citrus

T-nice light malt with grass and herbal flavors nicely balanced by light citrus hops and bitter finish

F-light to medium body with moderate carbonation, crisp and clean

O-really nice pilsener with great flavor and balance, would make a great high quality session beer

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2013 01:10:55 | More by MDDMD

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

HF's first lagered beer. Very exciting.

Pours a hazier than expected straw golden color with a large white frothy head. Grassy and hoppy aroma and flavor follows with a pleasantly hoppy interpretation of the style. A little fuller bodied than expected with a crisp, clean dry finish. Nice change of pace from Edward for a HF "session" beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2013 01:57:35 | More by yourefragile