Edith Black Saison (2013- ) - Hill Farmstead Brewery

mdfb79

New York

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 05/19/13

a - Pours a deep brown, almost black color, with one finger of light tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks as expected for a black saison.

s - Smells quite hoppy...smells of pine hops, some brett, roasted malts, lemon, citrus hops, light funk, spices, yeast, and some light earthy notes. Nice nose with a lot going on, and a nice mix of hops and malts.

t - Tastes of pine hops, fruity malts, roasted malts, citrus hopsm and some brett. Nice taste, though I like the nose a little bit better. Taste is more dominated by roasted malts in my opinion.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbonation. Easy to drink.

o - Overall a nice black saison, though not my favorite HF beer or style. Nice mix of hops and roasted malts, and easy to drink. Would personally look to get some of their other bottles first, but wouldn't turn this down if I saw it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 16:30:16 | More by mdfb79

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.14/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 5.18.13
Bottled 280313

A - Pours a nice dark brown with an active, bubbly darker tan head and bubbles all along the glass surface.

S - Roasted malt, peppery, Belgian yeast, lemony.

T - Bitter citrus hops, lemony and peppery Belgian finish. More tart.

D - Good carbonation with a lighter body, a touch bitter.

O - A ton of citrus puckering with a dark Belgian base.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 05:07:31 | More by HuskyinPDX

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.65/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Nearly black. Slight transparency. Huge khaki head. Great collar and nice surface foam.

Smell - Chocolate malt. Sharp acidic character. Bretty. Not a ton else going on.

Taste - Even more brett. Lots of acidic flavors, without being that sour until the finish. Chocolate malt blends in and is almost completely disguised. Again, not a lot else going on.

Mouthfeel - It's light and well carbonated. Nice sharp acidity.

Overall - It's definitely not Hill Farmstead's best saison. It's pretty tasty, but overpowered by brett.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:14:17 | More by Alieniloquium

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.86/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle from the brewery. Bottled 28.03.13.

A - Pours black, but dark red/amber up to the glass. Gorgeous tan head of 2 fingers. Lovely thick, creamy head. Good carbonation coming up. Insanely thick wall of lace and a finger of retention. Metal.

S - Great funky yeast character. Dark malts. Really cool and unexpected yeast character.

T - Nice funky barnyard yeast. Tart. Starts tart up front with the yeast, some mild dark fruit or chocolate sweetness, and then tart again in the finish. Their yeast really dominates. Dark fruit in the middle comes out when it warms.

M - Good carbonation. Medium body and a lingering tartness.

O/D - Farily one dimensional. The yeast dominates this a whole bunch, and while it's not at all bad, it's hard to get past the simplicity of it. Yet, the simplicity is delicious.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 02:30:32 | More by tbeckett

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a really dark near black, couple inches of rich creamy brown head.

Smells of brett, chocolate roast, grass. A little odd but mostly good.

Taste is fairly sour, hint of chocolate and molasses, some grassiness and funk. Weird, good!

Carbonation is a bit light, mouthfeel is pretty nice and creamy though.

Odd beer, like it but definitely not the best HF beer.

7.4/10

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 02:17:51 | More by AlexFields

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.19/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750ml, Spring 2013
Pinocchio's mini snifter

A: Pours out a dark brownish color with reddish hues. It's actually not that dark once you get down into it. Some light gets through it. Initially about a half finger of light tan head. Forms a collar around the edges quickly. Doesn't leave a ton of lacing, but some bits on the glass. Nice carbonation.

S: Smells nice. Get that HF yeast strain right away. Nice hints of powdered cocoa. Funky barnyard. Some dark cherry hints.

T: Up front you get a nice tartness. it's not a Flanders like dark cherry, but some sort of dark fruity tartness. Then it sort of just dies off, and you get this funky yeast. And some cocoa. And some chalk-like dryness. It's actually pretty dry on the finish and it does have a chalk like finish, but still very tasty.

M: Medium bodied with good carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 18:03:02 | More by inlimbo77

Kinsman

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev -1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Picked this bottle up 11 days ago at the brewery. Poured into a Duvel tulip (RIP HF stemware).

Damn near looks like a stout in the glass. Opaque dark brown through the body with just a tiny bit light making it through on the edges. Fluffy dark tan head rest atop nicely.

First whiff gives a lot of yeasty character, with a sweet bubblegum note that is more reminiscent of a hefeweizen but certainly not out of place here. Lemony citrus however soon takes hold and almost overpowers you for a moment. Spice notes like clove add a bit of a warming note to round it all out. Despite the appearance, this aroma is all saison and I'm finding it hard to pick up much from the roasted malts.

Tasting this reveals another layer or two of complexity from what the nose picked up, with a tartness that plays well the sweeter chocolately malt notes. Lemon and green apple flavors give this one more sourness than what I remember from other HF saisons but it's within reason.

Mouthfeel is a bit creamier and full bodied than your typical 'light' saison. Obviously, the dark malt bill plays a role here but I do find myself wanting that typical dry/crisp texture you get in regular saison. Overall, and excellent beer as expected and certainly a nice change up from the normal light saison.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 00:21:32 | More by Kinsman

Resuin

Massachusetts

4.61/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a Hill Farmstead stemmed glass. This was bottled 3 weeks ago today.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown and leaves a beautiful two-fingered tan head.

Smell: Funk comes out first but is subtle, not dominating, also green apple, lemon, citrus. The brett comes through with a nice balance. This one almost smells like a lite version of a wheaty gueuze - very interesting and definitely pleasant and balanced.

Taste: Starts with a little bit of tartness and brett, which is followed by some citrus and apples and finishes off with light roasted malts and some grassy flavors. Very complex and layered - this one is interesting! There is no doubt about it that this one is delicious and worth pondering and enjoying all of its complexities.

Mouth-feel: Light to medium bodied with a light to medium carbonation (both fit this brew wonderfully). Supremely smooth, alcohol is completely hidden.

Overall: This is a great version of a dark saison (my first dark saison). This is absolutely delicious fresh, and I admit I have no idea what age would do to it. To me, it is a compilation of several different styles into one including lambic, brown ale, pale ale, wild ale among others. It all comes together with surprising balance to taste amazing. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 02:49:23 | More by Resuin

Skrip

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into a Hill Farmstead oversized wine glass.

A~ very dark brown, with a tanish head and some nice lacing.

S~ whoa! peppery, citrus, really tart, and a little hay funk as well.

T~ a nice amount of tartness up front followed by some lemony citrus notes and pepper on the finish. dark roasty malts flow throughout. a little bitter chocolate too!

M~ perfectly carbonated, very smooth, just a little thin. if it was thicker this would be some what similar to Funk Metal without the coffee notes.

O~ amazing! to say the least... one of the most sour HF's i've had fresh, i can only imagine how this will turn out in a year or two. it might thicken up as well, oh you know i'll be waiting! get your hands on a bottle if you have the chance!

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 03:09:32 | More by Skrip

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

4.41/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 750 mL bottle chilled and poured into my new Hill Farmstead tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a really nice, medium brown, one finger fluffy head. Leaves a really spectacular lacing and clings to the glass nicely. Dark brown in color.

Aroma: Despite the dark color, the aroma is definitely that of a Hill Farmstead saison. Light lemon zest, green apple, and some barnyard funk. A touch of chocolate and grassy character as well. Nice balance of tartness, funk and a strong malt bill.

Taste: Really nice bright burst of lemon and grassy notes upfront. I'm really surprised how much the tartness stands out in this. There is definitely some roasted chocolate and light caramel from the malt but it is definitely more in the background. Some light bittering hops at the end of each sip. Really tasty and refreshing. The complexities really start to come out as this warms.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with some nice carbonation. Nice effervescence throughout.

Overall, this batch of Edith is probably my favorite non barrel aged saison from Hill Farmstead since the more tart versions of Arthur. Really nice balance of tartness, malt character and funk. Really refreshing and complex.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:14:22 | More by Gosox8787