Saison - Hilliard's Beer

Bitter_Echo

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, pils-like dark yellow with low and rapidly fading head. Smells out-doorsy, but not really funky, just hints of it, and bread and yeast and some floral a young fruit notes. Tastes like it smells, and is moderately tart puckering, and well balanced, with subtle sweetness. HInting at a few weird notes, but nothing curiously off or suggestively scary. Probably a good saison to start with for someone who might find hearty barn-like notes a bit off-putting. A good entry saison.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 18:21:42 | More by Bitter_Echo

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a slightly hazey light golden amber with a two finger white head that dissipates to a fine thick layer with lacing. Aroma of apple juice, saison yeast, a hint of wild yeast, bready malt. Flavor follows, with mild wild yeast, apple juice, light coriander; semi dry finish with residual lightly funky yeast and spice. Medium bodied with pleasant carbonation. A pleasant, low key saison that hits all the right notes for the style. Nothing mind blowing, but a very nicely made domestic saison.

Serving type: can

05-06-2013 02:33:25 | More by LiquidAmber

DerAtomsmasher

Washington

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Really happy & surprised with this one. Been eyeing up the 4-packs in Trader Joe's for a while, but finally convinced myself to pick it up since it's a local brew.

Thick, thick head dissolving into a hazy lemon-yellow. Smells somewhere between pear & pineapple.

Taste completely took me by surprise; tastes almost like what you'd think an ale version of PIlsner Urquell would taste like; starfruit with a hay overtone, falling away to a clean, bitter finish.

Very happy with this; very eager to try the rest of the line-up.

Serving type: can

04-30-2013 03:59:20 | More by DerAtomsmasher

jmccraney

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.3%

04-22-2013 02:08:10 | More by jmccraney

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Thanks to FalconA for throwing this extra in along with the #properglassware.

Hazy yellow pour, with a fluffy cap of white head that settled to a ringlet, leaving moderate lacing on the glass. Aroma of toasted wheat, funk, earth. Taste was similar, wheat and biscuity pale malts, grassy funk, quite earthy, with notes of citrus pith. A little bit harsh and metallic on my palate, but then again, I've been spoiled with Tired Hands saisons for the past year. Light body, crisp, but a bit too lacking in flavor to be very drinkable IMO. Not undrinkable, but just not something I'd go back for.

Serving type: can

04-21-2013 10:29:03 | More by Rifugium

Asics

Washington

3/5  rDev -21.1%

04-20-2013 18:13:43 | More by Asics

Braz

Washington

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from can into glass at Parkway Tavern. Pale gold in color with white head. Active looking. Smells are bready with some light fruit notes. Taste notes are wide ranging. Bready, fruity, citrus, picked up a little clove as well. A sort of flavor explosion. Lighter bodied than I anticipated. Very enjoyable and unexpected.

Serving type: can

02-07-2013 19:09:19 | More by Braz

Wetpaperbag

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A- Nice pale yellow color. Real light foamy head.

S- Smells like a BMC type beer mixed with a German Hefe.

T- The taste is interesting. It is similar to the smell. BMC with a German Hefe mixed in for flavor. Clove and banana esters are the driving flavors for me here. Savory comes to mind for me.

M- Very light and carbonated, almost too carbonated for me.

O- Not too bad, would be a great summer hot day beer. A good combo for a hot day .

Serving type: can

02-03-2013 22:31:51 | More by Wetpaperbag

bizweasel

Washington

3/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Can, to various glasses over time.
A: Decent enough straw color, not cloudy. Pretty thin white head when poured.
S: Strong banana ester and grassy. Not the greatest intro.
T: A sourness that doesn't really successfully mimic how Belgian beers are sour. Not a lot of malt to finish the taste. Not the kind of complexity and spice I'd expect from a Saison.
M: Carbonation OK, but the false sour figures into the mouthfeel too.
D: I am willing to cut some slack for a Saison in a can because the idea is cool. But after repeated tries have to say this is at best average beer, not a repeater. For canned beers there are lots of fine examples of other styles, and for Saison there are so many better ones to be had in bottles.

Serving type: can

02-01-2013 01:35:49 | More by bizweasel

Lazaro

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

01-30-2013 04:09:08 | More by Lazaro

powdersoldier

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

01-27-2013 18:53:50 | More by powdersoldier

jeffeljefe

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

01-18-2013 06:08:58 | More by jeffeljefe

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

01-11-2013 08:03:06 | More by muchloveforhops3

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.03/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured a cloudy glowing yellow with a nice white cap

S: Very spicey, fruity, banana esters, some wheat

T: Big yeast presence on this initially. Some citrus and banana really take over balanced with a sordove sulfur meets spiciness. The finish has a lingering yeast, fruit presence with dying spices, sordove cloying.

M: Light to medium bodied. Bleh. Not exactly my cup o tea. Just does not have the taste or feel of a Saison to me. If I didnt know any better I would say it was a hef, meet Belgian Pale

O: Not a bad beer. However, compared to other traditional farmhouse beers like Logdsons I find it very hard to rate it any higher than average.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2012 21:48:56 | More by barleywinefiend

mdaschaf

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy yellow/orange with a massive foamy white head on top, very thick with nice retention and pretty lacing down the sides.

S: Rather bready up front with a bit of citrus coming through lemon, some grass, and a bit of spicy pepper.

T: A bit fruitier than the aroma with some lemon, melon, and a bit of banana. There is a hint of bubblegum and a slight sweetness. Light spices round out the flavor profile.

M: Medium bodied with active carbonation, rather smooth.

O: A solid saison, not earth shattering, but no problems with it either. Easy drinking, would have it again.

Serving type: can

11-30-2012 16:01:57 | More by mdaschaf

MacStinson

Michigan

3/5  rDev -21.1%

11-26-2012 08:07:51 | More by MacStinson

gkatsoris

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Crazy super light yellow....pretty lol. Lots and lots and lots of little bubbles. Thin whispy head. Lots of bubbles.

S: Funkylicious! Leather, an old couch. Musty and musky. Slight lemon/pineapple. Man I love this smell.

T: Again, funkylicious! Yummy funky too.

M: Tingy. Thin and whispy. Love it!!!

O: I couldn't drink these all day, but man this was one enjoyable brew!!!!

Serving type: can

11-23-2012 00:14:44 | More by gkatsoris

redliner8

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

11-23-2012 00:12:58 | More by redliner8

strongaf

Washington

4/5  rDev +5.3%

11-21-2012 09:07:47 | More by strongaf

DaveAnderson

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

11-17-2012 03:35:35 | More by DaveAnderson

harrymel

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Canned at some point before getting to my face.

Pours a hazy lemon with a solid sheet of fine white foam. Smells musty, dusty, farmy, some yeast, some grain, some milky character. I like the nose, has the unbound notes I find promising in a beer such as this. Flavor is yeasty, a little much so. Still meanders with some farm, some hay, some manure and clay, but a little too much of the yeast is a bit cloying. Medium on full bodied with a low carb and a semi dry finish. Nice enough. I like where they're headed with this.

Serving type: can

11-10-2012 05:56:41 | More by harrymel

Vonhooeydonk

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

10-29-2012 01:47:07 | More by Vonhooeydonk

dsauter

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

10-15-2012 22:52:09 | More by dsauter

FalconA

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

10-14-2012 04:43:53 | More by FalconA

searsclone

Arizona

4.4/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured from a can into an imperial pint glass. hazy butterscotch with a puffy white head that lasts

smell is bread and sour fruit and a touch of bubble gum

taste is very balanced sweet and sour fruit followed by bread

mouthfeel is very sharp at 1st, almost burns the lips, then very chewy and creamy with a dry finish

overall, I think this one is great

Serving type: can

10-03-2012 01:27:03 | More by searsclone