I have had a Saison and IPA from them and both were amazing. In my top 5 for both styles. Worth the hype imo.
All of them haha... I'd recommend Twilight of Idols right now. $8/bottle, 2500 just released this past week as a shelf item. Shouldn't be too hard to track down and tastes absolutely awesome!
Having had Everett in the past and opening growlers of Society & Solitude 5 and Abner within the last hour, my vote would be a solid yes followed by several exclamation points and a random "1" thrown into to show my careless enthusiasm.
Beer geeks tend to get a little excited sometimes and their not shy of a little hyperbole but HF is absolutely top notch. Don't act like it's some sort of hunt to get their beer though. Growlers of their beer are pretty easy to obtain for a local BA so you shouldn't have to trade and arm and a leg just to get it. Obviously their limited stuff (i.e. Civil Disobedience blends, barrel-aged stuff, etc...) will be tough since they usually have bottle limits but the taps for growlers are flowing 4 days a week with no limit. Their website is almost always accurate with whats currently available as well so that should help figure out what to get. For a stout/porter guy, don't miss Twilight of the Idols, their winter porter. Everett is their more year-round porter and is widely regard as one of the best in America but I heard last week that it may be awhile before that goes back on tap while they still have Twilight. If you like IPAs, Abner is a MUST try. Absolutely my favorite HF beer, and my favorite DIPA overall. Heady is great, but Abner has a certain something that just clicks with me.
I would shy away from it. In fact, If I were you I'd start a campaign to ensure that nobody else tries their beer. We want to keep this a secret and not raise the competition for their rare struff. Their beer is frigging awesome. I mean really really awesome. Please end this thread and lets not hype anymore.
Some facts about Hill Farmstead: 1. The hops for Hill Farmstead's brews sprout legs when ripe, and volunteer themselves into the wort. 2. Lance Armstrong cured his cancer by pouring Ephraim on his junk. 3. The sun rises when Shaun Hill decides to get out of bed. 4. When Hill Farmstead brews, cold fusion occurs. 5. Jesus stole his neighbor Abner Hill's diary and read it to the apostles. The result was the New Testament. But seriously, their beer is great.
to be sure, the rarity of HF beers might cause a little inflation (hype) to the reviews/ratings on here but make no mistake about it, having one or more HF offerings will cause a paradigm shift to your palate. HF is a game changer.
You need to get a new bunch of "beer geek" friends. - Drop 'em and expand your horizons. nh2032 more than answered that question.
I've had 43 of their beers and no duds, not to mention that most of them are outstanding, if not mind blowing. The best brewery in the United States, imho.
I'm sure HF beers are great but... I'm also not surprised OP's beer geek group doesn't talk about them. You don't hear much about HF up here in the PNW either. Guess why. From what I can tell from 3,000 miles away, this brewery is about the closest thing we have in the U.S. to the Saint Sixtus Abbey.
we just got two kegs of edward in at work and it's delicious. it's one of those beers that someone will order once and then drink nothing but that for the rest of the night.
I have been privileged enough to try many HF beers and i can honestly not a single one of them were ever over-hyped. Their beers are fantastic, period.
I like stouts, especially imperials. I don't care for porters. Birth of a Tragedy is the best porter I've ever had and would prefer to drink this over most stouts. I live in SoCal.
I consider it the best brewery in the United States. I haven't had everything, but it's hard to imagine something better. Between the beers, the environment, and the events they're awesome. It's such a great place to go, and the beer waiting for you is always worth it. If I could sit there and drink all day out of the taps I would the majority of my days. Their single hop pales are all excellent from what I've had, Edward is a top notch beer and is my least favorite from HF. The saisons are all unique and well done. There seems to be something magical in the water up there. Shaun Hill comes up with some things I wish people could do elsewhere considering I have an 8 hour drive to get there. I guess that about covers it.
Said no one ever. Well, one person I guess. I love their stuff, but only live a few hours away and go to VT every year anyways. That combined with friends that go out there means I can enjoy HF pretty regularly. Not sure how I'd feel if I lived thousands of miles away. Probably the same as I do about tiny breweries on the west coast. I'm sure they make amazing stuff but not going to any lengths to procure their beers. It's local first for me, then regional.
Of course, taste is subjective, but HF is much more than merely "decent". There is reason for the "hype" (an overused term if ever there was one). That being said, if you have to move heaven and earth to get your hands on any beer, you are setting yourself up to be disappointed when you actually taste it. I remember how eager I was to try Maine Beer Company's Lunch IPA for the first time. As good as it was, I still remember thinking that I wanted something ridiculously unbelievable to happen as I tasted it...like my head was literally supposed to blow off my shoulders or someting.
Yeah, I've heard of both. Never had either. I'm sure they are terrific. But watch out, someone is bound to tell you that they are overhyped.
Ive only had Edward and it blew me away! If i had actual trade ammo for HF I totally would trade for some. But me thinks FFF stuff isnt enough
I've traded HF growlers for FFF multiple times before. Once for IPA bombers and once for Zombie Dust. I think most people on the east coast who go up to HF would be interested in grabbing some FFF. Limited releases are obviously going to be a little tougher, but I don't think FFF for HF would be too difficult.
I've had Old Rasputin XIV and it was very good. But it's not one of those beers that gets much "hype" at all. I'd llove to try Beatification someday, I've had pretty much all of the other RR beers that see any kind of distribution and never been disappointed. I can only assume brewbetter was talking about Alchemist/Heady Topper, and based on the one can of this beer that I've ever tasted I'd have to agree. It's certainly a very good beer but nothing extraordinary, and I think it gets a lot more praise than other beers in the same echelon. If anyone wants to send me a few more cans I'm willing to revisit my assessment.
