Flora
Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro, Vermont, United States 🇺🇸
Farmhouse - Saison Rotating|
Score
7.94
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Flora is the wine barrel-aged version of Florence, our grandfather’s sister, as well as the name of our Farmstead® wheat ale. In her honor, we fill French oak wine barrels with Florence and allow the beer to mature in the presence of our resident microflora. After extended aging, a beautifully complex beer emerges; Florence becomes Flora.
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8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
A hazed golden ale with a thin white head. In aroma, sweet fruity malt with loads of citrusy pulp, light tropical fruits, resinous and piney hops, light mineral notes, grassy character, very nice. In mouth, a nice tart sweet fruity malt with lemony notes, citrus pulp beautiful and delicious. Bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Mar 2016
at 21:18
9/10
Evident oak barrel presence. Soft whipped cream, fresh air, citric acidity. Crackers, hay and barnyard. Very soft and refreshing. Amazing!
Tried
on 26 Feb 2016
at 22:15
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Hazy golden colour, white head. Spicy aroma, vanilla, sour lactic acid, somewhat musty. Sweetish flavour, sour, quite spicy, peach notes. Bit herbal finish, light sweetnes, spices. Cool to have drunk batch #1, but think it was a bit on the old side.
(from 75cL bottle @ ACBF 2015, Vichte. 2011 vintage, batch #1. Thanks for sharing, tderoeck!!)
(from 75cL bottle @ ACBF 2015, Vichte. 2011 vintage, batch #1. Thanks for sharing, tderoeck!!)
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Sep 2015
at 06:43
8.8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Batch 6 magnum shared by Adam on 7/25/15, with some really enjoyable kid rock playing in the background....sigh.
Just a crazy stupendously perfect appearance. Lightly hazy brass with just huge, dense, well-retained, white head atop.
Mossy, very earthy plant-like character in the nose is complemented by sulfur/poop-like yeast/bacteria notes that are quite enjoyable. Very nice and restrained on the barrels, no huge wine character and not a ton of tannin dullness. Love the stinky, funky nose and the beer seems very appropriately named. No alcohol or flaws.
Soft, gentle floral notes and cornflower-like delicateness creeping in between the moderate acids and light maltiness. Lilacs, mangoes, pineapple, honeyed maltiness and some dry, grainy wheat character. Nice balance on the sweetness/dryness and a fairly thick body. In that sense, the "thickness" or "fullness" from the wheat, the extra body or chewiness from the barrel tannin and the creamy-full texture from the carbonation don’t really go together, I don’t think, but it’s still awesomely flavorful and it’s ok that it drinks a bit bigger than it actually is.
Well, I guess I’m officially in the Hill Farmstead superfan club, but then, I’ve always thought very highly of Shaun’s brewing (see my reviews for his saisons from his days at the Shed, if you care). These "saisons" are awesome, regardless of how you feel about style guidelines and what is a "true saison". I’m not afraid to admit how good they are and jump on the bandwagon with my high reviews. They really were almost unanimously awesome. Adam aging them in a cool cellar for a year via a magnum (which reduces oxidation) certainly didn’t hurt either.
-End Justification for why I like beers I like. 8/5/8/4/17
750mL bottle, B6 again, drunk 11/5/16.
With some more time to develop, this has developed more funk, mineral and even sulfur. It’s qute sublime, not overly sour, and still shows plentiful body/texture for 18 months of age. I love the Flora series in all its iterations and the base beer is no exception. Upping the score a bit. Rating is for this experience.
Just a crazy stupendously perfect appearance. Lightly hazy brass with just huge, dense, well-retained, white head atop.
Mossy, very earthy plant-like character in the nose is complemented by sulfur/poop-like yeast/bacteria notes that are quite enjoyable. Very nice and restrained on the barrels, no huge wine character and not a ton of tannin dullness. Love the stinky, funky nose and the beer seems very appropriately named. No alcohol or flaws.
Soft, gentle floral notes and cornflower-like delicateness creeping in between the moderate acids and light maltiness. Lilacs, mangoes, pineapple, honeyed maltiness and some dry, grainy wheat character. Nice balance on the sweetness/dryness and a fairly thick body. In that sense, the "thickness" or "fullness" from the wheat, the extra body or chewiness from the barrel tannin and the creamy-full texture from the carbonation don’t really go together, I don’t think, but it’s still awesomely flavorful and it’s ok that it drinks a bit bigger than it actually is.
Well, I guess I’m officially in the Hill Farmstead superfan club, but then, I’ve always thought very highly of Shaun’s brewing (see my reviews for his saisons from his days at the Shed, if you care). These "saisons" are awesome, regardless of how you feel about style guidelines and what is a "true saison". I’m not afraid to admit how good they are and jump on the bandwagon with my high reviews. They really were almost unanimously awesome. Adam aging them in a cool cellar for a year via a magnum (which reduces oxidation) certainly didn’t hurt either.
-End Justification for why I like beers I like. 8/5/8/4/17
750mL bottle, B6 again, drunk 11/5/16.
With some more time to develop, this has developed more funk, mineral and even sulfur. It’s qute sublime, not overly sour, and still shows plentiful body/texture for 18 months of age. I love the Flora series in all its iterations and the base beer is no exception. Upping the score a bit. Rating is for this experience.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Aug 2015
at 15:54
8.9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Poured from magnum batch 6 thanks AdamChandler for the Ratebeer Farmhouse Magnum Tasting. Hazy golden pour with a nice white head. Aromas of tart lemon sour lacto and vanilla hay. Taste is super clean and matches aroma. Nice beer.
Tried
on 25 Jul 2015
at 17:32
8/10
Tried
on 14 Jul 2015
at 07:17
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
Bottle; minor gusher on opening. Pours hazy straw, very small white head with some lacing. Aroma is oaky, Brett, horseblanket, oak, lemon, wheat. Flavor is very light sweet, light tart, just a hint of funk; clean and crisp with a light oaky Brett touch. Light body, mineral water mouthfeel. Tasty
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 May 2015
at 00:57
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle, shared by tderoeck on a train Ghent-Vichte direction ACBF (Belgium). Thank you Tim. Pours very hazy yellow with a minimal white head which leaves only lacing. Nose: sour distinctive accent, esters, spices, cellar. Mouth: mild cellar background in the palate, a bit watery but ok.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Mar 2015
at 11:41
7.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle from tderoeck. Many thanks! Hazy yellow, almost no foam. Light carbonation. Fruity aroma, lemon, wheat. Bit bitter. Sour notes. Well balanced. Ok, but why do Americans call these beers saisons?
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Mar 2015
at 05:16
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Thanks for sharing tderoeck! 750 ml. bottle sampled @ ACBF 2015. Batch #1. Murky golden. Nose is thick lactic with some vanilla, oak, malt sweetness; Taste is sweetish peach yeast, some sweetness, vanilla, mellow funk, very mellow tart. Low carbonation. Feels like it has been open a bit too long. Not optimal but quite nice all the same.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Mar 2015
at 06:32