Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Hill Farmstead Columbus

The Hill Farmstead Columbus is a single-hopped pale ale, deriving its name from the single use of Columbus hops. It was most likely dry-hopped with a load of these hops as well. Kristine and I drove down to Montpelier to Three Penny Taproom to get our hands on some delicious locally crafted beers. The Hill Farmstead is located in Greensboro and I have yet to see it on tap in Burlington, but I'm sure there's a few places serving beers from this brewery.

Alcohol Content: 5.2%
IBU: ?
Malts: ?
Hops: Columbus (aka Tomahawk)

Price: 6$/ pint
Medium: Served in a Hill Farmstead glass resembling a small English Tulip

Aroma: Presented a very floral and citrus dominated nose with a lack thereof supporting malts. Some residual sweetness but very subtle. The strong floral quality was slightly harsh and dried the nose to a large degree. Strong sense of dry-hopping with some grassy notes. Somewhat spicy as well.
Appearance: Very hazy bronze-gold with a distinctly orange glaze. Carbonation looks very strong as shown by a continuous rapid flow of large bubbles. Bartender presented it with a thick, frothy white head. Great head retention. Haze suggests high hopping rates/ dry-hopping.
Flavor: Aggressively hopped for an American Pale Ale. Starts out only mildly sweet but then overlooked by a strong, clean bitterness. Much of the flavors and aroma come from after swallowing the beer, in which all of the citrus and floral notes really shine through (surprisingly overlooked mid-pallet). Slight hop astringency probably due to dry-hopping. An overall sour finish with some lingering dryness. High level of acidity.
Mouthfeel: Moderate body with some creaminess, making it feel a little lighter on the palate compared to other Pale Ales. Moderately strong carbonation. Slight degree of bitter harshness in the aftertaste along with a sort of resiny coating.
Overall Impression: The distinctly strong hop aromas were a bit much for my young nose. Towards the end I sensed a hint of crystal malt or comparative sweetness. I'll say that the aromas and hop dominance were difficult to sit through - I wouldn't recommend ordering one but it would make for a great taste sample.

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