Monday, May 20, 2013

Hill Farmstead Brewer - Society and Solitude #6

About Society and Solitude #6, the most recent of their D/IPA "philosophical" series, Hill Farmstead simply says: "Imperial Pale Ale brewed almost exclusively with Mosaic hops from the Pacific Northwest. 8% abv"

This was also received and tasted back in March, so sorry for not getting the official review up until now! I'm so lucky to have friends near Vermont that send me beer from this brewery, so I want to make it clear that I drink HF growlers immediately after I receive them to ensure that the beer is as fresh as possible.



Appearance: The beer pours a cloudy orange-amber, with a dense soapy head that pours to about 3-4 fingers in height and sticks around for awhile, eventually leaving webbed lacing and rings along the side of the glass.

Smell: I've been loving the recent explosion of Mosaic hop use, and they lend a ton of character to the nose here. It's dank, resinous, and herbal, but there is also a ton of juicy fruitiness -- especially tropical.

Taste: On the palate, the fruit is much more upfront. Grapefruit, orange, and mango dominate here, but there is a bit of pepper on the finish and a bit of breadiness that counteracts the acid and sweetness from the hop notes. The hops are punchy, which I like, but there is some weight behind the beer that balances it and keeps it from being too hot or astringent.

Mouthfeel: This beer is smooth on the palate and is medium bodied. The finish is moderately dry, fairly average for the style.

Overall: Another delicious DIPA from Hill Farmstead. There really isn't much left to say: I'm continually impressed by the high quality output of their beers, and how there are distinct differences in character across the IPAs in the series that make them uniquely enjoyable.

5/5

Lawson's Finest Liquids - Double Sunshine IPA

Lawson's says of their Double Sunshine IPA: '"his American Double India Pale Ale is packed with juicy tropical fruit flavors and bright herbal aromas, thanks to the abundance of US-grown hops. ~8% a/v"

Check out what I finally got to try! This has been on my most wanted probably ever since I started exploring the wide world of craft beer, but its limited production out of Vermont made it difficult for me to ever procure a bottle. Finally I was able to trade for it this March, so I can tick this one off. I did taste this back in March when I received it, so this review is for the fresh bottle despite not posting it until now!



Appearance: This DIPA takes on a light copper hue, and a head is a pretty clean white of medium density that doesn't leave much lacing or rings on the glass.

Smell: I found the nose on this one to be pretty subtle. I got this bottle shortly after the most recent release of Kern's Citra (which I still count as my favorite beer) and a lot of people include that beer and Double Sunshine in their favorite IPAs, so I couldn't help but compare them even though they are really completely different IPAs. One of the biggest differences was that Citra, on the nose, is explosively fruity. Double Sunshine has some nice lemon and tangerine citrus character and a solid backbone of resin and pine, but as I mentioned earlier, it's subdued.

Taste: I get the citrus and pine character like I got from the nose, but I also taste more of the tropical notes that were promised on the bottle, including mango and pineapple. The flavor is juicier and punchier than the nose, which I liked. The malt backbone is noticeable to me, not in an overly sweet way, but it's present enough to provide noticeable balance.

Mouthfeel: For the style, the mouthfeel is actually pretty thick. It's oily and does seem to leave behind a bit of a residue that's reminiscent of a thick juice. It's got the effect of ripe richness, which isn't bad, but I think I personally prefer a more dry finish.

Overall: This was a delicious DIPA that I'm fortunate to have tried; however, now that I have, I can safely say that I don't think I'll be needing to seek it out again. I traded away some Citra for it, but I know now I'd rather have the Citra. Since there is no shortage of fabulous IPAs here in California, and since Heady Topper is available year-round from Vermont, I have plenty of other options! I think I preferred Lawson's Triple Play IPA, which may be an unpopular opinion, but to me and my preferences this one didn't quite live up to the hype.

3.5/5