Hill Farmstead Ephraim

Brewed by Hill Farmstead Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Greensboro, Vermont USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Growler thanks to InspectorBob during the BA South Jersey gathering. Poured a cloudy orange/gold body under the tiniest of heads, hey it’s from a growler but it was super fresh so a bit surprised by yhe lack of head, story of my life actually. Aroma is phenomenal, loads of grapefruit, tangerine, cat piss, hint of pine needle. Fuller bodied that is almost chewy with softer carbonation. Flavor of grapefruit rind, hop syrup, honey topped bread, super bitter towards the end. This shit is the bomb.

Hill farmstead Ephraim. 12oz handbottle from a growler fill from Joey... Pours a moderately pale orangey flow with a thin soapy white head... Quite vivid and brilliant hops most akin and resembling exponential hoppiness and younger in nature. Assertive of honey infused piney and sweet tropical fruit juiciness. Very much in your face and totally appreciated... Flavors are vividly wild and assertive with vibrant tropical hops that finishes off with a semi-intense piney bitterness. Semi-sweet overall and just so very good and satisfying with a big hop punch. 9/4/8/4/17

This poured a lighter amber to dark yellow color with a fluffy white head. Aroma was very inviting indeed nice fresh citrusy and slightly herbal hops, with a small note of alcohol there as well. Flavor was just incredible. i can say without a doubt that I have never had an IPA that was as tropical tasting as this one. It almost doesnt even taste like beer, more like a blend of pineapple and mango juice with some nice orange rind for bitterness. Aside from the alcohol content, I dont see how this one could possibly be any more refreshing.

Tap at the Blind Tiger, 3-4 weeks since brewed. It is, perhaps, surprising how mellow this beer feels compared to its brothers and contemporaries. The 10.5 is hardly there. It is punchy and bright, juicy and perhaps just a touch sweet, with very little bitterness to disrupt the raw hop power on display. The hop is lemony, orange, skunky and earthy, if not somewhat fecal, but more the "forest floor" the wine critics love using as opposed to, say... Well, you know. Hill himself has already set the bar so impossibly high that, even with this being so many words ahead of pretty much every ipa ever made, one almost still feels let down that there isn’t just... more. More power. More oomph. Because this is not Edward, a supposed pale ale, that asks to be taken lightly. This is the big daddy, and compared to Double Sunshine, or his Double Galaxy, or the rare Younger keg, this feels the softest, and most wanting for just a little more juice.

I think this one was out of a growler. Poured a reddish-orange color pour. Aroma was relatively mild, with a malt-forward first and foremost. Caramel notes, orange, yeasty character. Flavor was earthy hops, malts. Alcohol is extremely well hidden. Perhaps the malt character was just not exactly what I wanted from this particular beer.

Snifter poured from growler shared by a local BA. Pours a clear dark golden color with a small bubbly white head. The intense aroma comes leaping from the glass bringing tropical fruits, grapefruit, honey sweetness and a touch of pine. The nose is first class. The flavor does not disappoint either. More big tropical fruits, citrus, grapefruit, a sweet caramel malt base, honey, and more pine noticeable toward the finish. I don’t know about 280 IBU’s, but the bitterness it has is well integrated. This is insanely drinkable for what it is. I would have to classify this as an instant classic.

Growler pours a transparent, bright orange with some spitty white head. Great color, OK head retention. Nose is dank hops, resinous, peachy, candied orange, oily American hops, grapefruit zest, vinous fruit, honey, flower pollen. Flavor is strong pine, sweet, honey, grapefruit, orange zest, lemons, some corn sugar, a touch peppery, nectarine. Full bodied, touch hot with some bracing bitterness. Very nice. Could probably use a touch less bitterness and a little more sweetness to round things out.

Much thanks to Evan for sharing from a 750 growler. Apple. Big apple in nose and taste. Hoppy and bitter. Orange gold body. Very tasty and yet very different from other Hill Farmstead IPAs I’ve had.

750mL Growler, purchased at the brewery today. Uber-fruity resin aroma, leaning in that fresh, raw sticky ganja direction, definitely with strong Simcoe and friends qualities. Flavors get a little more wild and funky. A bit of faint onion pairs up with a nip of cat and some chewy green plant juice. I can’t get into this one like I can get into Abner and the early Society & Solitudes. The hop flavors really huddle around Simcoe and find themselves releasing some almost stink-gland like plant chemicals. It’s certainly hop flavor turned up to an eleven, but it might be too loud? I think the hop work is certainly excellent, it might just be more of a matter of taste in terms of the varieties used and the intensity of the flavors from those varities (i.e. Simcoe and Chinook). It certainly is broadly expressive in a quality of hop flavor.

On tap at Capones. Almost clear golden brown with a thin layer of white froth. Nose is toffee, pink grapefruit, pine and watermelon. Medium body, resiny but not overdone. Light carb with a tingle. Taste is peachy pine and toffee with grapefruit pith and hints of strawberry and banana. Hops linger gracefully. For me just shy of the Younger. Exceptional.