Hill Farmstead James

Brewed by Hill Farmstead Brewery
Style: Black IPA
Greensboro, Vermont USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Pours. A dark brown with a khaki colors head. Aroma is herbal and piny with a bitter chocolate. Taste is bittser and herbal.

Growler shared by phaleslu. Poured clear black color with an average frothy brown head that lasted and produced good lacing. Moderate to heavy toasted dark malt and hop aroma. Medium to full body with a slick texture and soft carbonation. Moderate to heavy toasted bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration. This is a very good beer.

Swing top to taster (thanks phaleslu). Looks good; black with off-white lacing. Smells and tastes solid; dark malt and hops with a bit of chocolate and roast. Tastes like it smells with a good mouthfeel. A good example of the style.

Sample from a growler. Mostly clear dark brown color. Thin off-white grayish light brown head. Decent lace. Herbal earthy piney hop character in the nose. More light chocolate, more roasty malt in the flavor. Medium to bigger body.. Smooth, crisp carbonation. More dry texture. Mostly bitter taste. Light sweet. Good stuff. Very nice, smooth, and enjoyable. Versus the 3F In the Name of Suffering Black IPA that I just sampled prior to this one, I feel like James is a little more piney, and less herbal.

Growler at Cam’s. Pours a very dark brown color with a large fluffy beige head. The aroma has a nice mix of roasted malts and dark chocolate with ample resiny, earthy and perhaps a touch of citrus hops. Definitely smells good. The flavor has much of the same; nice to drink a true black IPA and not something made to look like one. Roasted malts and dark chocolate take a bit of a back seat to the resiny, earthy and light citrusy hops. Good bitterness throughout.

Growler pour at Cam’s. Pours an opaque dark brown with a medium-sized foamy beige head. Good amount of lace in the glass. Aroma of earthy and piney hops, roasted malts, dark chocolate, dust, toast, and some lighter orange rind. The flavor starts more bitter (citrus, dark chocolate, earth) and becomes more roasty, finishing dry. Medium-bodied, with moderate carbonation and a bitter, roasty mouthfeel. Excellent black IPA.

Growler @ Rachel’s place, generously shared by Steve_0. Pours a deep brown/black appearance with a brown head. Huge amount of roast in the nose along with a ton of coffee that for some reason reminds me of waking up to a fresh pot of coffee at my grandparent’s house twenty years ago- that’s kind of cool. Fucken a bro, I love the coffee note in the nose. It’s not super overwhelming but once you get a whiff of it, it is really distinct. There’s also some pine, citrus fruits, chocolate, and herbal notes in the aroma. Fucken abroma 9/10. Soft mouth feel. Rich dark chocolate, somewhat bitter, fairly resiny, piney hoppy, coffee, very roasty malty, slightly charred flavor. Once of the best Black IPAs I’ve ever had. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by Hill Farmstead quality at this point, but it’s still truly an honor and pleasure to taste such beautifully crafted beer. I can’t wait for the day that this stuff is easily obtainable.

Autre dégustation dans la file d’attente. James est noir et il porte un affro. Il s’est parfumé aux houblons de résineux et de pamplemousse. Il est passé par le torréfacteur ce qui lui confère un anti-sudorifique aux grains rôtis. James goute bon le chocolat, il est huileux et facile à boire. Merci James.

750 mL, swing-top at home, courtesy of Frank. Thanks again man! Deep viscous, pitch black pour with a big brown head and great lacing. Grapefruit, citrus, light vanilla, cocoa, wood, grass, and graham crackers in the aroma. Taste is very smooth and juicy - chocolatey, roasty, woody, nice fruity notes, vanilla, grass, coffee, a touch of smoke, and resin with a medium bitter finish. Chewy mouthfeel with medium-to-high carbonation. Tasty Black IPA, but not my favorite.

En fût sur place. Un liquide profondément noir et sa coiffe digne des plus grands salons. Un nez discret en malts rôtis et tonitruant en aiguilles de pin, en résine d’épinette, en fleurs et en pamplemousse. Des saveurs intenses de houblons floraux et de pin : on dirait une forêt de conifères. Un caractère rôti qui ne s’affirme pas plus. Une sensation en bouche assez plaisante. Un corps de faible densité balayé par des bulles vives. Une texture légèrement huileuse. Une finale modérément amère et parfumée par une résine chocolatée. Difficile de trouver du négatif chez Hill Farmstead. La seule chose souhaitable pour moi est de reboire un jour cette bière et d’y retrouver un caractère malté plus affirmé.