Gentlemans_Ale
Well-Known Member
I recently had some growlers of Hill Farmstead's IPAs and pale ales - Susan, What is Enlightenment?, Society & Solitude #5, and Double Nelson.
I have scoured the other threads about NE IPAs and HF's pillowy character and I feel like there is something more. I feel like they are in a league of their own.
These beers were completely balanced, delicate, and burst with aroma. They weren't heavy or juicy or overbearing...I felt like I was sipping a delicate wine to be honest. They were different from Heady Topper, Trillium beers, and Julius.
So I want to stir up some discussion about what might contribute to these delicate, hoppy beers. I know from the HF website that most of the beers are pale and caramel malts, so I don't think it is all the adjuncts that dominate NE style IPAs. Maybe a lot of it is water chemistry? But Shaun talks about years of refining and learning from mistakes that made the beers we have today - so I don't think it's just something like having access to well water.
Maybe this is a dumb question and the answer is having over18 years of practice and experience like Shaun to perfect his beers.
I have scoured the other threads about NE IPAs and HF's pillowy character and I feel like there is something more. I feel like they are in a league of their own.
These beers were completely balanced, delicate, and burst with aroma. They weren't heavy or juicy or overbearing...I felt like I was sipping a delicate wine to be honest. They were different from Heady Topper, Trillium beers, and Julius.
So I want to stir up some discussion about what might contribute to these delicate, hoppy beers. I know from the HF website that most of the beers are pale and caramel malts, so I don't think it is all the adjuncts that dominate NE style IPAs. Maybe a lot of it is water chemistry? But Shaun talks about years of refining and learning from mistakes that made the beers we have today - so I don't think it's just something like having access to well water.
Maybe this is a dumb question and the answer is having over18 years of practice and experience like Shaun to perfect his beers.