Greensboro, VT

Greetings everyone, I have broken from the shackles of my iPad in order to compose an eloquent post about the brewery known as Hill Farmstead.  By far the most remote destination on our New England brewery tour, it was well worth the drive up unpaved roads and off our GPS grid.  The atmosphere was probaby what you'd expect of a two-man farm operation, but that only added to the allure.

Not Hill Farmstead...but across the street from it

Facing the parking lot was the actual production brewery, with founder Shaun Hill concocting his masterpieces.  (He's standing behind me...take my word for it.)  Attached was a larger structure with separate side entrance to the tasting room.

At the helm of the taps was Hill Farmstead's other employee, Dan, who is incredibly knowledgable and has sampled just about everything out there.  We enjoyed chatting with him about all things beer-related and give him extra credit for fearlessly braving the transition from Brooklyn to Greensboro. The man is seriously dedicated to craft beer.


As for the sweet nectar of Hill Farmstead itself...nothing short of amazing.  We were able to try six different brews, four of which Shaun named after ancestors:

• Edward, the flagship pale ale, which was the hoppiest pale ale I've ever tasted
• Florence, a wheat saison
• James, a black IPA
• Motueka, a single hop pale ale named after a New Zealand variety of hops rarely used in the US
• Double Citra, a double IPA using only Citra hops (American variety)
• Abner, a double IPA and my personal favorite of the entire trip

There's no doubt that Abner stacks up to the super-hoppy double IPAs I have experienced on the West Coast.  But each beer was superb in its own right, and definitely ranks up there with the best I've had.

In addition to the tastings, we wisely decided to purchase some logo items...a t-shirt for Katie and a Belgian-style glass for me.

L to R: Katie, souvenir t-shirt in-hand, taps of glory,
Dan (aka James McAvoy in Katie's dreams)

We also bought the following ancestor-inspired bottles:

• Anna, a honey saison
• Flora, essentially the wheat saison, Florence, aged in wine barrels
• Edward, a 750 mL bottle of fresh pale ale to share with my best friends at the wedding

Overall, the trip was outstanding...and completely worth arriving (nearly!) late to the wedding rehearsal in Grafton.

The Road to Beervana