HILL FARMSTEAD
Hill Farmstead has meant more to me than any other brewery in my journey through craft beer. I first became aware of the Northeast Kingdom icon in the spring of 2015, just after beginning my time at Adirondack Pub & Brewery. I had heard that one of the guys in the kitchen, Aaron, was obsessive about making epic, day-long beer runs to Vermont, so I began to do some research to figure out why he felt so strongly about the neighboring state’s beer scene.
A few Google searches in and I found the article that would change my perception on what beer could be forever. “Hill Farmstead Brewery Named Best Brewery in the World.” I immediately dove in, reading anything I could find about the brewery, becoming more and more fascinated with each detail learned. A brewery in the middle-of-nowhere Vermont run by an obsessive perfectionist who used words to describe his art that I had never heard used in the context of beer before. This particular Good Beer Hunting piece had me sold on making the 3-hour trek. I texted Aaron asking him if he wanted to come with me and on May 28th, 2015 we were rumbling down the dirt roads of Greensboro Bend.
I still remember that first trip like it was yesterday. As I’m sure many who have visited before and since have felt, no amount of reading about Hill Farmstead’s remoteness could have prepared me for the sense of bewilderment when approaching the farmhouse on Hill Road. The parking lot was packed. How could it be possible that this many people knew about this place and were willing to make this journey?! While the current taproom expansion was underway, it wasn’t yet completed. There were roughly 75 crammed into their small retail and tasting room space. We waited patiently for 45 minutes before it was our turn to order a tasting flight.
When I received my first 4oz pour, I must’ve held the small piece of stemware to my nose for 15 minutes. Pineapple, lychee, bright pink grapefruit, juicy fruit gum, mango nectar. This was blended fruit juice in my glass, not beer. It was Double Citra. That experience remains singular and revelatory to this day. I left with a 750ml growler of Edward, their flagship Pale Ale, a 750ml bottle of Arthur, a Farmstead™ Ale, and a 2L growler of Double Citra, the smallest bounty I would ever leave Hill Farmstead with.
When I got home, I immediately started to enjoy that 2L growler of Double IPA (I didn’t know then how insane I was for wanting 67 fluid ounces of 8.0% ABV beer) and reflect on the day’s experience. Stemware, all measurements in metric, Saison, everything named after ancestors. It all felt strange for beer at the time, but it fascinated me. Throughout the remainder of 2015, I took every chance I could to return to Hill Farmstead and although trips are far less frequent these days, I still feel like a little kid every time I get to visit.
