Yearly Archives: 2014

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Dogfish Head Festina Lente: 2013ers can exit through the bitch shop.

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Ask your older frat bros about this or something.

2002 DFH one off from back in the day. This used to haunt the white whale list back in the day and it still bangs on 808 drums.

This is like a flatter , juicier flaming fury. Take foune and add salt and acidity, or take Persica b1 and remove all carb .

Peaches come through like a juicy jolly rancher, albeit dead flat. Acidity lingers and tears the gum line laying cankersore beds with intense ph.

Better than expected but intensely acidic, at this point it is like an aggressive imperial gose with peaches , swallowing hot loads off Craigslist for them sweet ticks.

YMCMB maybach ticks

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BA Cognac De Muerte Dark Lord, holy fuck this is horrible.

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This is so fucking terrible. I thought after two years the chiles would balance out, not one bit. Nose is salty, Lucas, paprika, chile limon corn nuts, and a deep chocolate aged on mixed nuts.

The taste takes things to an even worse level, it tastes like a mango chile pop abortion, it is beyond a drain pour . Like you have sympathy for the drain. The burn lingers in your chest and it just sits mocking your fedex account

I can’t see it getting much worse than this.

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@hillfarmstead Biere de Norma BATCH 3: Garde’ing That Northern France Swagger By Way of Vermont

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You might remember waaaayyyyy back in 2012, I reviewed the first batch of norma, that 180 bottle pre-Ann baller

AND THEN

I opened a batch 2 Normaa and was all pussy hurt because it wasn’t as lactic or tasty as b1. It toed the traditional BdG style guidelines and that isn’t necessarily my go to stroke material for that realm of beers.

BUT THEN FUCKING BATCH THREE CAME OUT

That top-down lighting makes everything look turbid.

That top-down lighting makes everything look turbid.

So what the fuck is happening with old Norma these days? Well it is much of a Goldilocks approach, more tart than b2, but more akin to traditional Biere de Gardes than that puckering b1. If b1 is cuddling up close to the AWA section and b2 was laying in bed with Northern French BdG’s, then b3 is somewhere in between, hanging down from the top bunk breathing hard and making both feel uncomfortable.

I still prefer batch 1, but this is a vast improvement over b2, and one of the most unique entries in the HF catalog of top tier saisons. It is not quite the acidic american wild that most bitch tickers favor these days, but it isn’t the earthy metallic biere de garde you might be expecting. Awesome cherry, red grape and merlot oak interplay with a beer that is highly drinkable without fucking your gumline like a Flanders Red. One of the best examples in the underserved BdG realm, certainly.

This is an old style but Vermont is keepin it sexy.

This is an old style but Vermont is keepin it sexy.

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@hillfarmstead E, mashing the fuck out.

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My previous complaint was that this was top dry (b2) bit god damn it if that hasn’t been remedied. While still inferior to Ann and even Anna, this is a different take on the ba farmhouse catalog. Some will say that the galaxy dry hop adds that complexity to the barrel and I would agree but respectfully demur to the idea that this is in line with traditional farmhouse offerings. But stop fingering your cock, this is just plain delicious, let’s be honest.

The creamy mouthfeel is that same VT orange Julius you are anticipating but the ph and dry aspects have been tamed in favor of an oaky complexity, them French woods giving tickers American woods, nomsayin.

The acidic mandarin oranges have a yeasty back bone, it sublimates into a grapefruit and Riesling sweetness. The most noteworthy feature is the bitterness on the finish, taking it in the realm of a De Ranke xx with an identity crisis that works.

Sure it isn’t flora or Ann, but fuck you and your standards. This is still an exceptional saison well worth your consideration in between episodes of Burn Notice.