Hill Farmstead Fear and Trembling (French Oak Cabernet)

Brewed by Hill Farmstead Brewery
Style: Baltic Porter
Greensboro, Vermont USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Pours deep and black with a thin creamy head and heavy sheets of lace that stick to the sides of the glass. Strong smoke on the nose with a bit of coffee notable as well. Heavy roasted malts but the smoke is really rather powerful here with a small brush of anise, tobacco, and leather. Loads of smoke on the palate with oak and a tough of rich heavy tobacco and leater. Finish a little dry and lightly bitter.

Big thanks to ygtbsm94 - rock on, Brad! This was quite simply a ridiculously good beer. Smoked, maple wood, cab-aged Baltic porter with a nod to Roarin’ Soren? Yes motherfucking please. Very handsome pour, silky, a bit chalky-looking, deep oily dark brown, and garlanded with a firm but minimal head. Nose is pretty glorious with confident, assertive chocolate malts holding together lactic notes and vinous qualities. Sharp wood here and there. The taste is even more exquisite, with dry grape and oak giving the already fine beer depth and contrast - dark chocolate here, mildly dry porter there, and smoke flitting hither and yon. Superb stuff.

pours dark brown with thin tan head. Nose ha smoke, chocolate, and light cab barrel. Smokey flavor, light chocolate, fair. Bit of malt sweetness and ovry cab sweetness flavors. Body is medium, smooth, a touch oily and thin compared to the blend. assertive carbonation.

On tap at Matts. Pour is pretty much black with a nice brown head. Good lacing. Aroma is very smokey and grainy, notes of chocolate, almond, coffee. Taste is the same with more dark fruit presence along with sour from the cabernet. Lightly carb’s and smooth as can be. Cant decide is this or the utopia version was better. Too close.

A - Pours a dark black with a thin ring of frothy chocolate head. The head fades fairly quickly with nice lacing S - Aroma is full of smoke and burnt chocolate malts. The red wine barrel comes though with some oak and a touch of rye. T - Starts off with lots of smoke, deep roasted bitter chocolate, and some of the red wine barrel flavor. Through the middle some more oak comes through with some dark fruit, a bit of bacon, and some vanilla. The finish is a mix of smoke, burnt malts, red wine, oak, and touch of tannin. M - Medium-plus bodied with mild carbonation. Smooth with a big smokey warming finish. D - Very drinkable. The smoke is super strong here, but there are so many other bold flavors that it all works nicely together. The barrel also adds a nice dimension.

Bottle. Pours black with a big head. The aroma has got notes of smoke, chocoalte and red berries, Taste is quite vinous, with notes of red berries and smoke. Smooth creamy and big bodied. Great mouthfeel. The alcohol is well hidden. Elegant beer!

Bottle. Great balances beer with big smooth and elegant body. Lightly smoked and light tartness, licorice and red berries.

Bottle split with mcberko. Pours a solid black with a tan head. Aroma of smoke and wood. Flavour of red wine, smoke., oak, dark fruits and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and well-balanced.

500mL bottle, sent from gn0sis (thanks Eric!), pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of smoked malts, dark fruits and dry red wine - dominated by the smoke though. Flavour of smoked / burnt malts upfront, candied dark fruits, red wine / dry vinous characteristics and oak barrels. Finishes semi-sweet, oaky and smokey. Very full-bodied and wonderfully balanced. Excellent.

Medium sized tan head with fair retention and some spotty lace. Black in color. Nose is smokey, roasty with an ever so faint hint of wood. smoke dominating. Body is medium, velvetty on the palate, coating and oily, lil chewy also. Smoke rules in the flavor dept. along with roast and some dark fruits. Maybe a hint of lumber shining through the smoke screen. Nice smokey, woody finish.ABV well hidden. Props to jleblanc for the bottle.

Thanks to beerchugger for sharing this. Pours black with a black tinge and a little tan halo of bubbles. Smell: smoke, coffee, leather and charred wood. Taste of smoke and charred oak are extreme and overpowering with a hint of leather. Mouthfeel is medium thick and the finish is bitter with smoke and dark roasted smoke with a touch of smokey smoke in the smokey finish!