Fear & Trembling
Hill Farmstead Brewery

Fear & TremblingFear & Trembling
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From:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Baltic Porter
Ranked #17
ABV:
9.3%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,395
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 8.04%
Reviews:
86
Ratings:
471
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 02, 2023
Added:
Jan 21, 2013
Wants:
  104
Gots:
  61
Fear & Trembling was Hill Farmstead’s first collaboration - a Baltic-style porter brewed with malt that was hand smoked over maple wood by our Danish friend, and former colleague, Anders Kissmeyer. This batch was brewed with malt that was hand-smoked over a blend of native woods, then fermented in the traditional way, with lager yeast, and conditioned in stainless steel.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by xnicknj:
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Rated by xnicknj from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%

Dec 16, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of 4DAloveofSTOUT
Reviewed by 4DAloveofSTOUT from Illinois

4.31/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
#92 of different HIll Farmstead beers that I have sampled; getting close to #100.

500ml bottle poured into Hill Farmstead white logo Durobar Charente.

Canned on the date of 12/09/22.

Appearance: Black bodied porter with khaki colored head that pours 3 fingers tall. Dense & creamy looking head with incredible staying power. Thick lacing absolutely coating the glass. Visually Stunning Beer.

Smell: Big meaty smoke notes. Hints of milk chocolate & roasted malt. Earthy hop notes.

Taste: Nice balance of roasted malts and meaty smoke. Earthy. I taste campfire as well. Lightly bitter lingering finish of an ashen char type flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied stout with low end of moderate carbonation levels. Creamy and silky textured body. No detectable abv to find here.

Overall: Nice smoked Porter here by Hill Farmstead which ties with Alaskan Smoked Porter for the #1 Smoked Porter in the craft beer market.
Dec 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.42 by crobinso from Colorado

Jul 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.6 by CraftFan5 from New Jersey

Jul 17, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Holderness from Massachusetts

Jun 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4.1 by npolachek from New York

Mar 26, 2023
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.42/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Polished dark brown nearing mahogany with a tall tan head that retains thick and puffy while leaving coral lacing all over the glass.

Silky smooth and softly frothy, the smoke is mild, but the formidable roast level of the malt amplifies and accentuates the effect as it comes to a slightly sharp and woody yet nutty swallow. With time, it becomes chocolatey and even acidic like espresso.

Though it starts off somewhat viscous, it thins out in the paper dry finish.
Feb 25, 2023
Photo of papposilenus
Reviewed by papposilenus from New Hampshire

4.23/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
From a 500ml bottle, ‘bottle conditioning since December 9, 2022.’ Served in a tulip.

Pours an unhighlighted mahogany-black with two fingers of sturdy, foam insulation-like, beige head. Retention is exceptional, leaving a bubbly cap and a solid blanket of sudsy lacing.

Nose is roasty and earthy. Smoke character is subtle to the point of having to have read it on the label to be certain it was there. Aromas of crackly bread crust and perked coffee.

Taste makes up for the nose by putting the smoked malt front and center. Tasting burnt whole wheat toast, creamed burnt coffee and dates. A little toasted marshmallow, not a sweetness per se, just sort of that quality of… caramelized smoke? campfire and vanilla.

Feel is smooth and creamy, medium bodied and brightly carbonated. Very smooth and easy drinking.

Overall, almost entirely quite excellent. My only reservation is that, by the very end of the bottle, the smokiness had taken on something of the character of last night’s damp campfire and was becoming mildly tedious. A problem that would easily have been solved by sharing the bottle and not hogging it all to myself, I mean, right?
Feb 23, 2023
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Rated by mintzmeet from Washington

4.63/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Wow. Precision. Expertise. Manifested perfection.
Jan 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by SkiBum22 from New York

Nov 04, 2022
 
Rated: 4.28 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Apr 18, 2021
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4.49/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 500 mL bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark mahogany brown pour. Nearly black with a finger of mocha colored head. Solid retention/lacing.

S: Bourbon and booze. Rich roasted malts... a hint of smoke and vanilla.

T.F: Semi-sweet and rich. Smooth and creamy. Bourbon, vanilla, and oak. Not picking up as much of the wine barrel (red I'm assuming)... a bit of tanins as it warms with some dark fruit. A very pleasant hint of smoke... not overdone in any way. Dark chocolate, leather, and a bit of char.

O: Absolutely fantastic Baltic porter. It picks up the best of the base style, the smoke, and the barrels. This was a wonderful slow sipper.... complex and delicious.
Mar 13, 2021
Photo of Pinz412
Reviewed by Pinz412 from Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a willi becher, Fear & Trembling poured a dark mahogany that allowed little to no light to penetrate the glass. An inch and a half tan creamy tan reached reached for the rim of the glass and lingered for some time. The aroma was beautifully toasted malt while sitting next to a smoldering campfire. The smoke didn't hit you with every inhale, but the occasional shift in wind carried the scent to you. As it warmed, the smoke became more prevalent. It was not hard to give it that time to develop as this was clearly a beer that demanded your patience and attention from the first sip. That first taste revealed a remarkably rich and robust porter with just enough smoke. Dark chocolate malt, toasted grain, and a bitter and dry finish defined the opening notes. The longer I sipped, the more smoke made it's way closer to the top of the flavor profile. Everything was in perfect balance. The mouthfeel was silky smooth with a body that was well past medium, but not quite full. Fear & Trembling was an absolute stunner.
Feb 27, 2021
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottled on 8/12/20; consumed on 1/19/21

Pours a deep jet-brown/glossy black body capped with multiple fingers of rich, creamy, pale hazelnut-hued foam; excellent head retention yields a finger of equally creamy cap, a moderate, frothy collar, and thick, chunky rings of lacing circling around the walls of the glass.

Aroma initially presents soft notes of sinewy, delicately smoked bacon informing the front of the bouquet before embracing a fluid, milk chocolate sweetness; a middle of underlying coffee and vague nuttiness eases toward a touch of campfire, with hints of maple syrup absorbed by the building malty roast on the close.

Taste opens with hints of milk chocolate taking on an almost mineralic, clean smoke, touched with meaty bacon into a mid-palate embracing bittersweet coffee and toasty malts; dark chocolate implies a brief, robust richness into a back end of charry roast pronounced into smoke and raw cacao showing further on the finish.

Mouthfeel features a plush, pillowy-slick, medium-light body along with a creamy puff of otherwise moderate carbonation; a roasty texture appears quickly upfront and remains consistent across the palate, evolving with a taut, almost chalky, drying bitterness over the back end before reaching a mild char on the finish.

Distinct yet beautifully understated, with all elements, from (Rauchbier-esque) smoke to roast to sweetness, evolving with each sip; the touch and effortless composure Hill Farmstead brings to this beer really shines throughout.
Jan 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by paulish from New York

Dec 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by pepesylvia from Pennsylvania

May 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by dannycohen62 from Illinois

Apr 06, 2020
 
Rated: 4.02 by Vicirus from Massachusetts

Oct 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.33 by user785335 from Florida

Aug 08, 2019
 
Rated: 2.83 by hopkrid from Florida

Apr 28, 2019
Fear & Trembling from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 471 ratings