Birth Of Tragedy: Kochere
Hill Farmstead Brewery

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From:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
ABV:
11%
Score:
100
Avg:
4.63 | pDev: 5.4%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
52
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 09, 2023
Added:
Mar 25, 2017
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  5
We have chosen two barrels of Birth of Tragedy as the base for this single origin coffee experiment. After aging for 20 months in apple brandy barrels, we conditioned the beer atop Ethiopian Kochere coffee beans sourced and roasted by The Coffee Collective in Copenhagen, Denmark. These friends long ago changed our worldview as to what coffee could be. After months of bottle conditioning, the beer is ready for release.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tylerk88:
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Rated by tylerk88 from New York

5/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Jul 25, 2017
More User Ratings:
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.46/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottled in 2016; consumed at the brewery on 2/8/2023

Pours a silky, oil-black body topped with a slim finger of dark khaki-hued foam; head retention eases quickly to a fuzzy, paper-thin cap, slight yet creamy collar, and the occasional strand of webby lacing caked to the walls of the glass.

Aromas of soft baked apple open to smooth brandy upfront, with rich milk chocolate weaving through tight roast as the boozier aspect settles; notes of apple strudel form as oaky vanillins fade with coffee malt undertones on the close.

Taste brings charry vanilla against Ethiopian cold-brew, with accents of dark cacao contrasted with a subtle blueberry inflection over the mid-palate while baked apples sit atop moderated roast enmeshed in aged barrel tannins through the finish.

Mouthfeel offers a medium body and a moderate-high, roasty fluff of carbonation, easing to silk with a viscosity trending toward oily through the mid-palate before being cut with pillowy char on the back end and edges of creamy contrast through finish.

Subtlety of depth reigns supreme, melding bakery roast and barrel sweetness as adjuncts are compressed across the profile over time; a clear synchronicity and attention to the minutiae have clearly kept this porter thriving with age in the bottle.
Feb 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.52 by Uconnelmo from Connecticut

Jun 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.99 by pisano from Massachusetts

Mar 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4.68 by stevec32 from New York

Mar 09, 2019
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Enjoyed at GAB bottle share
Decent foamy head, little lacing and retention, pitch black thick

Nose big cocoa chocolate, nice mild smooth coffee, mild sweet apple brandy, dark chocolate

Taste sweet candy notes, big apple brandy, dark chocolate and little roast, cocoa, mild toasted smooth coffee, touch of booze

Mouth is med to heavier bod but smooth, touch of warming alcohol
Nov 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.75 by Philcassella from North Carolina

Oct 05, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by CTJman from Connecticut

Aug 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.75 by jbarletto from Massachusetts

Jun 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.75 by oline73 from Maryland

May 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4.82 by BowlTurner from Connecticut

Feb 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.54 by Trio2shine from California

Jan 12, 2018
 
Rated: 4.84 by KT123 from Pennsylvania

Dec 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.74 by missings0n from Connecticut

Dec 06, 2017
 
Rated: 4.39 by Cynic-ale from Texas

Nov 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.57 by scotv from New York

Nov 11, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by chippo33 from Vermont

Oct 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.81 by johnlatona from New Jersey

Oct 14, 2017
 
Rated: 4.42 by Rifugium from North Dakota

Oct 13, 2017
Photo of kevanb
Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois

4.69/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
375ml bottle, bottled Nov. 2016, poured into an oversized Hill Farmstead wine glass.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, cola brown hues, very opaque and thick with a bit of sediment at the bottom of the glass, a thin but firm khaki head rises with good retention and spots of lace. The aroma is stunning, chocolate leaps from the glass, smooth coffee, apple brandy barrel is wonderful, adds a bit of acidity that helps balance this beer, offers some fruit, some oak, honey, dark grain, a bit of stone fruit and a hint of booze. The flavors are great, so balanced but so expressive, tons of chocolate, apple brandy barrel, a hint of charred oak, smooth liqueur, stone fruits, fruit forward coffee, a hint of acidity with lingering grain and a touch of sweet honey. The mouthfeel is perfect, thick full body, a nice prickly of lively carbonation props up the beer with a coating, full finish and a touch o warmth.

Verdict: A stunning beer from Hill Farmstead. Excellent Apple Brandy expression with beautiful coffee and chocolate flavors that are so balanced and bring out some nice complex layers. So drinkable, so rich and decadent, just an awesome beer.
Sep 10, 2017
Birth Of Tragedy: Kochere from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 52 ratings