Birth Of Tragedy | Hill Farmstead Brewery
Brewed by:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
Vermont, United States
hillfarmstead.com
Style: American Porter
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.00%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
Birth of Tragedy is the imperial and oak barrel-aged version of our annual winter porter, Twilight of the Idols. Brewed with locally roasted coffee and Vermont honey, we age this beer for a year in personally selected bourbon barrels from our favorite distilleries.
Added by s1ckboy on 11-20-2011
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 1,214 | Reviews: 189
4.44/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.75/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Wow.. super delicious. They are #1 for beers like this!
55 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Wow.. super delicious. They are #1 for beers like this!
55 characters
4.5/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.71/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.08/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3000! Received in trade with Ian. The honey flavour grew on me.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3000! Received in trade with Ian. The honey flavour grew on me.
63 characters
4.68/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.61/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Sep. 2016 Batch. Says to drink within 6 months. Oops. At least I kept it cold. 500 mL bottle poured into snifter and let warm.
L: Pours completely dark with 1F tan head with good retention. Leaves no lacing, but persistent cap and ring.
S: Bourbon barrel, honey, coffee, and roasted malts. Always odd to have honey and coffee together, but it seems to work here.
T: Man this is good. These flavors shouldn't work together, but they do. Coffee and bourbon barrel up front and then honey comes in and persists through the finish. It comes thisclose to running away with it and being too sweet, but stays on the good side. You also get some dark fruits and orange peel up front and in middle. Lots going on here, really.
F: Full-bodied, obviously. This drinks like the ABV is significantly higher than listed here (there is nothing on the bottle). Not much in the way of carbonation. Construction just dead-reckoning perfect, balance fantastic.
O: Well, wait are you waiting for? Jump in your cars and hope they have some at the brewery (I think this is a fall release).
1,073 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Sep. 2016 Batch. Says to drink within 6 months. Oops. At least I kept it cold. 500 mL bottle poured into snifter and let warm.
L: Pours completely dark with 1F tan head with good retention. Leaves no lacing, but persistent cap and ring.
S: Bourbon barrel, honey, coffee, and roasted malts. Always odd to have honey and coffee together, but it seems to work here.
T: Man this is good. These flavors shouldn't work together, but they do. Coffee and bourbon barrel up front and then honey comes in and persists through the finish. It comes thisclose to running away with it and being too sweet, but stays on the good side. You also get some dark fruits and orange peel up front and in middle. Lots going on here, really.
F: Full-bodied, obviously. This drinks like the ABV is significantly higher than listed here (there is nothing on the bottle). Not much in the way of carbonation. Construction just dead-reckoning perfect, balance fantastic.
O: Well, wait are you waiting for? Jump in your cars and hope they have some at the brewery (I think this is a fall release).
1,073 characters
4.81/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
'16 batch, I think.
This one pours a dark silky looking black, with a small head, and just a little bit of lacing.
Smells just absurd- honey, bourbon, maple sugar, oak, vanilla, fruity coffee, dark chocolate, etc.
This is one of the luxurious beers I've ever had. There's just a ton going on here, and everything is in perfect balance and harmony, which is impressive. The coffee used here is not bitter in the slightest, with fruity and chocolatey overtones, like chocolate-covered cherries. I also get bourbon, honey, and maple. The bourbon is sweet and doesn't really add any heat to this, at all. There's creamy vanilla, a hint of earthy tobacco and light cinnamon. This is absurdly tasty.
The mouthfeel on this is so killer, so creamy and balanced, like drinking silk. The carbonation level is lower.
This is probably the best barrel aged porter out there. It's nearly perfect.
887 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
'16 batch, I think.
This one pours a dark silky looking black, with a small head, and just a little bit of lacing.
Smells just absurd- honey, bourbon, maple sugar, oak, vanilla, fruity coffee, dark chocolate, etc.
This is one of the luxurious beers I've ever had. There's just a ton going on here, and everything is in perfect balance and harmony, which is impressive. The coffee used here is not bitter in the slightest, with fruity and chocolatey overtones, like chocolate-covered cherries. I also get bourbon, honey, and maple. The bourbon is sweet and doesn't really add any heat to this, at all. There's creamy vanilla, a hint of earthy tobacco and light cinnamon. This is absurdly tasty.
The mouthfeel on this is so killer, so creamy and balanced, like drinking silk. The carbonation level is lower.
This is probably the best barrel aged porter out there. It's nearly perfect.
887 characters
4.56/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.65/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
2011 version. Had a 4 oz pour at the brewery.
L: Close to black. Not much head, but the thin line did stay around for a while.
S: Mildly spicy coffee, oak.
T: Chocolate and coffee. Oak barrel, and a little bit of booze to it, but that seems to have settled to the background.
F: Super Smooth and rich.
O: so it's 6 years old. Older than my 2 kids lol. Had to argue with the wife over how much she was allowed to drink :)
421 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
2011 version. Had a 4 oz pour at the brewery.
L: Close to black. Not much head, but the thin line did stay around for a while.
S: Mildly spicy coffee, oak.
T: Chocolate and coffee. Oak barrel, and a little bit of booze to it, but that seems to have settled to the background.
F: Super Smooth and rich.
O: so it's 6 years old. Older than my 2 kids lol. Had to argue with the wife over how much she was allowed to drink :)
421 characters
4.29/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color porter with a deep brown color head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of coffee with some bourbon notes and nice vanilla notes. Taste is a complex and rich mix of nice vanilla notes with bourbon and rich black chocolate notes and a sweet honey-laced finish. Body is full with deep oily texture and good carbonation with hints of warming alcohol notes. Very rich porter but a bit too much honey for my taste.
451 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color porter with a deep brown color head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of coffee with some bourbon notes and nice vanilla notes. Taste is a complex and rich mix of nice vanilla notes with bourbon and rich black chocolate notes and a sweet honey-laced finish. Body is full with deep oily texture and good carbonation with hints of warming alcohol notes. Very rich porter but a bit too much honey for my taste.
451 characters
4.5/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.49/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Most recent batch bottle poured into fluted snifter.
Very dark, near black and mostly opaque. Not thick, but able to block light out effectively. Head is light brown and settles slowly.
Aroma has hint of spice, medium roast coffee and floral sweetness. The oak is definitely noticeable with just a slight hint of the booze after warming.
Flavor is bold. Lots of wood, vanilla, and the earthy bourbon flavors push forward. The coffee flavor is dark and bitter, but balances the sweetness of the honey and bourbon well.
Smooth, hint of alcohol burn remains, moderate carbonation. Just under full body.
The barrel aging adds a ton of complexity to this already flavor packed base brew.
693 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Most recent batch bottle poured into fluted snifter.
Very dark, near black and mostly opaque. Not thick, but able to block light out effectively. Head is light brown and settles slowly.
Aroma has hint of spice, medium roast coffee and floral sweetness. The oak is definitely noticeable with just a slight hint of the booze after warming.
Flavor is bold. Lots of wood, vanilla, and the earthy bourbon flavors push forward. The coffee flavor is dark and bitter, but balances the sweetness of the honey and bourbon well.
Smooth, hint of alcohol burn remains, moderate carbonation. Just under full body.
The barrel aging adds a ton of complexity to this already flavor packed base brew.
693 characters
4.54/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.3/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Had this one at a tasting a ways back, from notes
Cinnamon, nutmeg, more wood then bourbon, coffees late, honey comes through as maple, licorice, a little smoke in the mouth but it might just be burnt coffee, sticky on the lips…
230 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Had this one at a tasting a ways back, from notes
Cinnamon, nutmeg, more wood then bourbon, coffees late, honey comes through as maple, licorice, a little smoke in the mouth but it might just be burnt coffee, sticky on the lips…
230 characters
Birth Of Tragedy from Hill Farmstead Brewery
Beer rating:
97.3% out of
100 with
1,214 ratings
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5