Damon (Double Barrel Aged) | Hill Farmstead Brewery
Brewed by:
Hill Farmstead Brewery
Vermont, United States
hillfarmstead.com
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): not listed
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
1 year in Port, 1 year in Van Winkle Bourbon.
Added by MasterSki on 04-25-2013
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 144 | Reviews: 26
4.37/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.67/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.21/5 rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A very interesting and complex DBA stout - but I overall felt a little let down. It's delicious, and I would take this over a lot of other BA beers; but it's Hill Farmstead, so unfortunately I hold them to a higher standard. Good stuff for sure, but I've enjoyed many of their other stouts more than this one.
311 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A very interesting and complex DBA stout - but I overall felt a little let down. It's delicious, and I would take this over a lot of other BA beers; but it's Hill Farmstead, so unfortunately I hold them to a higher standard. Good stuff for sure, but I've enjoyed many of their other stouts more than this one.
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4.4/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.75/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
2013 Batch
L: Pours a thick opaque mocha and onyx stream with very minimal head
S: Cacao nibs, dark fruits, and a bit of bourbon
T: Milk chocolate, maple syrup, dates, and a touch of bourbon, which is all underpinned by a deep and rich port barrel on the finish
F: Exceedingly smooth, but minimal carb
O: This batch has held up incredibly well in my opinion. DB Damon is easily the best stout I've had from HF and their barrel aging program is second to none. Simply a well executed and unique stout in a very crowded field.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
2013 Batch
L: Pours a thick opaque mocha and onyx stream with very minimal head
S: Cacao nibs, dark fruits, and a bit of bourbon
T: Milk chocolate, maple syrup, dates, and a touch of bourbon, which is all underpinned by a deep and rich port barrel on the finish
F: Exceedingly smooth, but minimal carb
O: This batch has held up incredibly well in my opinion. DB Damon is easily the best stout I've had from HF and their barrel aging program is second to none. Simply a well executed and unique stout in a very crowded field.
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4.63/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
3.47/5 rDev -24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
This is for 2016. Want to give an honest review on this beer. No secret I am a huge Hill farmstead supporter. Probably my favorite brewery and I don't even know what #2 is. That being said, this beer has little carb on purpose because it's so intense, takes away from the look. The smell is intense but muddled. You get sweetness and a lot of heat and some choclate underneath but my opinion port kills everything and dominates the nose. Taste right now is kind of a disaster. It had a very rough after taste that made me not want to go back for another sip. Have had regular 2013 ba damon and 2014 DB damon and I think time might be the huge difference. This beer is super complex, to me I think as of right now this was the worst of hill's ba creations. It is thicker and better mouthful the ba everett. But that is so much more inviting and you don't get any off flavors. I have had port damon twice and it's not my bag and as with the 14 db damon the port was tame and integrated well. As of right now this did not and overwhelmed this beer in a bad way for me. Biggest disappointment of the year for me with HF, but he has had so many amazing brews I can't like every single one. Can I?
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
This is for 2016. Want to give an honest review on this beer. No secret I am a huge Hill farmstead supporter. Probably my favorite brewery and I don't even know what #2 is. That being said, this beer has little carb on purpose because it's so intense, takes away from the look. The smell is intense but muddled. You get sweetness and a lot of heat and some choclate underneath but my opinion port kills everything and dominates the nose. Taste right now is kind of a disaster. It had a very rough after taste that made me not want to go back for another sip. Have had regular 2013 ba damon and 2014 DB damon and I think time might be the huge difference. This beer is super complex, to me I think as of right now this was the worst of hill's ba creations. It is thicker and better mouthful the ba everett. But that is so much more inviting and you don't get any off flavors. I have had port damon twice and it's not my bag and as with the 14 db damon the port was tame and integrated well. As of right now this did not and overwhelmed this beer in a bad way for me. Biggest disappointment of the year for me with HF, but he has had so many amazing brews I can't like every single one. Can I?
1,206 characters
4.67/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
5/5 rDev +8.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Almost unbelievable. 2016 batch consumed January 7th on site shared amongst a lovely group of gentleman, aged for 2 years in port and then 2 years in bourbon and listed as "14+%" ABV. You could smell the aroma from a few feet away just incredibly sweet molasses with a touch of chocolate. Poured utterly pitch black with a very small head of a mocha almost orange color. This was by far and away the sweetest beer I have ever tasted that did not make use of some form of disgusting artificial flavoring. Chocolate and what I can only assume are cherries hit you right away with pleasant incredibly mild coffee bitterness coming in on the end. I do not know if some of the others drank the same beer I did but the bottle my group shared was unbelievably thick just sloshing in our glasses sticking instantly to anything that came in touch with it. The beer went down unbelievably smooth with almost 0 carbonation and to the joy of us all that sticky sweetness clung to our mouths for many minutes upon finishing. The only comparison I can make to this beer is a 20 year Old Tawny Port wine.
Even if you must skip work if you have the drive and desire you must make the long trip to Hill Farmstead to this beer if not you will regret it. Be warned though the remaining bottle are for onsite consumption only.
1,307 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Almost unbelievable. 2016 batch consumed January 7th on site shared amongst a lovely group of gentleman, aged for 2 years in port and then 2 years in bourbon and listed as "14+%" ABV. You could smell the aroma from a few feet away just incredibly sweet molasses with a touch of chocolate. Poured utterly pitch black with a very small head of a mocha almost orange color. This was by far and away the sweetest beer I have ever tasted that did not make use of some form of disgusting artificial flavoring. Chocolate and what I can only assume are cherries hit you right away with pleasant incredibly mild coffee bitterness coming in on the end. I do not know if some of the others drank the same beer I did but the bottle my group shared was unbelievably thick just sloshing in our glasses sticking instantly to anything that came in touch with it. The beer went down unbelievably smooth with almost 0 carbonation and to the joy of us all that sticky sweetness clung to our mouths for many minutes upon finishing. The only comparison I can make to this beer is a 20 year Old Tawny Port wine.
Even if you must skip work if you have the drive and desire you must make the long trip to Hill Farmstead to this beer if not you will regret it. Be warned though the remaining bottle are for onsite consumption only.
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4.63/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev -2.4%
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
4.72/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
2016 vintage - consumed on-site on Wednesday 12/28/16. Nice surprise. Shared a bottle with @jwale73.
Pours nearly jet black, no head to speak of with a touch of lace on the edges of the glass.
Nose was the highlight here - rich chocolate, dark fruit, honey, oak, bourbon. Extremely inviting nose on this beer.
Taste follows the nose with just loads of chocolate, sweet maple, oak, dark fruit from the port barrel.
Mouthfeel is a bit thin, with absolutely no carbonation. Drinks well, but perhaps could benefit with a bit more viscosity. Would be interested to see if this carbs up at all and gains some body over time.
Overall this is another fantastic stout from HF. Hard to compare to batch 1, but I do think I enjoyed this even more. Would love to get to try this again.
780 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
2016 vintage - consumed on-site on Wednesday 12/28/16. Nice surprise. Shared a bottle with @jwale73.
Pours nearly jet black, no head to speak of with a touch of lace on the edges of the glass.
Nose was the highlight here - rich chocolate, dark fruit, honey, oak, bourbon. Extremely inviting nose on this beer.
Taste follows the nose with just loads of chocolate, sweet maple, oak, dark fruit from the port barrel.
Mouthfeel is a bit thin, with absolutely no carbonation. Drinks well, but perhaps could benefit with a bit more viscosity. Would be interested to see if this carbs up at all and gains some body over time.
Overall this is another fantastic stout from HF. Hard to compare to batch 1, but I do think I enjoyed this even more. Would love to get to try this again.
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4.46/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2016 batch consumed at HF. Pours one shade shy of black with no head, just a bubbly band around the edges. Nose is incredible - chocolate, ethanol, bourbon and a hint of dark fruit and butterscotch. Taste consistent with nose with the addition of maple syrup, brown sugar and elements of the port barrel. Mouthfeel is medium-light in body, perhaps a touch thin, with a still carbonation and a light oiliness to the texture. Overall, this beer is tasting great as is and I wouldn't recommend much time in the cellar; however, the mouthfeel is a little too thin.
565 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2016 batch consumed at HF. Pours one shade shy of black with no head, just a bubbly band around the edges. Nose is incredible - chocolate, ethanol, bourbon and a hint of dark fruit and butterscotch. Taste consistent with nose with the addition of maple syrup, brown sugar and elements of the port barrel. Mouthfeel is medium-light in body, perhaps a touch thin, with a still carbonation and a light oiliness to the texture. Overall, this beer is tasting great as is and I wouldn't recommend much time in the cellar; however, the mouthfeel is a little too thin.
565 characters
4.74/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
A: Pour is black, no misconception there. Faint, off-white head; less than half a finger high with decent retention. Lacing was minimal
S: Sweet vinous, dark fruits along with notes of vanilla, chocolate, subtle coffee and coconut upon warmth, molasses, and oak
T: Crazy, silky, smoothness amongst immense complexity – sweet, molasses, sugary syrup nicely placed alongside the chocolatey malts, vanilla, coconut, caramel, oak, and vinous dark fruits
M: As stated, unimaginable smoothness; body is slightly above medium, whereas the carbonation is slightly below
O: Lots of occurrences taken place; leaves one pondering their experience in the aftermath, trapped in their mind deciphering the tasty puzzle…notable indent in memory junction
746 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
A: Pour is black, no misconception there. Faint, off-white head; less than half a finger high with decent retention. Lacing was minimal
S: Sweet vinous, dark fruits along with notes of vanilla, chocolate, subtle coffee and coconut upon warmth, molasses, and oak
T: Crazy, silky, smoothness amongst immense complexity – sweet, molasses, sugary syrup nicely placed alongside the chocolatey malts, vanilla, coconut, caramel, oak, and vinous dark fruits
M: As stated, unimaginable smoothness; body is slightly above medium, whereas the carbonation is slightly below
O: Lots of occurrences taken place; leaves one pondering their experience in the aftermath, trapped in their mind deciphering the tasty puzzle…notable indent in memory junction
746 characters
4.53/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev -2.4%
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
4.28/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.84/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
L: Black with minimal head.
S: Port and bourbon barrels, chocolate, coffee, and vanilla caramel, all coming together very nicely.
T: A strong port presence melds intricately with bourbon characteristics on the outer layers of the beer, working into dark chocolate notes, then finishing again with port on the palate. As the beer warms, the chocolate flavor opens up, as do the more subtle flavors of vanilla and caramel. All of the flavors work incredibly well with each other.
F: Thick and chewy.
O: This is Hill Farmstead's best stout and one of the top beers overall in its class.
591 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
L: Black with minimal head.
S: Port and bourbon barrels, chocolate, coffee, and vanilla caramel, all coming together very nicely.
T: A strong port presence melds intricately with bourbon characteristics on the outer layers of the beer, working into dark chocolate notes, then finishing again with port on the palate. As the beer warms, the chocolate flavor opens up, as do the more subtle flavors of vanilla and caramel. All of the flavors work incredibly well with each other.
F: Thick and chewy.
O: This is Hill Farmstead's best stout and one of the top beers overall in its class.
591 characters
Damon (Double Barrel Aged) from Hill Farmstead Brewery
4.61
out of 5
based on 144 ratings.
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75