Hill Farmstead Fear and Trembling

Fear and Trembling was Hill Farmstead’s first collaboration – a Baltic Porter brewed with malt that was hand smoked over maple wood by our Danish friend, and former colleague, Anders Kissmeyer. This version was a rebrew of Batch #4 in our brewery...and was aged for many weeks in stainless steel. As a student of philosophy and former resident of Copenhagen, it is fitting that our brewer named our first collaboration after Denmark’s great thinker: Søren Kierkegaard. All three contemplated absurdity, faith, and salvation while wandering the shores of the Baltic Sea…

“continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling”

Note: This is stainless steel fermentation, no barrel treatment (released 2013 and late 2015)

3.9

178 reviews

Greensboro, United States

Community reviews

4.0 Near black pour, larger light tan head, good retention, gobs of lacing. Aroma of smoked malts, black coffee, light woody notes, bakers cocoa. Moderate smoke up front, dark malts, light black strap molasses, strong black coffee. Medium body, very light smoky aftertaste. Pair with a rainy day and some Alpha Tolman.

3.3 *2/19/2013 550ml bottle poured into a Dogfish snifter. A~ black as night with a sandy colored head. S~ smokey up front, following with dark malts and a hint of vanilla. T~ mmm...! and i’m not one for smoked brews. almost follows the nose, smoke and maple syrup up front, dark malts and some bitterness on the finish. M~ i’m in love with how this feels (no homo lol) amazingly thick and syrupy with a crazy smooth finish. O~ i haven’t had too many darker brews from HF but this one is definitely my favorite so far. and thats really saying a lot cause i normally don’t like a "smoked" beer. i would definitely drink again!

3.9 Dark brown. Very thick foamy head. Sooo smooth. Toffee sweetness. Sweet and first then becomes quite smokey. Thx Patrick!

4.1 500ml bottle (thx, Nick M.!) that accidentally fallen and opened from the shelf while I was packing the box for Alex G. and Jonathan M, hehe. Bottled on 2015-10-28. Pours an almost black with a dark beige head. Aroma is roasted malt, smokiness, mazut notes, some dark fruits. Taste is similar, moderately sweet. Smokey roasted malt aftertaste. Very good stuff.

3.9 2016 bottle, Pours a pitch black/brown with a rich tan head. The smell is faint smoke, roasted malt, licorice and molasses. The taste is touch of char, smoke, roasted dark malt, licorice, molasses while ending dry. The body is light/medium with fine elegant carbonation.

4.0 500 ml bottle, shared by Werckmeister, thanks! Almost black color, brownish head. Aroma is roasty, dark chocolate, toffee, hints of smoke. Flavor is smooth, dark chocolate, coffee, roastiness, molasses. Very nice one.

3.7 Bottle. Thanks to Werkmeister. Black body with tan head. Aroma is nice roasted malts with dried fruits and some cocoa. Taste is cocoa chocolate some dried fruits

4.1 500 ml bottle, bottled 9.13.16, shared by Werckmeister, thanks! Almost black body, with a medium, dense, creamy, lacing, dark beige head. Aroma of coffee, liquorice, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, ash, subtle dark fruits. Tastes quite similar, with some more subtle hops. Medium, creamy mouthfeel, with a moderate carbonation. Finishes roasty, medium dry, a bit wooden, with liquorice, coffee, cocoa powder, subtle ash. Really tasty! Very smooth and balanced, with just the right amount of roastiness, dryness and sweetness. Alcohol is almost completely hidden. One of my favourite style examples I’ve had so far!

3.5 0,5l bottle at Linz Tasting shared by me. Bottled 09/13/2016. black color, small coffee-colored head. smells earthy, spices, some smoke, bit milky, chocolate. nice smell. full body, soft carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes earthy, smoke, rather leathery, some coffee, roast, light peat. finishes rather bitter and rather earthy with notes of coffee, leather and hints of caramel. Ok, but rather unbalanced, quite leathery / bitter. not such a bit fan.

3.8 Apparence : Pas totalement noire au versement, beau col moka crémeux ayant une bonne rétention et laissant une bonne dentelle, carbonatation moyenne. Nez : Malt rôti en avant-plan, légers chocolat et sucre brûlé en arrière-plan. Nez tout de même équilibré. Goût : Malt torréfié, notes de café, finale sur le malt rôti amer et sur des notes piquantes rappelant le bois ou la fumée. Très sèche. Plus elle se réchauffe, plus le chocolat noir prend la place du café. Sensation : Corps tout de même mince, piquant en bouche, bonne longueur des arômes torréfiées. Bref : J’aime le profil de cette bière : torréfié, amertume assez prononcée, sèche, aucunement décadente, alternance de café et de chocolat noir. Pourtant, ce n’est pas extraordinaire non plus : les saveurs tardent quelque peu à s’affirmer, la torréfaction prend peut-être un peu trop de place et, surtout, le corps m’apparaît trop mince à mon goût pour une bière titrant 9% d’alcool. Tout de même très agréable.

4.0 Fles gedeeld door Benzai, bottled 9.13.16, 25 cl sample. Donkere kleur, kleine schuimkraag. Aeoma is zeker smoked, maar wel typische de "Amerikaanse" smoke en niet de nog betere Duitse rauch. Wel is de geroosterdheid prima jn balans, wat donker fruit erbij. Bitterheid komt van de mouten, wat rook er doorheen. Mooi in balans. Uitstekend bier.

3.6 Bottle shared with Caesar. Opaque dark brown to black color, medium to full sized creamy light brown head. Aroma is malts, smoke. Taste malts, smoke, dark malts, malt bitter. Soft creamy mouthfeel. Solid.

3.7 Bottle: Poured a deep black with tan head. Aroma is smoked malts light medicine. Taste is sweet malty roasted chocolate.

4.3 Ptch black with a nice little foam. Dark fruit, roasted grain, chocolate milk, burnt sugar. Medium body, slight sweet, bitter in the finish

3.9 Piured a darker brown with a beige head. Aroma was dark fruit, campfire, dark chocolate, light coffee. Flavor similar, definitely one of the better smoked dark berrs ive had.

4.0 Une bière sombre de Hill est déjà un cpup de dés pour moi. Avec la mention ’smoked’ en plus, alord là... Je suis séduit par cette robe mince affichant des courbes féminines et affirmées. Belle coiffure beige pâle et éternellement tenace. Des arômes étonnement très fruités qui passent pour de la framboise. Je suis très étonné et de plus en plus curieux. La framboise, sans s’estomper, prend successivement les firmes du chocolat, de toasts rôties, de grains grillés suite à une longue germination. Ça me plaît beaucoup et ce qui me plaît encore plus, et que la fumée est d’une exemplaire délicatesse. En fait ça ne sent pas la fumée, mais le chauffé, ce qui est bien différent. En bouche le liquide est étroit. Le chocolat apporte une franche amertume. Une très agréable surprise que je revisiterai volontiers à nouveau l’an prochain.

4.1 Bottle shared by a friend. Pours black with a medium tan head. Aroma of malt, roast, dark fruit and chocolate. Malty flavor with rich chocolate before a bitter, roasty finish. Not getting a lot of smoke and I’m okay with that.

4.1 Pours black with a tan head. Aroma is smoke with fresh wood. Flavor is roasted malt with sweet caramel malt, chocolate and brown sugar. Finish is woody and smoky.

5.0 500-ml bottle from source. cascading head, ashy malty nose, creamy milky luscious, ashy burnt, subtle smoke, chocolate, superbly balanced. a nice break from fear and trembling.

4.2 Bottle (hand boxed for me by Shaun Hill at the brewery, to my fanboy delight). This is great -- it takes the sweet chocolate of a Baltic porter and adds a very light bit of smoked/roasted flavor from the malt. The mouthfeel is also fantastic, with a medium-full body that doesn’t have any of the thin / acidic flavor that I notice in a lot of dark beers. This is just a killer Baltic porter.

3.7 500ml bottle purchased on site at Hill Farmstead. Pours black with an everlasting foamy dark cappuccino colored head. Smells of coffee, cocoa, vanilla and smoked wood. Slightly boozy aroma to it as well. Tastes of cocoa, coffee, malt, vanilla with an earthy smokey finish with a hint of booze. Light mouthfeel, slightly carbonated and a lingering tarty cocoa after taste.

4.0 (On tap @ Warpigs HF Day, Copenhagen, May 12 2016) Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma of moderately roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, liquorice, earthy touches, light smoke. Flavour is moderately sweet with chocolate core, dark caramel, liquorice, light berry notes, slightly burnt and smoky, moderate bitterness appearing late in the sip with some earthy character. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, no alcohol. Smooth and fairly subtle with the smoke, a bit umami overall I suppose. Very pretty if rather restrained.

3.8 La bouteille verse une bière de couleur noire, avec une bonne effervescence et carbonatation. Odeur de café forte avec un petit nez sucré. On remarque également une grosse odeur de fumee ensuite. En bouche, le fumé part pour laissé place à un porter baltique plus traditionnel, et c’est tres bien. Les saveurs normale dun porter son présentes avec du malt fumé, chocolat, un peu sucré. Bonne mais pas extraordinaire non plus.

3.9 Hill Farmestad tap takeover at Warpigs may 12th 2016. Black body with a small beige head. Aroma is smoked with herbs, chocolate and spices. Taste of cocoa, light tangerine, peat and hazelnut, mild marzipan in finish, with a sweet coffee and campfire finish

4.2 Draught at Mikkeller Bar. Pitch black colored with a small beige head. Roasted aroma of caramel and chocolate with notes of licorice and dried fruits. Roasted flavor of caramel and dried fruits with notes of chocolate and licorice. Roasted finish.

3.9 From tap. Pours pitch black with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted, dark malty and liqourice. Smooth amoked, dark malty, yarish, liqourice. Lingering dark malty and roasted. Bitter, roasted and lingering dark malty finish.

3.8 Keg. Black with a medium sized light brown head. Licorice, salt, charcoal, wood, light earthy, chocolate. Full body, warming alcohol, medium sweet, mild acidic, mild bitterness. Finishes with roasted malt and chocolate.

3.9 Draft @ Mikkeller Bar, Copenhagen. Pours a black color with a small tan head. Has a roasted malty licorice and caramel aroma with weak smoky hints. Roasted malty chocolate, licorice and caramel flavor. Has a roasted malty licorice and chocolate finish.

4.1 Tap@Mikkeller Bar, Copenhagen - black pour with tan head. Aroma and taste is medium roasted and sweet malty, solid notes of chocolate, caramel, some nice vanilla nuances, liquorice, some earthy burnt malty notes, roasted into the finish. Gorgeous.

3.8 Draught @ Hill Farmstead Day - Warpigs Brewpub, København Pours black with a tan head. Aroma has notes of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and licorice. Taste is medium sweet and medium bitter with a long chocolate and coffee finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.