Fear And Trembling (French Oak Cabernet) - Hill Farmstead Brewery

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.45/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

500 mL bottle. Sampled with the bourbon and blended versions. This was my favorite of the 3.

Pours a darker brown with thin, frothy mocha head that gradually fades away. Mild smoke presence in the nose, with the cab barrels dominating; vanilla, oak, chocolate, fruit, spice and roast. Bitter chocolate and roast malt start flavor with spicy smoke throughout. Slightly tannic finish of red wine and bitter chocolate. Excellent balance and loads of complexity.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 01:39:35 | More by yourefragile

stakem

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Many thanks go to Kegatron for sharing all 3 Fear and Trembling variations during our recent gathering. Awesome experience to have these all back to back. 500ml bottle poured into some snifters following the bourbon edition. The brew appears dark brown in color with some lighter brown around the edges. A finger of mocha head sits atop and as it slowly fades, leaves some spotty lacing on the glass.

Just like the bourbon version, this is heavily smoked to then point of being beefy. Cured meat aromatics blend into a touch of chocolate grain, roast and mild raw barrel tannins that is a deviation from the other iteration of this brew. Some alcohol tang with mild dark fruit inclusion blends into an afterthought of smokey pete moss.

The taste is beefy with smoke and roast. A bit almost burnt and ashy with a raw (not necessarily harsh) barrel character that integrates fairly well with the level of bold smokiness. Some tangy alcohol is evident with an increased perception of fruity plum or raisin flavor. The aftertaste includes some earth and chocolate grain quality.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Overall a slightly different example than the Bourbon version with a unique twist and focus on raw barrel character and a bit more depth to the fruity alcohol inclusion. I typically prefer a more mellow and blended barrel inclusion but in this case, the raw tannic nature of this version really worked well with the aggressive smoke profile. I liked this version slightly more than the bourbon one.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 18:57:19 | More by stakem

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle into a couple of glasses.

Pours a black/deep brown, with a finger or so of frothy mocha head. This stays bubbly and rich, leaving back a decent amount of spotty froth down the sides of the glass. The smoke has been tamed a good bit and relegated to the background by the barrel here, especially compared to the bourbon version, with tones of fruit, oak and vanilla and more malty notes of chocolate and toffee helping bring that peat character down a notch or two.

The taste is similar, with that heavy smoke being cut by sticky notes of dark fruit, oaky vanilla, chocolate and caramel. Roast returns in the finish with a dry and lightly burnt feel, with some extra smokiness and barrel flavors lingering on the tongue. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some prickliness on the tongue and then a mostly smooth and creamy feel as this works itself across the back of the palate. Like the bourbon version, the alcohol here is just extremely well hid, which aids in the overall accessibility of this.

It’s funny how this version took the exact opposite approach than the bourbon version, which much more of that French Oak barrel being on display here and much less of the smoked aspect of the base Baltic Porter. The dark fruit and oak flavor here actually gets fairly strong the more this warms. This was solid but isn’t quite there for me yet.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 17:05:02 | More by Kegatron

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

pours dark brown with thin tan head. Nose ha smoke, chocolate, and light cab barrel. Smokey flavor, light chocolate, fair. Bit of malt sweetness and ovry cab sweetness flavors. Body is medium, smooth, a touch oily and thin compared to the blend. assertive carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 19:09:34 | More by cpetrone84

ngeunit1

California

4.65/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark black with a thin ring of frothy chocolate head. The head fades fairly quickly with nice lacing

S - Aroma is full of smoke and burnt chocolate malts. The red wine barrel comes though with some oak and a touch of rye.

T - Starts off with lots of smoke, deep roasted bitter chocolate, and some of the red wine barrel flavor. Through the middle some more oak comes through with some dark fruit, a bit of bacon, and some vanilla. The finish is a mix of smoke, burnt malts, red wine, oak, and touch of tannin.

M - Medium-plus bodied with mild carbonation. Smooth with a big smokey warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. The smoke is super strong here, but there are so many other bold flavors that it all works nicely together. The barrel also adds a nice dimension.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 07:28:45 | More by ngeunit1

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A big thanks goes out to jbeatty for hooking us up with this delicious three beer set. I had almost given up on ever seeing any of these, so I'm absolutely stoked to finally get a chance at the threesome. Cheers man!

From a 500ml bottle into a snifter
This was the first bottle we opened.

APPEARANCE: All of these variants look the same. Pours transparent brown and yields a small, medium looking, light tan head with decent retention. Head fades to a slight wisp and bubbly ring. Black body, relatively clear, with no carbonation evident. Only a ring remains until the end and leaves no lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Definite smoke on the nose with some smoked meat, touches of roasted malts, dark chocolate and some wine from the barrel aging. A hint of oak as well, but the smoked aromas are much more prominent on the nose.

TASTE: Smoked malts, roasted malts and some dark, baker’s chocolate up front, all working very nicely together and providing a good foundation for the barrel. This moves into an oaky and wine flavored finish, though it doesn’t overpower the base. Mild yet lingering aftertaste of dark chocolate, smoky malt and smoked meat, and a touch of oak and red wine. Well balanced and surprisingly easy to drink. Much more balanced than the nose.

PALATE: Medium-full body and lower levels of carbonation. Slightly creamy on the palate, goes down nicely and finishes slightly sticky. Goof feel and decent weight.

OVERALL: This was a really nice treat. The nose was a little smoke heavy, with a bit more smoked salami than I’d prefer, but the flavors were really well balanced and the feel solid as well. Lots of going on here; very complex and tasty, and the flavors blend really well together. I doubt this one will get any better with age, so I was more than glad to get the chance to try it now. This whole series is well worth tracking down. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 20:44:00 | More by Jeffo

FosterJM

California

3.9/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

773rd Review on BA
Bottle to snifter

@Woodshop Classix

App- This was a very dark brown with a bit of amber around the edges. It poured similar to the barrels it came from, like a deep dark red wine. No head, no bubbles. A bit flat.

Smell- True to style this smelled quite nice for a baltic porter. Smoky, bacon, rye and a little bit on the oaky side and a little tannin note.

Taste- This was kind of all over the place for me. It started off with a smoky bacon like note and then moved to the roasty malts and finished with a ton of dark chocolate. A little bit of the oak comes through on the end of the drink. A little tannin as well.

Mouth- Medium bodied and a medium carbonation level. A nice smoky note remains.

Drink- I don't normally like the baltic porters but this had a few nice dimensions with the aging on it in the barrels. Not as harsh and bacony.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 23:07:17 | More by FosterJM

maximum12

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to baconsausage for this bottle, from a brewery that I'm growing quite fond of. My second encounter with F&T, the first in a rather epic tasting with good BA friends from near & far. Now I get a whole bottle to myself, as my wife won't touch 'bacon beers'. Her loss, right?

Lovingly poured into my big Terrapin snifter, black-on-black with minimal carbonation. Smell is on the meek side: smoked malt, light chocolate, not much else.

Fear & Trembling from the vine is very nicely put together. Initially this feels like the smoke-trail off a campfire missle: smoked malts. More smoke. And yes, bacon, too. But there are subtleties in the mix, yes, my precious. A dusting of cocoa, a little rump roast, an eyedropper of dark fruits that are doubtless the cabernet. The finish is an exquisite shot of oak barrel that layers well with the smoke.

My only faint complaint is that this is a big, heavy, tummy-filler of a porter, a zing of bubbles would have been appreciated. Still, it doesn't do much damage, I'll have no issue wrapping this one up by myself.

This is a lovely beer. What starts out as a campfire jammed down your throat warms to reveal layer after layer of complexity, & not just for its own sake. Excellent beer. Can't wait to try the blend that's awaiting my pleasure in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 02:44:59 | More by maximum12

trappistlover

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(sampled from RBWG). Pours dark brown with a tan head. Aroma had a nice smokiness that imparted similar flavors including some savory bacon. Medium bodied with a dry finish. This was a nice beer and I'm lucky to try this. Thanks to whomever brought this.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 23:08:58 | More by trappistlover

mikeyv35

New York

3.83/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Date: 05/11/2011
Type: 500ml. Bottle
Glass: Tulip
Vintage: 2010

Pours a motor oil black in color w/ a 1/2 finger creamy tan head that leaves medium amounts of sticky lacing. Aromas of bittersweet chocolate, molasses, smokiness(big, almost like a campfire), and peat. The taste was of chocolate and huge roasty peat up front, followed by a close of faint bitterness and red wine. Thin bodied, too thin for a Baltic Porter. Finishes pretty dry due to the wine barrel aging and roastiness. Well hidden ABV makes this pretty drinkable if smokiness is your thing.

Overall, for what it is this is a very well put together brew. Way to roasty/smokey for me, but I am not a huge fan of Rauchbiers, which to me this is essentially what this is. Also, would have liked this a little less smoke dominated, and had the red wine notes more pronounced. Anyway, solid brew and worth seeking out if you enjoy Rauchbiers.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 16:47:07 | More by mikeyv35

jale

Michigan

4.22/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Bearsonacid for this.

A: Pours dark brown with two quarters of tan head.

S: Smoky peaty with a hint of wine.

T: Sweet malt upfront followed by generous amounts of smoke. Slight wine and mild alcohol heat. A little hops in the finish. When you swish the beer around in your mouth you get all the cab flavors.

M: Medium body with good carbonation.

O: This is my favorite of the three. IMO this is the smokiest and hopiest of the three.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 16:05:37 | More by jale

HopHead84

California

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4/17/2011

Bottle opened by me at Oakquinox, thanks!

A: Dark brown in the snifter with a big creamy light brown head which shows nice retention and leaves lots of lacing.

A: Smoke is pronounced and dominant, redolent of apple wood bacon and beach wood with light oak notes. Roasted malt is restrained and there's a subtle yet complex dark chocolate profile beneath the smoke. There's a very faint vinous note. Smells great.

F: The flavor is noticeably less smoky than the aroma, allowing notes of cocoa, vanilla, and oak to play a bigger role. The smoke is bacon and beach wood, and it's quite delicious. Roasted malt is moderate. I don't pick up wine-like qualities from the barrel in the taste, but this is still quite good. Alcohol is well hidden.

M: Medium in body with a lower moderate level of carbonation. Mouthfeel is smooth and dry.

Overall: A complex and enjoyable smoked beer. Definitely recommended if you're a fan of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 05:44:24 | More by HopHead84

gford217

Georgia

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle.

Pours dark, dark brown with a small head that leaves only a trace of lacing and little retention.

Aroma is heavily smoked malts with hints of chocolate underneath. The wine notes definitely come through with a light dry fruitiness and spicy oak.

The taste is very smooth with the smoked malts and chocolate dominating until the finish which is dry and oaky, vinous and slightly tart really which isn't surprising given the barrel I suppose.

The mouthfeel is smooth with solid carbonation and drier than the other treatments.

This is a really nice smoked porter though the straight-up cab version is probably my least favorite.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 02:52:42 | More by gford217

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nearly black, thought the pour appeared the darkest brown. Head was a nice tan color, with nice spotty lacing.

Aroma was lightly sweet, pleasantly smoky, with touches of tart wine notes fighting for a piece of attention.

Taste is fairly predominantly smoky, with some nice sweetness, chocolate notes and maybe some bitter espresso notes, and a slightly dry, tart wine-like finish. Intriguing taste, interestingly tasty.

The feel is medium in body, a bit creamy, smooth, and nicely carbonated.

Drinkability is good. Finishing the whole pint+ will be a breeze, but smoky beers are one of those things that make for challenging sessionables for me, despite my love for them.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 03:01:15 | More by EgadBananas

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to BeerFMAndy for busting out the Fear and Trembling trio. Bottle split into tulips.

A: Pitch black, tiny wisp of beige head. A few flecks of soapy lace.

S: Mild smoke, roasted malt, black coffee, just a hint of the cabernet. Traces of barrel wood.

T: Nice rich maltiness. Dark chocolate and black coffee. The smoke is just right. Not too powerful. Slightly bitter finish. Just a hint of the tartness from the wine barrels.

M: Medium to full body. Light carbonation.

D: Overall a very nice Baltic Porter. Smoke is usually something that I can live without. Yet in this beer it fits nicely. I sort wished for more wine flavor but I won't let that affect the score.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2011 02:08:27 | More by beerwolf77

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle split and poured into a Duvel tulip. 9.3% ABV, no date.

Big thanks to Rochefort10nh for surprising me with this trio of awesome brews! Beerwolf and I gave 'em all a go at once to compare them.

A - Black in the tulip with nice clarity on the pour but almost no head generation. A thin foam of tan bubbles with a well-retained ring. Spotty lace left over.

S - Great peat-smoked malt aroma with notes of chocolate behind the campfire aroma. There's wood in the nose but no real oak stand-out or French Cabernet, that's for sure. While I enjoy the bold smoke, it overwhelms any chance for the wine nuances I really hoped to see here.

T - Tart French oak Cabernet peeks in the very finish with a bit of grape but it's almost all a one-dimensional brew, full of peat smoked chocolate malt.

M - Slightly dry, a bit tart on the finish with a medium-full-body and mild acrid bitterness. Nice feel on this one.

D - Good drinkability for a high ABV barrel-aged smoke beer! Not too strong but I really wish that the French oak Cabernet would have been more present.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 04:47:20 | More by BeerFMAndy

glid02

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Grant - thanks! Tasted side-by-side with the other two in the series.

Pours black with a one-finger brown head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of smooth roasted malts with equal amounts of smoked malts and dark chocolate. Also present are faint dark grape aromas and spicy tannins from the barrel.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Roasted and smoked malt flavors kick things off and are joined shortly thereafter by moderate amounts of dark chocolate. Midway through the sip lightly tart red grape flavors come into play. Near the end of the sip the flavor profile dries up a bit with the addition of spicy oak, carrying through to a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have any problems finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall this was my least favorite of the three, the cab influence was nice but it was too mild. Additionally, I'm not sure the base beer was one that could integrate well with the barrel type. Still, it's a very good beer that's worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 03:25:19 | More by glid02

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed January 2011.

A: Black body with a medium sized khaki cap. Nice spotty lacing.

S: Mellow. Smoked, roasted, and charred malts. Some oak and dark, vinous fruits.

T: Similar to the nose, there is quite a bit of smoky roasted malts. The barrels do a bit more here to contribute some complexity and depth of flavor. Dark fruits, oak, chocolate, coffee, and all the malts.

M: Mellow, medium bodied. Smooth throughout with light carbonation. Clean finish.

D: Quite pleasant. The best of the Fear and Trembling series.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 03:52:31 | More by callmemickey

Mora2000

Texas

4.22/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle. Drank alongside the other two Fear and Trembling beers.

The beer pours a black color with a tan head. The aroma is pretty nice. I get some oak and caramel notes, as well as some smoked malt. I don't get any real wine notes in the aroma.

The flavor is similar. I get some smoked malt, peet, oak, chocolate and roasted malt. I also get some dark fruit notes, which may be from the wine barrel aging. There is little detectable alcohol. Easy to drink.

Medium to thick mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 19:58:00 | More by Mora2000

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hugs & Kisses to FooFa for sharing this uber-rare bottle on 2/8/11!

A - Emerged from its vessel as black as the depths of hell and as viscous as an oil spill under a 1973 jalopy Pinto that's been out in the driveway up on cinderblocks for about 17 years. On top is a burnt tan cap that settled into a bubbly patch, then a flimsy film, and some spotty lace.

S - Ooofa! This smells like a pig that got caught in a barn fire. Smokey? Yup. Charred? No doubt. Bacon-y? Uh-huh. A hint of dark fruit tang also emerged from the background to offer up a bit of deviation from the burnt meat-fest.

T - Flavor is really meaty, really smokey and really charred. However, there is a pleasant chocolate character somewhere down there in the depths of Fear and Trembling. Faint oaky notes emerge in the middle, followed by moderate earthy, herbal hop notes and a slight dark fruit tang in the finish.

M - Smooth, oily and actually silky for such a diabolical beer! Carbonation is very mild. Finishes with plenty of smoke, subtle bitterness and a hint of astringency on the palate.

D - Fear and Trembling is ridiculously smokey but it is so damn tasty that it retains its drinkability beautifully. This sucker is delicious!

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 19:42:06 | More by ffejherb

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.68/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours a very dark brown to almost black with a small dark brown head that's really light and creamy. Nose is very smokey and oaky, very nice.

Taste is smokey and oaky, the cab flavors are light but there and subtle. Mouthfeel is really creamy, a bit sweet but not too syrupy. Really tasty slow drinker.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 01:03:22 | More by kingcrowing

Verecund

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Opened on 01.28.2011.

After the long walk back home, Abraham likely settled down in his tent and drank some wine - after all, it had been a long day, and Melchizedek's profferance of wine (years ago!) had suggested that consumption was acceptable. Especially now. But for days Abraham could not strip the odor of the smoke from him or Isaac. It stuck, covering all, reminding him of the test, the lie to his son, and the subsequent promise that his descendants would number more than the stars in the sky or the sand on the beach. But Abraham didn't care much for the stars in the sky or sand on the beach, which now reminded him of the moment when he unsheathed the knife; he had only wanted his son. In fact, through all the smoke, Abraham usually only saw three stars as it was.

Pours a dark-brown, like charred wood, with mahogany hues about the edges. The bubbles on first pour are large, like arachnid eyes, clinging to the side of the glass.

Meaty smoke. Fresh leather. Some bittersweet chocolate. Sweet, vinous notes. As it opens, the smoke seems to accent and push the wild grape and black currant undertone more to the fore.

The smoke is lessened here. At this stage, the light oak, cocoa, smoke, and dark fruits really coalesce into a fine beer. This version may lack the raw complexity of the bourbon version, but the story it tells is no less interesting.

Slightly thin (medium-light) in body. Alcohol is almost non-existent.

Highly drinkable. Highly enjoyable. Thanks to a generous RB/BA for this.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 02:39:45 | More by Verecund

dougofthefuture

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks a ton to a kind trader for including this bottle as an extra! I have been staring at it for a while thinking I would share at a tasting, but tonight the temptation was too much.

A. Pours a dark brown/black with maybe a bit of amber. Minimum tan head for a short period. Seems a bit oily, but not in a bad way.

S. The grape-like wine is very present, with a bit of oak character and a nice helping of smoke. Smells delicious.

T&M. Wow, what balance! This is a beer that could convince anyone to like smokey beers. It fits so well with the oak and wine components. They blend together perfectly. Mouthfeel seems a bit off, as carbonation is a little low. Especially compared to something like smoke from the oak wine, which is the closest beer I have had to compare this to.

D. Balance is the highlight here, and alcohol is completely hidden. This is the best beer I have had in a while, and sipping on this before dinner is a perfect way to kick off a weekend!

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 00:19:00 | More by dougofthefuture

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Review #400! Bottle shared by mikesgroove early on Christmas Eve in a gas station parking lot (hobo style!), thanks Mike! Served from split bottle into a Delirium Tremens snifter. Poured a deep murky brown almost black with a minimal very light tan head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, brown sugar, smoke, and subtle alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, slight brown sugar, toffee, subtle spices, oak, and a touch of vanilla. It had a medium feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this brew was quite excellent. I could honestly see myself getting in trouble with this one at this ABV. Has an excellent aroma and great well balanced flavor going on here. This is a definite must try if you are fortunate enough to do so or track down. I'm sure Mike and I looked like a bunch of hobos drinking this one, but it was totally worth it, plus we had proper glassware. Thanks again Mike for sharing this rare gem!

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 14:03:38 | More by thagr81us

womencantsail

California

3.8/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Chris for sharing this, my first Hill Farmstead tick.

A: The pour is almost black in color with a finger or so of a sturdy, soapy, khaki colored head.

S: Lots of smoke to open up the nose, sort of what I expected. Like most smoked beers, I get a distinct salty and meaty aroma, though not as "bad" as some examples. The roasted malt and chocolate aromas are still pretty decent, and there's a bit of wine -bal character, too.

T: The flavor is still quite heavy on the smoke, but the other flavors are allowed to shine through. Good roasted malts, oak, vanilla, red wine, and a slight meaty character. Fairly good for a smoked beer...

M: The body is medium with the carbonation being a bit on the low end of medium.

D: I'm not the biggest smoked beer person, but this was pretty good. I don't think I'd rush out to drink it again, but wouldn't turn it down.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 08:42:46 | More by womencantsail