Atlantic Brother Adams Honey Bragget Ale

Brewed by Atlantic Brewing Company
Style: Mead
Bar Harbor, Maine USA

Pure looking white head is mostly diminishing. Translucent, pretty, dark amber body with tired red hues at the edges. Thin arc lacing is pitiful, but at least it’s present. A seemingly dry aroma. All malt at first, sweet and caramel for the most part. Vanilla slowly finds its way from the glass. Fruits next, orange and tropical in nature. Hints of alcohol, though thankfully just hints. Herbal and honey notes are noticeable but minor and unexciting. Pleasant enough, though nothing special. Honeyed sweetness in the flavor is forceful, from the initial sip until long into the finish. A bourbon/Midori blend is one-of-a-kind and very powerful and enchanting. Alcohol remains at a distance, though when the beverage nears room temperature, whisky-like alcoholic notes and a barbaric combination of alcohol/honey sweetness starts to set in, a major detraction. Palate is almost too sweet, though it doesn’t reach cloying. Medium bodied and sticky. Finishes sweet and with some toasty graininess, as yet unnoticed, a good end. I was certainly hoping for a more memorable foray into this rarely seen style, an east coast/Belgian hybrid Bragget.

(22oz bottle) Crystal clear body with small off-white head. Aroma is moderately sweet, bread, honey, herbal, some alcohol, caramel. taste is moderately sweet, honey, some herbal, cookie, light alcohol. Medium body with some stickiness.

Bottle from porterhouse. Pretty amber orange color with no head and minimal carbonation. Aroma of malty light fruit and of course Honey. The taste was the same with some wine like notes as well. Dry light alcoholic finish.

Courtesy boboski. Gorgeous clear amber with 1cm of frothy white head. Very belgian smell to it- honey sweetness, licorice, perfume, lightly bready and zesty yeast, forseeable dryness. Detectable alcohol as it warms. Complex flavor- licorice, honey, cookie, florals, bourbon, vanilla. Finish is dry, sweet, alcoholic. Full body, weighty, balanced carbonation. Unique brew. Excellent. Underrated.

Undated bomber, though I’m quite sure it’s a no older than a 2005. Consumed on 3/10/07
Light goldenrod-copper colored braggot. Well-carbonated and with a large off-white head that provides lots of sticky lacing, no doubt with help from the honey and is retained moderately well. Clarity is high.
Honey fermenation bi-products give off moderate acid, light perfuminess and almost a waxy-vanillin-like note. But it’s well-integrated in to the barley, with caramel malts combining to produce a strong toffeeish nose. The perfuminess is a great contrast to the more sluggish toffee and really adds the dryness that this style so often lacks. Other notes of wildflowers, hibiscus, rose petals, chamomille...that sort of thing. Not that there’s any in there, but the esters/phenols really give off these notes in moderate quantities. Alcohol is deceptively well-concealed, I thought. Definitely some warmth to it, but no fusels that I smelled. Strong aroma, as well.
Vanilla and caramel are quickly braced by chewy honey in the flavor, adding more of the toffee-like notes seen from the nose. Brushstrokes of acidity sweep through the palate, charging the palate with a strong, dry/tingly sensation culminating in to a moderately phenolic, very zesty finish, dotted with light malt breadiness. Carbonation is medium, helping to break up the sweetness somewhat and prevent the beer from being syrupy. I’d definitely call it sticky at points, but that’s appropriate for the style. I really was surprised by the attenuation of this one, overall. I was expecting a cloying residual sugar bomb and it’s nothing of the sort. Light hints of apples and more spicy phenolics on the finish with dry breadiness and light alcohol warmth. Not very rich, but I don’t like rich meads/braggets.

Savannah, Ga. - Habersham Beverage Warehouse - 22 oz bomber. Surprised to see this listed as a Mead - figure Barley Wine myself. Dark copper pour with a glinty sheen - quickly dissipating white head. Sweet aroma - a bit of faint fruit picked up, some mint perhaps and a dash of honey. Very smooth flavor, some brandy notes, a bit of honey of course with some nectarines and peaches for good measure. Finished with a slight alcohol burn but does not deteriorate under the high abv. Good night cap.

[bottle] Pours an oily, thick ruby/brown color, with a fizzy white head that quickly dissolves. Amazing aroma of floral honey, spicy cinnamon and enormous malts. Very sweet flavors, plenty of flowery honey and malt. Very subtle frutiness, almost like strawberry. Perhaps a bit heavy on the malt side. Very nice, warming finish. Really nice stuff, overall.

Tasted from 22 oz bottle at River’s Bend on 2/09/2007 (weekly Friday night beer and wine tasting)... Brother Adam’s Bragget Ale is clear and has a whiskey/bourbon color. The aroma is floral honey and alcohol with a hint of sweetness to it. The floral quality carries over into the flavor which also has some light fruits (similar to what a semi-sweet white wine might have) and a hefty dose of alcohol. Light to medium-light mouthfeel. Overall this braggot is quite dry, but showcases the wildflower hone well. I think that it might benefit from a year or so more of bottle aging. "The Brother" is a surprising, but welcomed offering from the Altantic Brewing Company. It’s always nice to have a slight chance of pace every now and then and what better way than with a little mead...