Blackstone Harvest Ale

Brewed by Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Nashville, Tennessee USA

Draft at the brewpub. A nice rich aroma of sweet fragrant hops. Very nice, sweet with a bold hop body to it. Good balance with both the malt and hops getting to show off a little bit. Nice crisp feel, on this appealing reddish orange brew. Reminded me a little bit of Nosferatu.

Draft at Brewpub. Pours a dark mahogany amber with an off white head. Caramel and citrusy nose. Medium bodied, but with that Sierra Nevada like clean texture. Malt back bone is strong, with notes of nuts, dark caramel, and rye. This is countered by a moderate west coast style bitterness, which is piney and citrusy, with even a hint of mint. Finish is semi dry and hoppy. Not bad. I wish Blackstone would keep an aggressively hopped beer on tap full time.

This pours rich and dark brown with a thin head as expected from a cask. Malty aroma with a subtle hop aroma. Well balanced, slightly sweet but not without a smooth hops finish. The cask does this brew well. Smooth and filling.

2007 Harvest ale 1.065, 40 IBU - Mt. Ranier hop varietal. The aroma was spicy and grassy with a resinous hop presence. Caramel was notable in the background with some citrusy notes. A well done aroma in terms of both hops and malt. The beer arrived clear amber brown with a low beige head which was persistent enough to lace the glass. The flavor was lightly sweet and nutty with a candylike characteristic and caramel. The hop bitterness was restrained and hop flavor was pretty low. The hop presence did not meet up with what was promised by the aroma. The finish was dry with light lasting citrus. The body was medium or just a bit above and the carbonation was moderate leaving a creamy impression on the palate. A nice beer that certainly could be more bitter. Pint at Blackstones.

This year (2009), Harvest Ale shines with addition of a Belgian wheat malt. Malty and complex with a smooth finish.

On tap at the brewery: The pour was a clear dark ruby with a very, very abundant light-tan head. I was only given a small sampler glass. The glass was filled half-way with the head up to the top. The aroma was very malty with brown sugar and caramel sweetness and a slight tart. The flavour has a sweetness and tart similar to darker fruits. The sweetness also has the caramel qualities as well. Bready notes escalate as the brew passes the tongue and finishes with a slight dry bitterness. Eight hour old growler shared with NachlamSie (same day): Basically the same rating as before with slightly more subdued qualities in taste and aroma. The head is nearly non-existent with little carbonation. That’s somewhat expected being eight hours old. It’s, overall, like a lighter Barley Wine. It has very similar qualities but not as intense. I’m not completely impressed, but it is quite enjoyable.

Dark brown-orange, beige head. Spicy hop aroma, some caramel. Taste is hoppy, grassy, spicy hops, caramel.

8 hour growler brought in by BossHossBikes, thanks man! Pours a darkish brown which is rather crystalline. Not much head is evident here. Aroma reminds me of a barleywine with sweet caramelly tobacco scents. Thin hops, bread, and dry fruit tones round things out. After a sip, I ween my opinion away from barleywine and more to brown ale, maybe a Scottish ale. The finish is bittersweet with a milky sweetness and a lingering, papery sting. Brown sugar, almonds, peanut skins, and powdered milk are hinted at. Pretty decent. I’m not sure that "American Strong Ale" is appropriate here. No real focus is given to the hops here, it’s all about the malts. Blackstone continues to make pretty decent beers in our sparse TN scene.