Bristol Lab XXX (Triple Laughing Lab)

Formerly brewed at Bristol Brewing Company
Style: Scotch Ale
Colorado Springs, Colorado USA

Pours a deep copper ruby with a nicely-lacing, thin, off-white head. Has an intense, rich caramel and peaty malt aroma. Starts with some acetic sour brown sugar and light fruitiness. Tastes more like an old ale than a scotch ale. Too much tartness makes me want to think it’s infected. Does manage to hide its alcohol well though.

Thanks to CaptainCougar for this rare treat. Poured a dark amber color with some orange hue and a cream colored head. First sniff of the beer gave a nice peaty smell this was quickly replaced by sour orange juice. It reminded me of One of the Victory V series I had a few years ago. Flavor was tart with some orange taste and a bitter finish. Based on some of the reviews I see this might have been a bad bottle.

750 mL bottle 1389 of 2000. Pours brilliant mahagony with ruby highlights and a small frothy tan head with some spotty lacing. Fruity (berries) caramel lightly roasted malt aroma warmly greets you and then maple sugary oak notes rise up as an after thought. Sour, tart berry (cherry) flavor with a roasted malt caramel body with glimmers of alcohol mingling aimlessly with the oak notes. Medium bodied and warming with a fizzy, lively carbonated feel.

Nothing spectacular, but definitely glad I tried it at the Boulder Strong Ale Festival in 2005. Not much like Laughing Lab. This one has a nice roasted flavor, also had a light whiskey-like flavor and plenty of malt. Not much on the hop end.

750 mL bottle. Gentle chestnut in color. Interwoven aromatic toasted malt and caramel elements with hints of mocha, vanilla, strawberry and a touch of hop aromatics, which gives a subtle floral and herbaceous scent. I like the aroma. Extremely vinous flavor (which was present in the aroma, but not quite worth noting) with a glorious malt fiesta of caramel, fruit and toasted malts. Also, although I have no actual evidence of this and the brewery doesn’t describe this beer to be, I say this was aged in a wine barrel. It’s just too fruity and vinous to come from pure malt extraction and yeast and there are also subtle notes of cocunut and vanilla along with the malt elements. Extremely well hidden alcohol, considering this is somewhere between 12.5% and 14.0%. Even though the aroma is a bit alcoholic the flavor profile possesses almost none of these traits. More proof that Bristol can brew.

Draught, Boulder Strong Ale fest ’05. Body is dark amber. Aroma is lightly malty (caramel), lightly hoppy (resin), with notes of sherry and alcohol. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Medium body, watery/syrupy texture, soft carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Surprisingly dull/bland.

05 Boulder Strong Ale Fest: deep copper-orange. Syrupy up front; light but tingly carbonation. Big notes of caramel, toffee, toast, candy and cookies. Has a big, lingering brown sugar element. Cooked fruit (pears, red apples, white grapes) also. Mild bitterness. Hidden alcohol. A little on the sweet side, but very good.

Boulder Strong Ale Fest. Thin head. Golden orange body. Sweet earthy malted aroma. Bubbly, then thick mouthfeel. Bitter up front, follwed by alcohol and rich malt. Finish is candied. Nice strong ale.