Brooklyn Blunderbuss Old Ale

snifter @ Tyler’s Apex. Sweet, Fig/date, banana, little roast/smoke, kind of a cardboard streak. Orangy brown color, good head, ok lace. Sweet malty flavor, medium body, creamy mouthfeel, bitter dry finish. Damn good beer,

Tap. Poured dark cherry wood, small head. Pleasant mouthfeel, smooth texture. Slightly sweet, earthy malt character. Very light alcohol bite for the releatively high ABV. I like it a lot.

Draft notes from DRE. Pours hazy dark brown with blackish ruby edges and small off-khaki head. Nose is dark malt, figgy and raisiny fruit, slight rauch, hops, spice, and cacao. Tastes malty, raisiny, a bit earthy, with some cacao, black currant, nuts, hops, and spicy notes. A slightly dark fruitier version of a scotch ale seems an apt comparison to this style.

It’s that time again. The Brooklyn Blunderbuss is out and I am more than ready to try Brooklyn Brewery’s newest keg-only Brewmaster’s Reserve beer.

She came to me in dark hues of burnt amber, polished mahogany, earthen browns with copper and black highlights. A thin head is all that stands in the way of me, my Blunderbuss, and all she has to offer. As her head fades into a ringlet, her nose hones in on mine and firmly grabs hold. Rich, sweet, caramelized sugars, freshly baked pumpernickel bread with nutmeg and cinnamon sprinkled on top, and some crust for crunch. Dark fruits abound as succulent prunes, plums, and raisins make a showing before being carried away by a gentle undercurrent of melted chocolate with hints of vanilla and licorice. Her nose is crisp and vibrant with just a gentle oomph of thickness and weight, promising an equally complex and rich palate which will caress instead of tackle my tastebuds. Enough of this playing around, I am more than ready to dive into my Blunderbuss, and so I do. Clean and lightly mouth-coating while a gentle presence of spices tickle the top of my tongue. Warm pumpernickel bread gives her a meaty body while her outer crust adds a brisk crunch which leads directly into a host of caramelized sugars, brown sugar included. Mingling harmoniously with the pumpernickel are moist, succulent prunes, plums, and raisins, ripe for the eating. As my palate slowly dries, a touch of citric bitterness settles into the back of my throat, though she thankfully doesn’t linger too long into her finish. Her body and palate are pleasantly in the middle, allowing me to wholly enjoy the wonderful interplay of crunchy sugars, dark breads and fruits, lemon nips, and spice.

Out of all the Brewmaster’s Reserve keg-only releases I have had from Brooklyn Brewery so far, Blunderbuss is definitely in the top three. Easy to drink with an amazing chorus of flavors which sing to me in perfect harmony, Garrett has definitely made the English proud with his Blunderbuss, not to mention my appreciative palate.

On tap. Pours deep brown red with a thick light tan head. Aroma is very rich and malty, dark fruit, raisins (raisin bread?) figs, some chocolate and just a bit of smokiness. Flavor starts smooth and rich with malts. Spices become apparent fairly quickly along with more dark fruit and again a sort of cake-like flavors. Some alcohol in the finish. Medium body and a soft carbonation. Nicely warming though a bit one dimensional. Still a pleasant brew though.

4/30/2009: Brooklyn Blunderbuss Old Ale isbrown in color with a small, light tan-colored head. I like the nice, fruity and deep chocolate-like aroma. It also has a deep fruitiness in the flavor along with soft chocolate notes, and fruity, lager-like notes. It has a good, full mouthfeel and is smooth and somewhat creamy. It is warming without being offensive. This is a really solid example of an old ale.

Two pints (draught) at Dilly Deli in Mariemont, Ohio. Rating #59 for this beer.

Draft at Tyler’s, Durham. Rich, brown/red colored brew, very dark. small light tan head. Dark malt and alcohol aroma. Robust flavors include roasted malt, brown sugar, cinnamon, plums. The aftertaste leans towards roast and smokiness. Even a little meaty. Nice stuff.

Poured on tap at Rossi’s Pizza in Orlando for the thrifty price of only $1.99 (What!). It was served very cold with amber colored body and multi hued tan head. The aroma is on the bold side with full dark fruitiness, modest earthiness and malts. The taste is much the same with loads of dark fruity esters like prunes, figs, raisins and cherries to go along with a layer of molasses. It gets faintly earthy by midway where the alcohol fusel chemical notes are noticed and distract a bit from the experience. Still, good stuff.