Drakes Apple Brandy Barrel Olde Ale

Formerly brewed at Drakes Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
San Leandro, California USA

Suprised to see after having this at least 5-6 times that I haven’t rated it. Opened my 2nd to last nippper last night and it’s in fine form still.

The aroma is clearly sweet smelling, with an obvious apple angle to it. Wood, wet paper, caramel, brandy...but very sweet smelling. Flavor is suprsingly minerally/tart-like. Caramel, toffee, a bit of wood and apples but nothing is really overpowering. Sublime might be a nice word because it’s so easy to sip and enjoy and just let the day go bye. Not the greatest from Drakes by far, but very tasty.

I was proud of this find. I don’t usually have a good nose for finding rare, retired beers, but I found this one chillin on a shelf at one of my local beer stores. Score. True to the style, the aroma was of old, overipe, sour fruit. Mostly cherries, crab apples, wood, and brown sugar. It was a murky brown color with no head. It had an interesting, tart, salty flavor of apples, wood and an alcoholic burn at the end. Well integrated flavors I’m guessing due to the age. A good nightcap.

Bottle from ratman197...thanks!! Rating 1971. Great rating...better year! Hell yeah. Pours a muddled brown color with no real head. Aroma is very interesting. Some tartness is noticeable along with some golden delicious apples and brandy notes. Flavor is slightly tart with caramel and toffee notes peaking through. Carbonation is livelier than I expected. Finish has a slight bitterness. Very interesting beer.

Bottle from Hollingshead’s. Would have again because I just didn’t taste any apple. Highly oxidized, faint caramel, very mellow barrel flavor - mostly of the brandy alcohol. Dusty, thin.

Bottle from Freakin’ Frog, Las Vegas; brewed Sept 2005, 3 years old; barrel aged for 11 months
Hazy red-brown color; generous head. Nice wood aroma, light dust, Brett and cobwebs. Medium bodied, it has a good caramel flavor, woody, with a light sourness from the barrel, quite strong bitterness, and an increasing alcohol presence; roasted nuts too in the end. As a comparison, it reminds me some BFM, but with less character. Good and interesting, but I would prefer less alcohol and more sweetness.

6 oz bottle, via odeed I think. Pours a dark amber body with a few small floaties churning about. Small fizzy beige head that ran to a thin ring. The nose is a nice mixture of fruity dark malts, brandy and wood. Some light alcohol, and as it warmed, a great baked apple note came out. Slightly sweet baked apples lead off the flavor with a nice oaky dryness. Amazingly well hidden alcohol. This is just so packed with flavor, it doesn’t fall short anywhere. Big toffee and caramel maltiness with just a little bit of an aged character. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, but not cloying or sticky at all. Perfect attenuation level. Perfect soft fizzy carbonation and just ever so slightly warming all the way down to the belly. Easily the best beer in this small series. This is the only one that I actually wished were a bigger sized bottle. The balance struck between the beer and the barrel with this one was just excellent.

(6oz bottle, courtesy of blutt59) Pours a cloudy orangish-brown body with a small off-white head. Aroma of brandy, caramel, toffee, apple, and some wood. Flavor of nuts, brandy, caramel malt, toffee, and apple.

bottle, cloudy red color with white head, nose is sour apples, flavor of apples, caramels and oak with a vinous thickness and finish