Drakes Apple Brandy Barrel Olde Ale

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

$8.49 for an itty bitty 6oz bottle from Hollingshead Deli. That place is cool. Brewed in 2005. Pours with small head of lasting small bubbles with residual bubble wisps on the surface of a cloudy red amber liquid. Aroma is interesting. Oak is mild. Body is heavy, flavor is dry, which is surprizing given the body. A hint of tart. Lot of spice: pepper, granny apple skin. Some off flavor, I think from higher alchohols. It keeps throwing me off, also making the drinkability low. It’s also present in the aroma. Possibly brewed at too high temperature (San Leadro in September is 90F), then barrel aged with hopes it would mellow, or possibly the brandy just adds this off flavor. 3 is generous. I might go as low as 2.7.

6 oz. punt poured a clear dark copper brown with a minimal amber head. Aromas of apple, carmel, oak, dark fruit and a hint of spice. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of carmel, apple, plum, raisin, oak and pepper with a smooth warming finish. Avery tasty treat! ($5 @ the brewery)

Bottle. Pours with a copper color. Very strong brandy aroma. The brandy is overpowering on this one, a hint of apple shines through as well. Additionally there is a significant oak and wood component. Is this beer? Not sure, but I think it is too much of a good thing.

Hazy darker amber, some head, decent lacing and retention. Aroma is sweet apples, vanilla, sweet malts, some alcohol. Medium bodied, sweet apple type finish. Fairly rough mouthfeel with readily detectable alcohol. An experiment if anything. More weird than good.

Nip bottle. Nice, unexpected carbonation as I wasn’t expecting much. Aroma is still pretty boozy, with allspice and clove to go along with the expected vanilla. Big, straight oak flavor doesn’t quite over shadow the green apples, which is a good thing. The bad thing, is I just don’t care for brandy too much and there’s just too much fuel on this one right now.

Bottle. Dark amber in color with a nice fluffy off white head. Sweet fruity appley aroma. Malty bretty flavor. Sour apples. Sour dry tasting. Tart. Vanilla oak notes. Sweet. Medium bodied. Nice beer. Enjoyable.

Date: March 17, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: hazy dark amber, wispy beige head
Aroma: aroma with candy sweetness and a touch of fruityness starts off light and slowly grows to pick up the brandy sweetness
Body: body is a bit thin
Flavor: caramel malt flavor, mostly dry with only a bit of the sweetness from the aroma, touch of vanilla, lots of dry oak with a hint of tartness
Overall: does not live up to the promise of the aroma

Date: March 27, 2009
Mode: . bottle
Source: tasting
Aroma: slightly sweet caramel malt aroma wih a big barnyard funk
Flavor: sweet caramel and brandy still comes through in the flavor, lots of funk adds a nice unintended character

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

Bottle shared by DYC. Muddy reddish-brown. Large amounts of pillowy head - and sediment. Pale malty, lightly bretty-seeming (probably actually something to do with the brandy barrel) cider aroma. Fairly noticeable EtOH. Very hot, woody flavor, ethanol exuding through nostrils (artifact of serving temp). Lightly sour and salty, highly attenuated, little apparent sweetness. Slowly warming, front-of-tongue bitter finish.