Drakes Apple Brandy Barrel Olde Ale

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

Bottled. An unclear brown beer with a brown head. The aroma is sweet malty combined with notes of caramel, alcohol, and wood, as well as light notes of apples. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of apples, seemingly giving it a slight acidic touch, combined with notes of alcohol and wood. A very complex flavor but very nicely in balance.

(Bottle 18 cl) Courtesy of aspidites. Very unclear, reddish amber golden with a small, creamy, off-white head. Lightly tart, apply notes. Medium body, very dry and alcoholic - almost vodka-like! Notes of apples and an earthy, fusty edge - before the dry alcohol resurfaces in the finish also. Not overly thrilling. 280507

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

Murky dull brown with no carbo. Looks like ass. Heady, appetizing aroma...well the apple brandy part is appetizing anyway. The apple brandy basically blurs out a somewhat oxidized-earthy-chewy old ale. Muddled character of way too old ale covered by a nice woody, appley, alcoholic note. The finish mixes chewy, caramelly sweetness with pleasant appley alcohol. The good elements are really good, but the lack of cohesion really hurts...it needs a malt base specifically geared to apple brandy aging in order to reach full potential. Thanks Mike!

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.

Bottle. [thank you, drmatt]
Pours a deep brown with a small flimsy beige head - settles at the rim of my glass. Impressive aroma of wood, apples, light caramel, alcohol. Low carbonation with a great oiliness. Flavour is very complex, there are sweeter fruits (apples), dried fruits (figs and plums), a heavy dose of alcohol as well. The woodiness appears nice. Very warming and round. Perhaps the alcohol is a bit over the top.

(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.

Nip sized bottle acquired in trade with tever (thanks!). Poured a deeper and cloudy brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of wppd. apples, caramel, and some brandy. Tastes of caramel, apples, wood, and some dark fruitiness. Definitely apples in there. Some alcohol in the finish, but not 10+%. This was OK, but there really wasn’t anything there that made this one stand out to me.