 cquiroga (370), Sylmar, California, USA
| 4.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 19/20 |
Oct 20, 2007
10/25/06. Poured out of 22 oz. bottle, obtained in a trade with BBB63 on RateBeer 9/14/06. Hand-bottled. Pours an almost still, dark burgundy brown color. Rough-and-tumble, coarsely-formed beige-tan head that diminishes very quickly. Aroma is subtly inviting with a densely layered malt-centered array-- brown sugar, dates, bourbon-vanilla, dark caramel, and an outline of cherries. It’s easily a 9-caliber aroma in character, but too damn subtle to rock my face off like a beer of this magnitude "should." I want more. Thankfully, that’s only the beginning. With a slick, oily, extremely full body, the flavor kicks in firmly, forcefully, and fervently, but with expert refinement all the while. A smooth wave of deep bourbony vanilla with dark bread and chocolate-clove, the flavor and palate are amazing-- so complex and magically shifting with perfect "cigar beer" character. Fantastic malt extraction through and through, the likes of which I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered in a beer before. I’d love to learn how they brewed this, because it doesn’t feel nearly as hammy with adjunct "cheats" like the maple syrup in a World Wide Stout, but my skeptical mind is telling me this can’t all be pure brewing wizardry. One thing’s for sure-- whatever they did, reinheitsgebot this is not. Really sweeeeeeeeeeet, literally and figuratively. In the world of extremely-high gravity, experimental beers, this puts even Barley John’s Rosie’s Ale to (relative) shame. A masterful, fabulous creation.
9/22/07. Growler. Thanks to JohnC via BBB63. Cherry aroma with a deep, nutty bourbon flavor and rich, dark brown sugar. Extremely long, extremely delicious finish. Awesomely drinkable for its heft. A wonderful monster of a beer. 4.4-4.6.
fordest (1954), Santee/San Diego, California, USA
| 4.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 4/5 | 10/10 | 4/5 | 19/20 |
Sep 9, 2008 1/2 growler shared by weeheavysd. What a guy to bring that to our tasting. and what a beer. Lots of liquor flavors in there. Bananas, other fruits... dark ones. Flavors were more wood and bourbon. Spice and vanilla. So much good stuff. I didn’t want it to end.
bdigital (586), Ft Wayne, Indiana, USA
| 5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 20/20 |
Aug 17, 2008 Draft: First off I have to give a big thanks to Steve for allowing myself and my buddies to get a pour of this before he actually put it on for their anniversary celebration...amazing generosity from one of my new, favorite brewers. This being the first brew I’ve ever had from The Livery I was geeked to say the least...pour was dark mahogany in color with a small cream head. The oak/bourbon comes on immediately and just murders the nose...dark wheat malts are very apparent as well as some vanilla, dark fruits and a bit of an earthiness tone. This stuff is almost too complex to even describe, thick and luscious mouth feel leads to an attack on the palate. Massive bourbon-y oak flavors with the dark wheat notes again, very apparent...vanilla infused dark fruits and a bit of spice is there as well. Hands down the most amazing brew I’ve ever had. Cheers Steve and thank you so much!
ogglethorp (887), Ohio, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Aug 12, 2008 Tap at MBGSF 08. Pours dark brown almost black with some ruby highlights, tan colored head. Aroma is bourbon, vanilla, oak, caramel. Flavor is molasses, oak, bourbon, vanilla, alcohol, caramel, and some weizen like spices. Palate is full bodied, mild carbonation, finished silky smooth with some alcohol warmth! Great!
punkrkr27 (616), Berkley, Michigan, USA
| 4.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Jul 31, 2008 Tap at the ’08 MBG Summerfest. Deep mahogany pour. Big bourbon, vanilla, and banana-clove character with a touch of nutmeg and spice in the finish. Creamy, oily, full body.
hapjydeuce (771), Del Mar, California, USA
| 4.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 3/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Jul 29, 2008 2007 Vintage, shared graciously by wetherel at the Pizza Port Bottle Shop. A huge thanks to WeeHeavySD as well, for getting wetherel a handbottle of this. This beer really shines through with the bourbon oak aging. It was lacking any carbonation, I assume due to the handbottle, but a beer of this magnitude doesn’t need any. Deep brown color with amber edges. Awesome nose of vanilla, bourbon loads of oak. The wood is all over the flavor, with notes of licorice, raisin and an earthy wheat nuance underneath. Silky palate with a warm bourbon alcohol finish. Really, really tasty. Thanks to both Johns for hooking this up.
dalekliz (546), San Diego, California, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Jul 16, 2008 Growler, thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing! Pours a dark amber-brown with a very small head. Sweet malt aroma, with a lot of bourbon, some dark fruits and molasses. Huge rich sweet bourbon-malt taste, with molasses and dates. A sharp hint of alcohol. Big mouthfeel, lingering sweet bourbon-malt flavors. Different and really amazing.
padrefan98 (788), (San Diego) Santee, California, USA
| 4.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Jul 13, 2008 Growler shared by WeeHeavySD. Awesome John! Aroma was outstanding. Uber sweet caramelized brown sugar, oak, burnt wood, vanilla. Fantastic brew.
toncatcher (228), Santee - SAN DIEGO, California, USA
| 4.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Jul 13, 2008 Growler shared by WeeHeavySD, Thanks John. Pours dark brown with a minimal tan head. Aroma of sweet malt and a childhood candy I cant put my finger on. Flavors of bourbon, wood, malt and damn was this delicious.
|
Rate This
Statistics
Find This Beer (Want/Have)