 HogTownHarry (3273), Toronto (Harbourfront), Ontario, Canada
Apr 29, 2008
Botttle (375ml, green, corked & caged). Huge shout out to Richard - IrishBoy answered my SOS for a milestone beer a few months ago - thank you man!. 2005 vintage. *Rating #3000* two years, eleven months and 1 day after joining up. Wow, what a ride. Poured deep burnt umber, with a small head, looks great. The aroma seems to be mostly well-aged dry oak resin, musty, leafy and not as boozy as I expected; I’m getting minerally peat, some red wine tannins, dried candied brandy-soaked fruit, weak spicy yeast and under all that vague roast malt - lot going on here. The taste - wow, like chewing a well-aged brandy-sodden cask - brandy, sweet soft oak resin, vinous and fruity, with big but softened alcohol presence - as it warms it seems more and more like a strong brandy-filled dark chocolate on Christmas day, warms the ears and soul, and has a long, sweet/complex fruity-oaky finish. Very lively mouthfeel, there really, really is about 15% ABV here, but it’s sticky, slightly herbal under the oak, with a malt backbone that seems tastier and better balanced than regular Old Stock. Overall one of the best Barrel aged brews I’ve had yet - retains the base-beer character yet is transformed and enhanced by the aging - and best of all, it’s NOT bourbon. Well. That’s 3000. Thanks, Richard (and all you crazy guys who helped me get here via sharing and trades) - I wonder what’s up next? Maybe getting garthicus to 1000 heh heh heh. Slainte, all!
henrikb (1126), Aarhus, Denmark
Oct 7, 2008 Deep dark red amber body, beautiful big big bubbled beige head that disappears quite fast; Huge amazing nose, it has all the standard malt aromas but with an extreme clarity, also a fruit vinous sharpness that accompanies the malts excellent; Huge soft carbonation (way to much) on soft a little thin body, slat and sweet, could be more complex; The salts stay in a long finish, strange pleasant alcohol burn, the fill of the beer disappears way to fast. Good beer that lacks in every part but the nose.
jjpm74 (3110), Stratford, CT 06614, Connecticut, USA
Oct 5, 2008 2005 vintage courtesy of Darkelf. Pours brown with some negligible tan bubbles. Smells of cherries, spice, oak, some vanilla. Tastes fruity and oaky with some warming alcohol on the finish.
AmEricanbrew (1009), Swamp Shreveport, Left Coast, Louisiana, USA
Sep 17, 2008 Murky brown with a fleeting tan head. Big brandy , sweet vanilla woody aroma. Medium body with mild carbonation. Big boozy flavors of caramel, wood, vanilla brandy. Nice brandy essence here, but in the end this one’s just too boozy. Probably best to save this one for a cold winters night next to the fire.
BlackForestCO (549), Fort Collins and Black Forest, Colorado, USA
Sep 14, 2008 Huge shout out to SoLan who hooked me up with a bottle of this beer, I greatly appreciate it man. Poured a thick, deep garnet-brown color with a thin beige head that quickly receded to a ring. Aroma of sweet brandy, caramel malt, brown sugar, some sweet fruit including apple, plum, and some red grape, with a bit of oak present. Sweet, smooth entry with some strong plum and caramel, brown sugar, and toffee leading into a nice apple flavor with some sweet brandy and red grape. Nice vanilla and soft oak on the finish. Low carbonation, slick and smooth on the palate with a nice drying oak character. I really liked the Bourbon version, and it would have taken a lot to enjoy this more, but it delivered. One of the few beers that actually delivers. Awesome, I thank you again Alan.
Theis (2212), Frederiksberg, Denmark
Sep 9, 2008 Bottle at Sune’s (T+M thanks Mikkel). Clear reddish - white head. Fucking fantastic, brandy, smooth as hell, brown sugar, wood, light alcoholic, chocolate, sweetness, fruity, caramel, barley, high malty. This is fantastic. I would give this 800 - but the scale stops at 50..... so !!!!
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