Oggis Colossus Strong Ale

Brewed by Left Coast/Oggis Pizza and Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Del Mar, California USA

Draft at O’Briens in SD. Poured slightly hazy mahogany color with almost no head. Aroma is sweet, maple syrup, piney hops and a mustiness that’s just kind of weird. Flavor is sweet and syrupy, definite hoppy notes with a big alcohol burn and hints of turpentine. Thick body and flat slightly cloying mouthfeel.

What was I drinking compared to the rest of the people rating this. Draft at O’brien’s, after I finished the beer, I was thinking this could be a world classic. Appearence was like a darker version of Hop15. Kind of like a rusty color. Aroma was amazing. Smelled like purple grape juice with ripe red berries. Taste was that ripe to rotten fig that I love so much in my barley wines. Along with that I tasted grape juice, some caramel, some molasses, chocolate, and a little bit of smokiness. Palate was a little syrupy. Very little carbonation and no head. I kept smacking my licks after each sip. I had it once before about six months ago. It seemed much stronger then. I wonder if this is the same batch that has benefited from more ageing. It's much better now. The 15% alcahol was very well hidden. I still think this could be a classic.

I was warned about this one so of course I ordered it anyway. This was a huge sticky sweet beer that begs to be aged. An amber colored beer with absolutely no head. A big alcohol and oak smell. The flavor was mainly alcohol with some raisins and caramel. A slow sipper on a cold night, well it wasnt cold but still pretty good.

Pours a deep amber/brownish hue with no head whatsoever. Aromas of caramel, sugar and malt. Mouthfeel is full bodied with flavors that didn’t do it for me. For the alcohol, this is pretty smooth and drinkable, but it lacks any real depth... A little dissapointing, but I still love tom.

This brew pours with a deep amber body with no haed or lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet and malty with a caramel note, notes of dark fruit and a noticable alcohol note. The flavor is slightly sweet and malty with dark fruit notes, a touch of caramel and lots of alcohol. Full bodied, tingly on the tongue and warming.

(Draft: O'Brien's in San Diego, CA) Aptly named, this barleywine is frickin' huge and you probably have to be a fan of the style to really enjoy this beer; Flavored like Samiclaus, but sweeter up front, and very complex; The initial flavor is extraordinarily sweet, malty and alcoholic, and it borders on overload; There is a strong bitterness throughout, but the sweet and malty flavor suddenly and dramatically transforms into a very smoky and mildly sour flavor late in the finish that lasts forever; The smoky finish was completely unexpected, but what a great surprise; The sourness prevents the beer from being cloying or overly sweet, so very well done indeed; I don't think I've ever had a beer that undergoes such a dramatic transformation from start to finish; Nose is strong malt, sweet, and alcoholic like a barleywine; Sticky, full bodied palate; Cloudy and ruddy mahogany in color; Tan head fades to nothing within 30 seconds, and so lacing isn't a factor with this beer; Supposedly brewed in 2002, and has been aging (wonderfully, I might add) since then; Packs quite a punch, so have a designated driver or the number for a cab available; Others in the bar had this beer last year and felt it has vastly improved with additional aging, and trying in some months later, they're right!

12/5/03. On tap at Pizza Port Strong Ale Fest in Carlsbad, CA 12/5/03. Dark reddish-brown, little head. No lacing at all. Medium-full body in appearance and texture. Smell is great-- warming dark caramel sweet malts, slightly twiggy. Flavor is way too much. Twiggy bitter hop overload, no balance at all. Harsh, nasty finish, long but makes you want to wash out your mouth afterwards. I tend to like big, full-flavored beers, but the appeal of this one was way beyond me. It seems like a mistake, it's so off-balanced. But it seems like when the guys at The Port found out just how high the ABV on this bad boy was, they thought they'd release it anyway as a sort of novelty. Not a good idea, not a good beer.

Sampled @ Strong Ale Fest San Diego

The beer as it set in my glass a limpid clear mahogany brown with a minimal head and very patchy lace that was an off white color. Nose was fusel alcohol, quite sweet and the start cloyingly sweet, nicely malted and the top middling in its feel. Finish was benign in its acidity, the hops pertinent in their spiciness but “Alcohol” dominates this brew and at 15.1 percent ABV, that’s quite understandable, one of those beers that’s way over the top for most people, but I do enjoy them on occasion.