A heavily alcoholic eisbock without the frame to carry its 14% abv. To be fair, this was sampled in some spectacular company - I’m not just talking about Sully, Bridge, Linc, TimE and co - and probably suffered in comparison. It was succeeded by stunners like Millennium, Abyss and Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout - and there aren’t many beers that can live in that company. Redoak’s eisbock was a burnished teak colour, basically still, with the merest hint of a corona. Slick, oily body. Rich burnt sugars in the aroma, with strong woody notes and figs. Huge mouth-tingling surge of alcohol without enough malt/hops to balance it. Cherries, demorara sugar and raisins, but overwhelmed by rummy alcohol. I like "big" beers but this seemed crude and unbalanced compared to the Special Reserve or their strong porters. (Bottle courtesy of Linc at Sully’s Sydney RB Xmas 07 gathering. Thanks fellas.)

Bottle at the Redoak (250ml). I had high expectations for this one given the large alcohol content and I was not disappointed. Poured a deep muddy brown with virtually no head, it was very thick and looked more like motor oil coming out of the bottle rather than beer. Aroma was intense with the alcohol content present on the nose; caramelized dates and vanilla with a touch of port, sweet caramel, sticky toffee, some tart blackberries and a touch of sultanas and licorice. Flavor was fantastic and intensely complex; richly caramelized with sticky whisky notes, some prunes, vanilla, sweet toffee, burnt dates, moderate alcohol and a lightly warming finish. Full bodied with soft carbonation, a syrupy texture, sticky mouthfeel and a everlasting finish. For me this is the best brew I have had to date from the Redoak, I prefer it over the Old Baltic porter, but at $35 for 250ml’s I don’t think I will be having another any time soon.

I didn’t realize until I went on RB that this puppy measured in at 14%. I must say that it seemed much lighter. I found this Eisbock didn’t have the cloying sweetness that I find in others and still managed to have the depth of molassess, milk chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, cherries and oranges. It finishes warming with lingering brown sugar notes. Very nice.

In between the St Nick (too flat) and the Framboise Reserve (too fizzy) was this one which was just right! It shares that same dry biscuity malt flavour with the St Nick, whilst a salty palate and strong but clean alcohol give the impression of Scotch. The malt character especially is quite mellow, and definitely not fresh or vibrant. It’s not too sweet which is a major advantage when it comes to beers like this, but Eisbocks need LOTS of malt for mine, and this doesn’t deliver it. There’s really not enough going on in terms of flavour to justify the monstrous alcohol content. That said, it was a pretty enjoyable, if not memorable, experience. Good on em for doing Australia’s first (?) Eisbock.

Cola appearance with a very thin head. Massive, yeasty dirty nose, vegemite, complex...good. Alcohol laden palate with heat and licorice. Quite smooth and carries th 14% with incredible ease. Good fun.