Rock Bottom Chicago Clares Thirsty Ale

GABF 2007. One of the best beers @ the festival IMHO. Silky smooth. Traditional components all evident. Full bodied. Delicious.

On tap at the 2007 GABF: Pours a rich opaque black with a dense, light brown froth of head. Rich dark caramel and chocolate aroma has good oaky bourbon complexity and a touch of brown sugar. Body starts full and caramely sweet with a nice plum, raisin and soy complexity. Has a touch of dark grapey notes as well. Nicely balanced and very flavorful which helps to hide the alcohol. I think this was my favorite beer of the fest.

GABF 2007. We had this as the last beer of the festival, end of the Member’s session on Saturday. I have to thank whoever told cquiroga about it, and him for calling my ass to get over to the booth. This ended up in my top 10 for the fest, easy. I spent the last 10 minutes or so there, just refilling on the samples. So dope at every level. Warm raspberry smell smothered in melted toffee and bourbon fruit. Smooth from the beginning of the sip through the end of the finish. First impression of the flavor: soft raspberry in flowery fudge. As I spend more time, the raspberry seems to float over a toffee butter-rum middle, the chocolate coming and going in the middle and resuming in the finish. Sometimes, the raspberry was prominent, sometimes you got more a sense of the melted chocolate and toffee caramel. This has no rough edges at all. Definitely dope.

This was the best beer at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers. It’s raspberry succulence and amazing malt and barrel composition was something to worship. Rock Bottom Chicago rocks!

GABF 2007. Pours a dark, slick color of obsidian with subtle hues of black cherry and a thick, tight layer of meringue-like tan. Towering, complex aromas of fresh raspberries erupt from behind a more-than-adequate base of dark chocolate, molasses, and bourbon caramels. The raspberry aroma is really striking in the freshness and natural organic characters it displays, completely devoid of any syrupy, medicinal, or excessively sweet artificial notes that are common in many strong fruit beers. In this, the fruit characters are light and delicate, but distinct at the same time. The caramel notes from the bourbon, vanilla aromatics from the oak, raspberry fruits, and rich dark chocolate malts meld together seamlessly into a fabulous dessert. Full bodied, creamy carbonated mouthfeel with a rich, soft malty texture. Creamy dark chocolate fudge, raisins, and molasses coat the palate first, followed by a wave of fresh raspberry flavors. The fruit flavors linger into the finish, where they’re joined by some silky vanilla and gentle brushes of oaky dryness to clean up the decadent treat off the palate. Clean finish, with the alcohol well hidden. Definitely on the sweet side, but the flavors are superbly balanced, complex, and the oak helps alleviate some of this residual sugar. Some roasted malt and smooth dark coffee beans also crisp up the finish with a balancing dose of roast bitterness. Marvelous brewing creation and perfectly executed fruit marriage with a big, bold imperial stout.