 padrefan98 (602), (San Diego) Santee, California, USA
Jun 23, 2008
Sampled at Alesmith release on Friday the 13th. Thanks to who ever supplied this one. Spicy clove flavors up front with some oak in the finish. Very tasty.
GregClow (2332), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sep 1, 2008 Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, tupalev, jerc & garthicus - courtesy of HogTownHarry. Slightly hazy dark gold with a tiny white head. Aroma of caramel, orange, herbal hops, and a good dose of oak. Medium bodied. Flavour is very oaky with a pleasant sweetness, some caramel malt and dark sugar, nicely hopped finish, and a very balanced flavour for an 11%er. It’s nice to have a wood-aged beer that uses new chips rather than bourbon or wine barrels - while those obviously work nicely for some beers, they can often be very overpowering, but this beer strikes a great balance. Well done!
IslandHaole (1028), Onna-Son, Okinawa-Ken, Japan
Sep 1, 2008 Started in on this when eating a Porterhouse steak simmered with various spices and worchestershire sauce. It tasted odd to me then but as I made short work of the steak and move to cheese slices with rosemary crackers, it was like drinking a different beer. Initially, I thought it rough and a bit like a young Cabernet, brash & tannic, I wasn’t impressed. A combination of the beer warming, and my palate switching gears as I moved from the steak into cheese both melded this into a sweet, rich tripel. It is still a bit bold (American oak, I wonder how it would have been if aged in French Oak?) I enjoyed the herbal hops at the finish. Damn I miss having access to decent beer!
garthicus (550), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug 27, 2008 Shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, Tupalev,Jerc & Blankboy -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Appearance: Beautiful orange body, slightly cloudy with a small off white head. Aroma - like a yeasty chardonnay. Flavour: Complex - slight alcohol, peppery, oaky, hickory, sweet! so much going on but wonderfully balanced!
blankboy (2570), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug 15, 2008 Bottle (750ml) shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, tupalev, jerc & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a hazy yellow-gold with a small diminishing fizzy white head. Aroma: Lots of oak (but not too much, it’s just right), fruit, funky yeast and herbal hops. Sweet flavour of oak, caramel malt, fruit, funky yeast, alcohol, candi sugar and hops. Dry bitter finish. Alcohol’s fairly well hidden for an 11% beer. Medium bodied. Barrel-aging done right -- a fantastic beer!
jerc (3114), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug 15, 2008 2008-08-15. Hazy golden body with a small white head. Aroma of wood tinged pale malts, light yeast and alcohol. (7+) Flavour is alcohol soaked pale malt, quite oaky. It is not over the top with the wood, but it is quite dominant. Subtle malt background cannot successfully compete with the lasting impression of oak. (6+) Average plus palate. Nice, but the core flavour is not one I love. Average plus palate. Bottle shared by HogTownHarry
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