Sonoran 100

Formerly brewed at Sonoran Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Phoenix, Arizona USA

Bottle At Cole’s Rare Beer Fest, January 2009. I think this varies from bottle to bottle - I know jerc and rudolf rated from a different bottle than my sample. Poured MURKY - thick, cloudy deep brown, smallish head - but I love non-clear beer - looked fantastic to me. Sweet, lightly smokey aroma, lushly nutty, not too boozy - really reminded me a lot of the Apis Jadwiga, definitely honey in there. The taste seemed drier, more alcohol-forward - buckwheat honey, seriously roasted malt, some balancing herbal bitterness, decidedly alcoholic, but to my palate very well balanced - quite warming. Thick, still mouthfeel, slightly alcohol-dry and astringent, with a long, sweet malty finish - sooooo good ("ham"? HAM? - you must have had a different bottle) ... only minor quibble, I’d like the herbal character to last a little longer, but I’d buy a bottle of this in a heartbeat.

2009-01-24. Hazy dark amber body, headless. (3+) Sweet aroma is a bit smoky, like honey ham or sweet smoked pecans. Flavour is quite different with a tangy malt, very mild smoky undertones, light bitterness throughout. Tangy fruit character. Bit odd to be honest but kind of interesting. (7+) Smooth average to medium bodied palate. An experience. Bottle 788 of 100, Coles Rare Beer Fest, Buffalo

Bottle @ Cole’s Rare Beer Festival. Very hazy brown, no head. Nose is male & smoke. Fruit (peach), wood & bacon. Fascinating. Flavor is honey, hot sauge, smoke, maple, alcohol. Very heavy mouthfeel & no carbonation. Long smokey maple finish.

Bottle. Interesting. I thought it would be more full flsvored @ almost 20%, but it was rather light. Nice enough, but I wouldn’t seek it out again.

Bottle #954 of 1000. Courtesy redlight, thanks Brent. Pours a very muddy caramel brown color with no head forming at all. It just looks thick and syrupy. The aroma is strong and enticing and not what you would think by just looking at it. Hints of sweet maple, chocolate syrup, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla oak all come through. The flavor follows with maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and caramel. A smokey flavor starts to come through as it warms probably from the burnt oak. Medium bodied and syrupy mouthfeel with subtle carbonation. There is a nice warming feeling from the alcohol, but you would never know it is 19.5% abv. This is a very unique beer with being so extreme and certainly enjoyable as a dessert beverage in small quantities.

Reviewed 1/13/2009 (bottle #715?/1000): Pours a cloudy brown color body, no head. Very strong brown sugar maple aroma. A lot of honey. Alcoholy. Syrupy. Sticky syrupy taste. Gritty palate, sticky. Hides the alconol but tastes like fermented brown sugar. Not good. Aftertaste like a a liquor.

Bottle #954 of 1000. Courtesy redlight. Pours downright muddy, intriguing swirls of caramel and milk chocolate brown intertwining. It looks thick and syrupy as it sits still in the glass, not a trace of a head or lacing to be found. The nose is simply mouthwatering, notes of fresh maple, chocolate fudge, brown sugar coated pecans, and oaky vanilla showing like an after dinner treat. Sweet dates lend a fruity depth, while bourbon notes let you know it means business. The flavor introduces a smoky element that is totally unexpected, perhaps stemming from scorched oak, yet somehow it seems out of place in a brew this sweet. Vanilla, caramel, and maple still shine, but things simple aren’t as well integrated as the nose. Flat and slick on the tongue, the body is syrupy, yet not overly cloying. The alcohol is there, but it doesn’t feel anything like 19.5%. I can see how this is such a polarizing brew, as extreme as it is, but I found it to be well executed and highly enjoyable as a dessert beverage. Thanks go to Brent for a truly unique experience.

Thanks to Brent at Redlight. Holy hell. This burned my nose like turpentine. Through the caramel fumes I could smell a bitter fruit smell. Very alcoholic. Very sweet. If you mixed the caramels in your grandmother’s purse with the whiskey in your grandfather’s flask...this is what you taste. Looks like lakewater...Very cool bottle.