Southampton 10th Anniversary Old Ale

Formerly brewed at Southampton Publick House
Style: Old Ale
Southampton, New York USA

(06.30.06) 750 mL brown bottle as gift of Tom D.. Hazy amber with small white head. Average carbonation. Sweet malt aroma. Medium bodied “old ale” that starts dry with tangy malty/spice (coriander)/hop flavors. Finished dry with light hop bitterness. Alcohol well-hidden. Very good hoppy Belgium style ale. Thanks Tom!

750 ml. brown Belgian style bottle. Corked & caged. Cork broke when I tried to pry it out. Bottle was over filled, beer is over carbonated. Not the best start for rating a beer, let me tell you. No freshness date, but 2006 on label. $10.99 each at Rick’s Gourmet. Poured out a hazy, deep orange / light brown color, with a humongous tan colored head. Aromas are of rum soaked plums, raisins, apricots. Roasted toffee, coffee beans, tobacco, old barn round out the aromas. Burnt sugar flavors mix with roasted malts & caramel to fill in the flavor profile. Thick, rich mouthfeel. Almost a meal in a glass. Alcohol is very apparent, hot character to the beer. Needs aging for a few years to be truly drinkable. Finished bitter & roasty.

excellent nice powerful essence peppery. woody, not sweet, not bitter Could become a favorite have to wait till the bottom of the bottle.

Any first impressions?
-A big-bubbled layer of foam sits atop the regal burgundy.
-Toasted cereal and candied berries announce leveled sweetness.
-Roasted maltiness, vanilla sweetness, and berry jujubes galantly entertwine.
-Frothy, expansive carbonation overthrows the careful, suave maltiness.

What if you dig deeper?
-Earthy, roasted malt bitterness continues long after the smooth, fruity sweetness dissipates.
-A glass of milk accompanies the desserty sweetness.
-Herbal, wooden hop bitterness accompanies the healthy roastiness.
-A complex, classy old ale which renews my faith in Southampton brews.
-This is aging simply wonderfully. From a 3.6 to a 4.0 in just over a year.

Bottles.

Clearish dark copper liquid topped by a lasting off-white cover. Appealing aroma hints at all kinds of malt subtlety and is certainly more than a bit complex. Earthy, smokey and solidly malty, it nevertheless possesses a backing mellow tartness. Rather chewy, woody. Traces of oxidation have already begun, but they merge into the flavour profile gracefully to my greatest astonishment. Toffee, candied fruits and tobacco eventually show up, somehow managing to keep excessive sweetness at bay, while an honest bitterness develops and lead us into an harmonious finish. Its main default has to be the mouthfeel, not feeling particularly natural, being mostly medium, almost full in size, but perhaps more carbonated than the malt focus would suggest. Really quite good, I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much considering my recent Southampton disappointments. Good going!

Pours cloudy brown with a huge tan head that slowly fades. Aroma is of mulling spices, brown sugar, baked apples, caramel malt. Flavor is of biscuity and caramel malts, mulling spices (much less pronounced then the aroma), mild baked apples. Very nice malty mix balanced with just enough spiciness. Medium body, very slighly watery on the finish. This is what I think of when I think of a winter warmer.

Red brugundy brown ale with a thin moka head. Nice butterscotch aroma, raisins, with light alcohol and english hops. In mouth, a good caramel malt with licorice notes, sweet vinous character, and warming alcohol. Rich and smooth. Enjoyed with the Mtl Crew Sept. 9, 2006.

Poured a cloudy brown nice huge fluffy head. Aroma was of brown sugar dark fruits alcohol. Flavor was much the same with some yeast bitterness . Was a good beer not a typical old ale though.