Thumbprint Barleywine

Thumbprint American Barleywine
New Glarus

12 oz poured into a snifter. Split with a friend.

    It's a blondie! Much lighter color than others of its kind with a good head. Fleeting malts and citrus hops in the aroma... certainly sweet and somewhat fruity. Smells like a malty pale ale to me.

    Tastes fruity, slightly bitter, slightly boozy... like an ordinary DIPA. Not the beast as it proclaims to be. Disappointingly thin with no particular highlights. Seems like a beer to age on barrels if highlighting barrels is the objective. Thoroughly ordinary and not memorable in any way.

4.5, 3.5, 3, 2, 3

Doggie Claws

Doggie Claws
12 oz. bottle from 2011 sent generously by Ron. Thanks! 11% ABV. Poured into a snifter.

    A good combination of malts and hops, Doggie Claws smells sweet and caramel like, yet floral-fruity at the same time... much like honey? Swirling lets the nuances of hops come forward and the pungent character of American hops is felt.

    Taste is only moderately sweet and bitterness is medium but lingering. Age will certainly treat this beer well as the label claims. Having been on a barleywine kick for a while now, I find myself short of adjectives but suffice it to say that it's good. Notable and somewhat distinguishing features are: a sweetness that holds its own against hops that sometimes seem to overwhelm fresh American versions; strong citrus peel; and a floral character that is probably from honey. I am no expert on braggots but I have enjoyed whatever I have had, so I am certainly digging this floral sweetness. Hints of booze are only welcome.

    The body is good but carbonation seems a tad high. Regardless, swirling and warmth will take care of it. I like this beer.

4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L'Ancienne

Tilquin Gueuze
6% ABV

    Poured from 11.2 oz cork and caged bottle into a Gueuze tumbler at The Avenue Pub, New Orleans. Peach colored with uncompacted sediment that could have been because of excessive agitation. Alabaster colored medium head with very good retention.

    Aroma is lactic but vinegary too with hay and general gueuze funk. Taste is similar but strongly lemony. Good funkiness and grainy character to support the strong tartness that dominates this beer. A slightly bitter and woody note at the end keeps things interesting. Clean, crisp and almost abrasive --- quite sour and likable.

4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Town Hall Barrel Aged Week 2012

L to R: Buffalo Bock x 2, Wee Jack x 2, Twisted Jim x 2, Tumaltuous Rare x 2, Barrel Monkey x 2, Czar Jack x 4

Day 1: Buffalo Bock (Weizenbock aged in Eagle Rare barrel)

    7.2% ABV before barrel aging. Served in a 10 oz chalice like glass at the brewpub. Dirty garnet with a wispy tan colored head... head retention and such are tough to comment upon but the beer looked appealing. Obscure fruitiness and oak/bourbon notes at the beginning that are taken over by strong over ripe banana notes with temperature.

    Slightly boozy in a very good way... the barrel character shines, especially at slightly colder temperature. Low carbonation, medium body and silky feel, with a clean finish. An example of barrel aging done right.

look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Day 2: Wee Jack (Wee Heavy aged in Jack Daniels barrel)

Wasn't a fan last year, not a fan this year either. I thought it was too fruity for a Wee Heavy. Earlier review here.

Day 3: Twisted Jim (Twisted Reality barleywine aged in Jim Beam barrel)

    10.4% ABV. Served in a 10 oz half pint glass. I have had the base beer not too long ago... I thought it was excessively bitter and hop forward to the extent that malts' only contribution was characterless sweetness and body. I have the same complaint against the barrel aged version.

    Looked slightly hazy caramel-amber colored with a small head with good retention and lacing. Aroma was caramel, vanilla, general barleywine and general barrel notes at first. Upon the first few sips, it was really hard to get past the extreme bitterness, but once the palate got accustomed, the malt and barrel character did come forward. Notes of toffee, chocolate, and richness in general, accompanied by pleasant boozy "heat". This beer begs to be thrown into the cellar for a few years!

    The citrus peel bitterness was off putting to me, considering what I was expecting... maybe I am just not a fan of American barleywine style :/ Twisted Jim is certainly not a bad beer, and is very well crafted. It's just not my type, not right now anyway. Not every barleywine can taste like King Henry right off the bat I suppose X-(

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Day 4: Tumaltuous Rare (Tumaltuous wheatwine aged in Eagle Rare barrel)

    ABV? Served in a 10 oz chalice like glass. Expectedly hazy with a small off white head that refuses to go away. Aroma is loads of bourbon and malt upfront, with some wheat making thorough. Later on it starts to smell a lot more wheat-y. I can tell right away that this is going to be very very smooth.

    Has plenty of dates, figs and dried apricot notes in aroma and especially in the taste; and an excellent bourbon character. Faint tartness, from wheat I assume. Layers upon layers of harmonious notes... every whiff and every sip is a delight.

    Not too bitter, not too sweet and definitely not too tart, this is not an intense beer by any means... just an incredibly balanced, complex, and smooth strong ale that I am very glad to have had. Love it!

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Day 5: Barrel Monkey (Tank Monkey DIPA aged in Buffalo Trace barrel)

    ABV? Served in a 10 oz glass. Hazy burnt caramel color with a small head. Aroma has loads of vanilla from the barrel, and other bourbon notes but hops manage to hold their ground. Tastes like a liquor based drink with the feel of beer... bourbon forward with caramel and a dash of bitter citrus thrown in.

    Smooth drinking, but a sipper. Very good!

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Day 6: Czar Jack (Imperial Stout aged in Jack Daniels barrel)

    The keg was not ready to be tapped when I picked my bottles up. However, I have had it last year and thought it was solid. Earlier review here.

Black Note

    Blend of Bell's Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout aged in bourbon barrels. Huge want. Thanks Frank! Shared with two other BAs.

    Very dark brown and clear with a tiny collar. An incredibly smooth and silky beer... feels like milk, seriously! Tartness, coffee, and very mellow roast with, of course, bourbon. Not the beast that Expedition is but an immense beer nonetheless. One of us had the opinion that the Double Cream Stout component brings the milkiness and smoothness and I think I agree. Very good, loved it! My only regret is not being completely sober while drinking this one :/

4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5

Torpedo

SN Torpedo Extra IPA

    12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. The code on the bottle is 125721... per freshbeeronly, this is not very fresh. I haven't had any luck before so here it goes: pours hazy amber with an awesome off white head... a beautifully thick, creamy, pillow-y head with excellent retention and lacing. Taking a point off for the haze though :/

    Aroma has the SN signature on it: West Coast hop profile leaning toward dankness, with the malts introducing some balance. Tastes clean, and flavourfully bitter. To me it's a cleaner, crispier, and drier version of SNPA. A lingering bitterness follows the finish with hints of tropical fruit. Light mouthfeel and good carbonation aid the experience tremendously. A good beer, steal at its price, and very enjoyable. I wish the ABV was 4.2 instead of 7.2... regardless, next time I buy a six pack of a straight up IPA, I will have another option besides Bell's Two Hearted, Founders Centennial, Furious and Mama... I know, lots of choice could spoil a man :-)

4.5, 4, 4, 4.5, 4.5

Surly Mild

Mild
Surly Brewing Co.
English Dark Mild Ale
4% ABV

    Garnet to brown colored with a good creamy light brown head. Very good head retention and lacing... better than what I was expecting. Aroma is dominated by dark malts and some coffee notes, with caramel/toffee only in the background.

    Taste is... very similar to Bender? Except for the hop profile which takes a back seat here. Light malt backbone with ample dose of specialty malts... a good kick of roast without the tartness that comes along with it. Finishes dry with a long roasty aftertaste.

    Good carbonation and good mouthfeel... I haven't had any other mild before but knowing Surly I don't expect it to be "true-to-style". However, the fact remains that it's a very good beer and an excellent low alcohol option. The taste rivals bigger brown ales and this beer is almost a junior stout.

    Very easy to have a few... I can't recall the last time I had five pints of the same beer in the same sitting!

look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Grand Funk Aleroad

Grand Funk Ale Road (G.F.A.R.)
The Bruery
"Gueuze"
5.8% ABV

Thanks Frank!

    Bright lemon-orange color with poor clarity and a really fizzy head that disappeared within seconds. Most Gueuze have poor head retention in my short experience, but the head on this one was exceptionally quick to leave. While it could only be a cosmetic issue, others agreed that the beer became "flat" really fast, and it did affect the mouthfeel adversely.

    Aroma is medium armpit funk and strong acid. Not reminiscent of Belgian examples in my opinion, but not bad either. Tastes funky and lemony with strong sourness that was quick to saturate my palate. Some fruity overtones here and there. Finishes clean but not as dry feeling as it could have been if the carbonation wasn't amiss.

Overall, I enjoyed it regardless of it's shortcomings.

2, 3, 4, 3, 4