Samuel Adams – Griffin’s Bow *

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Nov 292011
 

Mostly because after drinking (and enjoying) the first of the Small Batch Series recently, I had to find out if I liked any of the other ones better.  Just by reading the labels the Third Voyage is probably the most straight forward style-wise, so I expected interesting and unique with the others if nothing else.  Why not start with an “Oaked Blonde Barleywine Ale?”

Continuing on . . .

Brewery: Boston Beer Company (Boston, MA)

Name: Griffin’s Bow

Style: American Barleywine (though probably more accurately a Specialty Beer)

ABV: 11.50% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in an oversized wine glass.  Batch No. 1

Aroma: Light and sweet aroma with subtle notes of fruit.  Like some tropical fruit with some sugar and honey tossed in.  More subtle and less intense than I would have expected from a barleywine going in. – 7.5/12

Appearance: Deep coppery color.  One finger cream color head that is creamy and frothy, holds well, and leaves a nice trail and lacing on the glass.  Very clear with rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: Tons of sugary, toffee-like malty sweetness with some notes of vanilla coming through in the middle.  Maybe a slight bitterness (though very little).  A fairly smooth finish with maybe a slight astringent bitterness and some lingering sweetness. – 12.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium in body with a moderate too low level of carbonation. Very smooth on the palate with a bit of warmth noticed at the finish. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Really was not sure what to expect from a “Blonde Barleywine.”  The sweetness does dominate the balance.  Nothing that bad about it, but fairly uninteresting without the depth of flavor that I usually enjoy in a barleywine.  Better a bit warmer (as it should be), pretty smooth, and easy drinking with the vanilla becoming more prominent as it warms up some.  – 6/10

Overall: B- (33/50)

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Samuel Adams - Griffin's Bow

 Posted by Lucas at 10:00 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

Southern Tier Brewing Co. – Back Burner *

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Jul 012011
 

Part of the puzzle has been solved as far as getting myself to drink through some of the beer stash I have at home.  Most of it comes down simply to refrigeration.  Once a beer ends up in the fridge the chance of me pouring it into a glass goes up significantly.  Usually I am buying beer that is on shelves and not already cold, but last weekend I ended up with some that was already cold so it went straight into the refrigerator when it arrived home.  Since then I have opened a few of those (including the one for today) before even giving the stash upstairs another look.  It is probably a good thing that I do not have a second refrigerator in the house.

Leading into a long weekend (for some of us) . . .

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company (Lakewood, NY)

Name: Back Burner

Style: American Barleywine

ABV: 9.60% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled early to warm a bit before serving in a snifter.

Aroma: Rich, dark caramelly sweetness with strong notes of dried fruit (cherry, date, etc.).  Full overall and pretty nice with maybe some warmth in there as well.  – 9/12

Appearance: Very deep amber to garnet in color.  Slight crème brûlée color head that holds pretty well (not great) with very little trail left along glass.  Quite clear with rising bubbles visible. – 2/3

Flavor: Deeply sweet maltiness initially that transitions quickly to an even bitterness that is not too strong.  Dark caramelly flavor with a toasted character to it.  Pretty nicely balanced overall and finishes with some lingering sweetness and a hit of dryness.  – 16/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body (maybe toward full) with a moderate level of carbonation.  Smooth on the palate and almost creamy without a harsh finish.  Light warmth in there as well. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Quite smooth and drinkable as barelywines go as the warmth is nicely balanced with the sweetness of the beer.  I was tentative in pulling a bomber of barleywine from the fridge, but it turned out very well as I did not mind working my way through that volume over time.  It does open up as it warms some, but is better with just a it of chill on it.  The Wife says it was good, but was not in the mood for it at the time.  – 8/10

Overall: B+ (39/50)

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Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Back Burner

 

 Posted by Lucas at 10:00 am  Tagged with: , ,

Shmaltz Brewing – Jewbelation Fourteen

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Dec 042010
 

Light reading is a good way to go on a Saturday here and that provides me a chance to finally post another B Note after far too long of a break from them. I specifically headed back to Redlight on a night off just for this beer. Since I was pouring when the Jewbelations were all on draft at the book signing, I did not get a chance to really enjoy this one. Fortunately the arrival of Chanukah meant another shot at it.

On we go . . .

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company (San Francisco, CA & Saratoga Springs, NY)

Name: Jewbelation Fourteen

Style: American Barleywine (?)

ABV: 14.00%

Location: Redlight Redlight – Teege and Richard behind the bar.

Tasting Notes:

  • Dark, dark, dark . . . opaque though ruby highlights noticed around the edges.
  • Light coffee color head that holds well.
  • Rich, malty, sweet aroma with good notes of dark fruit.
  • Full malty flavor right up front with notes of coffee and chocolate and dark fruit-like sweetness. Just enough bitterness in there to balance things out some.
  • Certainly noticeable warmth, but works well within the whole . . . surprising for such high ABV.
  • An enjoyable slow sipper that makes me long for more of the Vertical!
5228740605 9f725cc504 Shmaltz Brewing Jewbelation Fourteen

Shmaltz Brewing - Jewbelation Fourteen

Cheers!

 Posted by Lucas at 7:00 pm  Tagged with: , ,
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