Haffenreffer Private Stock Malt Liquor

Private Stock Brewing Company - Haffenreffer & Co.
Brewed at Matt Brewing Company
Style: Malt Liquor
Winchester, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Lager glass, Paper Bag, Shaker

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40 oz. bottle purchased from Kentucky Liquors in Natick, MA. Urine-bayed presentation. Thin snowy head; skull fragments you could say. Smells... tastes... LME, corn, and watered saké. I used this to get as drunk as possible in the car parked outside of Casey’s Diner. I needed a few hours to kill; fuck it, I had to time.

Can. Kept inside of the can. I dig the whole deer vs. lion on the label so I’ll go ahead and give the appearance a five. Lots of imported taste in the nose. Flavor is oddly dominated my chocolate and caramel notes. No grape drank at all, no sign of alcohol. Mildly sweet finish. I did not try this on the rocks, but that might drink pretty good on a hot summer day.

Poured from a 40 oz. green bottle, Haffenreffer Private Stock has a very thick, creamy, cream-colored head, a clear, bubbly, golden appearance, and lots of fairly thick lacing left on the glass. The aroma is a sickly-sweet grain husk smell. Taste is of sweet & sour grain husks, old bread, some hop bitterness, and it’s fairly cloying and alcohilic. Mouthfeel is leaning towards medium, and Haffenreffer Private Stock finishes semi-dry, crisp, and rough. Drinkability is not particularly high with this. When I tried this from the can in 2009, when it was still owned by Pabst, it was much better. I rate this iteration 1.5 stars (ordinary). RJT

24 oz can. Nose is lightly grassy with hints of malt ,sweet corn and pale lager grains. Creamy and more full bodied than most malt liquors, and not as watery. Has a European name and a European look , but this does taste like an American malt liquor. I do not understand the high scores, 3’s and above for this beer. I think that I am being generous with this "2".

40oz from Blanchards Liquor in Revere, MA. Pours golden with a small, fizzy white head. Aroma is og corn, soap, and alcohol. This is going to be bad. Taste is of corn, soap, straw, and sawdust. Has a really boozy, medicinal taste. Yeah, that was really bad.

Commonly referred to as "P-Stock"... it truly is the malt liquor with the imported taste! Possibly my favorite malt liquor of all time. The 40-ouncer is a beautiful green bottle with a snazzy label. A truly unique member of the malt liquor family, this stuff tastes amazing and boasts an unmatched level of drinkability. There’s something special about Private Stock... It puts you in a great mood. Best enjoyed around a campfire with friends. I have turned a lot of disbeleivers on to this brew. In addition to 40’s and 24’s, this comes in SIX PACKS OF 16-OZ BOTTLES, an unusual pack size that I haven’t seen in any other beer. Unfortunately, I can’t find this fantastic beer in Chicago or Milwaukee anymore. If you know where I can find it, let me know. My 40oz. bottle says "brewed by Pabst Brewing Co." on it. I can’t find this beer anymore. Let me know if you see it anywhere.

From the gigantic can. Bright light yellow with a gigantic head to match the can. The aroma is off-putting to the max ... flat-out sweet corn. Drinks with the expected super-sweet jet fuel essence of lower cost malt liquors. But as I go, this settles into an unoffensive spirit, without offendingly obtuse corniness or such. Could be worse. (#4146, 6/25/2011)

A mild sweet aroma with an average head. An amber color with nice carbonated feel on the tongue. Surprisingly refreshing and leaves very little aftertaste.

UPDATED: FEB 5, 2011 Drunk as it was mean to be, straight out of the 40 oz glass bottle. It is a malt liquor, so one should not expect too much, although I do personally enjoy this stuff. Very sweet aroma. Has a much more refreshing feel and flavor than any other malt liquor that I have ever tried. The one problem that I have with this stuff is that the batches are inconsistent. Some bottles (like the one I am drinking this very second) are absolutely superb, and some bottles are absolutely dreadful. When I originally rated this, my rating for it was much lower. As I am sipping it now, I felt the need to rerate it since it is now of much better quality than the one I had a few weeks ago. I can not decide what the fair thing to do about this stuff is... whether I should give it its highest possible rating or if I should give it some sort of average. It is annoying that you never know whether or not your $3 is going to be worth it until after you have already paid for it. In short, it is better than Budweiser and costs much less. If all you want is some alcohol on your lips in large quantities, this is definitely the stuff to grab.

A: The pour is a clear yellow color with a fluffy white head with surprisingly good retention. S: Sweet corn and grains on the nose are the bulk of the aroma, which is fairly light. Maybe a bit of a straw note, too. T: A nice sweetness to the beer that does not really have any inherent flaws or off-flavors (somewhat of a rarity for malt liquor). Certainly heavy on the adjuncts, but not like eating corn on the cob or anything. M: The body is light with a very lively carbonation. D: Probably one of the better malt liquors and certainly deserving of the Private Stock emblazoned on the label.