 Brigadier (884), Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA
May 31, 2008
750 ml bottle
Rating #800 - Sitting in the cellar for a special occasion I decided to crack this open for a milestone. It seems to be at a nice age for drinking. If you have a bottle on hand I would try to drink it within the next six months. While it is still a bit warm some of the flavors are beginning to mellow.
Aroma / Appearance - There was no head despite a fairly aggressive attempt to create one while swirling. The deep red body was mellow and created a sticky line of lacing around the top of the glass. The nose of caramel, cedar and cherry syrup reminded me of an aged barleywine. Very thick it caught in the nose and lingered.
Flavor / Palate - The thick warm mouthfeel could have been toned back a little bit but the 11% alcohol is not over the top. Molasses, caramel and resin crawled across the tongue towards the throat. The wet finish highlights the conversion to chocolaty resin. With a little more time this would not be as enjoyable; I’m glad to have opened it when I did.
Miver (382), WillowStreet, Pennsylvania, USA
Aug 20, 2008 750ml bottle shared by egajdzis. Thanks!!! Poured a cloudy deep amber in color with a quickly diminishing tan head. Aroma of toffee, chocolate, dark fruits, and a little smoke. Tastes of sweet toffee, brown sugar, chocolate with a hefty amount of alcohol warming in the finish. Thanks Eric.
theisti (1034), Leawood, Kansas, USA
Aug 12, 2008 2005 Vintage. 750 ml bottle generously shared by tjthresh. Pour is ruby, red brown - hazed, with a tan head that falls fast with not much lacing. Aroma of soft sweet fruity caramel. Vanilla woodiness in the background of the nose. Soft, delicate, very engaging nose. Taste is nice; soft caramelly, grainy with a sharp woodiness. Some residual alcohol in the finish that doesn’t detract. This was a really nice beer. Thank you for sharing this one with me Tom, very cool of you.
JCB (1001), Durham, North Carolina, USA
Aug 9, 2008 750ml from an online vendor I don’t recall. Duh, it’s been a few years. I’ve been saving this one for a very special occasion, and am pleased as punch to pop it open tonight. A deep dark red pour, with just a trace of cloudiness in there from the main ingredients, as well as a slight fizz from the carbo (still there) and some pleasant lacing. Big ass nose of multiple malts, initially with chocolate characteristics and then settling into toffee, plum, fig, and tobacco. Lovely mouthfeel, with a slight bite on the tongue that gives the brew a warming, lasting quality. Definitely akin to sipping on a beloved malt whiskey, and another Alesmith winner.
tjthresh (1279), Greenfield, Indiana, USA
Aug 7, 2008 Wow! Pours a hazy dark red with very little head. Big chewy melted English Toffee nose. Tons of toffee with some nice oxidized notes. Some chocolate syrup. There’s a little bit of bitterness at the end with some lingering alcohol. Really damn good. Full bodied and hardly any noticeable carbonation. Kind of a fudgey sweet finish, but very easy to drink. This beer is outstanding in every way.
xnoxhatex (788), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Jul 21, 2008 Bottle thanks to Drewbeerme. Dirty brown red with small beige head. Aroma of oxidized alc, red fruit, very nice. Flavor is once again oxidized alc bwith red fruit but it comes off being much more boozy. Medium body and surprisingly well carbonated and smoooth. Big alc and over oxidized but I can see where this might have been better when it first was bottled but at the same time I could see some years improving on it as well.
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