 krisbierjaeger (837), dolores, Colorado, USA
Dec 24, 2007
remember seeing this bizarre story in the news? a truck driver from a major candy factory crashed headlong into a nearby glue factory. the resulting inferno took up the century old oak beam structure. what a mess it was. but, after the blaze was extinguished, someone had the presence of mind to sop up some of the sticky, caramelized, phenolic ooze and bottle it. his name is samael, and while he’s under indictment for tampering with a crime scene, his beverage is now available to us, and this resinous, still dangerously flammable oak-butter bears his name. like a liquid candy cane, with caramel and strawberry, it is intensely sweet, with enough honey to fuel every indigent bumble bee from boston to berkeley. so dessert-like, i suggest enjoying samael with a double espresso-- but you’ll want to periodically monitor your heart rate just to be safe. the sheer gravity of samael will put a little extra bulge in your snifter. it drops innocently enough into a glass, showing a buttery baked pineapple bronze color-- and in spite of the roiling turbulence of alcohol--rising like a summer storm cell over texas-- it actually manages a tight little fellowship of foam. the beer has an admirably daring crudeness about it, one can imagine that it might have been based on a recipe found smudged on the wall in a sooty, pre-historic cave. it’s a formula that combines elements for a ceremonial bonfire: it weds volatility and sweetness, it’s a lumber-based lamp oil mixed with caramelized apricot syrup, grains, and for good measure, the gastric juices of a huge, obese honey badger that died of gout. full on the tongue, it etches perfectly configured and sinuous golden rivers of bitterness across the palate like micro-circuits on a memory chip. it’s a heavy fruit brandy, vulgar enough to fart some fusel alcohols in mixed company, refined enough to spin a rococo tapestry of toffee fibers, earthy enough to tell of bitter root tinctures, elevated enough to raise a rocket into space with it’s jet fuel potency. i awoke after dawn back at the scene of the accident-- having run out of bottled samaels-- i was found delirious and licking the curb where he’d long ago collected this hypnotic nectar. next time i may try simply injecting it into my arm-- that’s how much i crave that sweet oak, man.
doubleo (626), San Diego, California, USA
Jul 2, 2008 12oz bottle, Batch 3, bottles April 2007. Pours hazy amber with a thin offwhite head. The haziness clears as the beer warms up. Ok retention, no lace. Smells a bit like soy sauce. Smells of alcohol and a nice sweet vanilla wood and some malt as well. Tastes potent. Lots of alcohol flavor, some soy sauce sweetness, sweet malts and vanilla wood flavors as well. Full body, good carbonation.
dalepryor (145), St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Jul 1, 2008 Pours a hazy dark orange with tiny bubbly beige head, aroma is like sweet caramel candy, coconut, vanilla and oak wow i’m picking up big time coconut! Now if this tasted like it smelled it would be the best beer ever, unfortunately it doesn’t come close to it’s aroma and holy shit it burns the back of my throat. This isn’t a horrible beer although i find it very hard to get down and did i mention it burns?
uhclem (102), Loveland, Colorado, USA
Jun 27, 2008 Beautiful deep amber pour. Head subsides quickly and there is minimal lacing. Nose tells you they weren’t kidding about the oak chips. There’s also a yeasty, malty subtext, all of which is wrapped around a strong alcohol smell. Taste is of caramel, malt, vanilla and oak, with some raisin. Very sweet. Nice, opulent mouthfeel. Aftertaste not unlike that of a good shot bourbon. Not bad, but I doubt I’ll drink it again.
hillfiiiiire (151), Atoka, Tennessee, USA
Jun 17, 2008 Bottle. This poured syrupy thick with no head. Loads of the oak in the nose with a really solid kick of alcohol (but at 15% no wonder). This stuff was waaaay too sweet though. It was nice and thick on the palate. I just didn’t get this one. Overall, this beer has potential, but it’s just too much weird and sweet going on to make it enjoyably drinkable.
skortila (2343), Bunnik, Netherlands
Jun 17, 2008 Bottled May 2006. Aroma has cramel malty sweetness with loads of raisin, syrup, some wine and some woodiness. Clear, amber-brown coloured with a thin, off-white head. Taste is sweet, very sweet. Bit sugarry. It has caramel malt, raisin, some wine. A nice woody background. Syrupy palate with a full body. Unfortunately a bit overwhelmed with the sweetness. Actually this beer could be a 4+ when it wasn’t so sweet.
|
