 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.
Radek Kliber (3687), Toronto (Can) Krotoszyn (Pol), Ontario, Canada
Jul 2, 2009 Bottle 355 ml - 2006 -14.5%
Appearance: deep murky amber-red look, mid off tanned top. 3+.
Nose: very strong oak vanilla aroma, hint of cask , amber malt with alcohol at finish.
Flavor/Palate : Mid bodied. Strong frontal drying character of alcohol. Hint of cherry wood, pit with almond topping. Bold? yeah. over the top for most drinkers. This is example of old school AVERY , bold , rough , uncompromised dry burn of hell.
markwise (900), 15 Minutes from Kuhnhenn in, Florida, USA
Jul 2, 2009 2005 bottle. Pours caramel brown with an off-white head. Nose is caramel, raisins, some barely noticeable oakiness, some oxidation, and lots of sugary sweetness. Flavor is raisins, caramel, some mild vanilla, and no bitterness whatsoever. Likeable beer, but after so long it is not as nice as I thought it would be.
flutetokill (507), Fresno, California, USA
Jul 1, 2009 Nice caramel color with an off white head. Interesting aroma of fermented peaches. Very sweet, caramel, peach and plum flavors with a little oak and alcohol burn. More oak in the aftertaste. Medium carbonation. Not one I’d have every night, but interesting.
DougShoemaker (2830), Toronto, Canada
Jun 30, 2009 Aroma is smoke, rich candied malt. Hazy orange, pours a tiny white head, leaves a slight film on the side of the glass. Taste still has a slight smokiness, with fine malt, treacle and butterscotch. Full bodied, well blanced, tongue is "treating itself like an amusement park." Had this for about three years, Great stuff!
beerbill (1742), Laurel, New York, USA
Jun 29, 2009 Bottled May, 2006, batch 2, 12 oz. bottle. Pours a cloudy dark rust with a moderate tan head that lasted through the first quarter of the glass and left light lace. Pleasant aroma of oak, caramel, vanilla and some alcohol. The flavor is on the sweet side, which is fine for me, with oak, caramel, vanilla, oranges, and molasses all present. There is some mild heat from the alcohol towards the finish, but it does not interfere with the flavor. This one is definitely a sipper!
MereLikesBeer (69), Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
Jun 27, 2009 I shared a few sips of this with BeerBaron617. It’s another one of these beers that I had really high hopes for, but didn’t come through for me. Clearly with a high percent rating, I felt that it would be a tasty beverage - coupled with the fact that Avery makes a pretty good brew....but this wasn’t the case for me here. It was very hazy orange/amber in body with a dark yellow/tan head. It was incredibly dark in aroma - overpowering malts and vanilla. I tasted it and it was out of control sweet and malt. It was just too much for me. I had maybe an ounce of it and threw the rest of my glass away.
henrikb (1290), Aarhus, Denmark
Jun 26, 2009 Clear amber body, yellowish head; Medium sized nose with lots of dense malt sweet aroma and fresh oak aroma that is not really fitting; Huge carbonation on very sweet body, it doesnt really have any depth but is still alright; Malt sugary simple sweet finish, both oak and malt syrupy aromas. Not bad at all just reallllly boring.
ljay6880 (68), , Pennsylvania, USA
Jun 13, 2009 Wow ... this is such a strange brew!! 12 OZ bottle from 2008 (batch 4). Poured a murky copper with a thick layer of orange tinted head. The aroma is one of the most diverse I’ve ever smelled. I smell fruits, carrots, barley, alcohol, oranges, and wood. The taste is very much the same, but with a sweet caramel side to it as well. This is not a beer I could drink all the time, but strange and terrific none the less!
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