Bullfrog Oak Aged Wolfsblood Scotch Ale

Brewed by Bullfrog Brewery
Style: Scotch Ale
Williamsport, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Thistle

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750mL c&c thanks to MrChopin. Easily my favorite beer of the night. Had alongside De Dolle Oerbier Reserva 2007- the master batch. This has become some sort of oud bruin prodigy with absolutely stunning balance and nuance with a rich, tawny, red wine vinous palate full of lactic acidity and muted chocolate plus bright berry balance. The pour is reddish, tea amber with an acid cut head. Mild salt, caramel, toffee is obliterated by red wine barrel and sharp berry medley. Stunning palate. Unintentional oude bruin masterpiece.

Bottle shared by MrChopin. Pours clear tawny with a small, fizzy white head, short retention with light lacing. Aroma is oak, cedar, tea, earthy and woody hops, toast, fruity esters and light caramel notes. Flavor is malt forward, tart fruits, oak, light hops and bitterness with a dry finish. Medium to full body, medium warmth and carbonation.

Sweet and malty with a light acidity, light cola, lots of red fruit and sasparilla. Light buttery bourbon. Very soft with light carbonation. Nice.

Bottle. Pours tawny brown with a trace a white head which quickly dissipates. Aroma is caramel and cookie malt, oak, figs, floral hops, and grain. Flavor is balanced malt and fruit esters with faint hops; dry finish. Medium body, carbonation, and warmth.

A steady pour into my Lost Abbey Teku glass produces a one finger thick, pale amber tinged, tan colored head. The beer is a red plum / amber color that shows a mostly clear, cherry red hue when held up to the light. The beer smells a bit spicy up front, but has a buttery oak finish to it that mixes with some spicy oak character and a fresh cut woodiness. There is a dark fruitiness to the nose that contributes notes of raisins, definite prunes and even a pronounced and an almost concord grape like note. The nose is definitely a bit strong-armed by the barrel character. As the beer warms up it picks up a mustiness that mixes in with the caramelized malt notes and the ample fruitiness.

The flavor is a bit savor in a dried fruit sort of way up front, it picks up more fruit character, touches of vanillin, and maybe a hint of toasted coconut in the middle, but finishes with a lingering, buttery note that seems to be from the oak, but makes me wonder if it is something more. The fruit notes here remind me of tart, slightly concentrated plums, touches of not very sweet raisins and even some tamarind notes that help boost a touch of a savory note here. Speaking of the tartness, there seems to be a touch more tartness here than one would expect from a standard, beer. It seems that something else might have joined the party during the barrel aging process (this might also explain the buttery note that was initially so ample in the flavor). After a bit of time this really starts to taste like a tart, lightly sweet currants. There is lots of astringency in the finish here, but also a lot of woody flavors that taste like a fresh cut oak plank.

This definitely seems to have taken a turn towards the tart; fortunately this seems to work pretty well with the rest of the flavors, but given that this was aged in a fresh oak barrel (at least I am guessing that) it may just be the suggestion of the vinous similarity that makes me think so. Regardless, with its tartness, ample fruitiness and oak structure, this beer comes off as being extremely vinous in character and it has really grown on me as I work my way through this bottle.

750 mL bottle courtesy of kramer. Brewed 2007, bottled 2008. It seemed I liked this a good deal more than the people I shared with, though it did have its flaws. Pours a slightly hazy strawberry red color with a medium sized creamy light brown head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel, toffee, butter, oak and some vinegar notes. The taste is toffee, apples, vinegar, chocolate, caramel, butter and some faint tannic notes. Medium bodied.

750ml bottle. Poured a deeper amber color, almost brown, and an average sized off head. Aromas of caramel, wood, cherries, dark fruits, some earthiness, and some roast. Tastes of cherries, dark fruits, caramel, and some woodiness. Sweet with a once lighter tart finish. Some funkiness. Different and nice.

Bottle thanks to Jaxson!
Dark red with a creamy beige head. Nose and flavor both are strong cherry, lightly tart but still with a decent roasted malt backbone that imparts some sweetness. Cletus is right in noting the similarity to a Flemish, though I feel its a bit sweet for that, perhaps more of a fruit beer with a strong lactic base and a lot of caramel malt. Damn good, particularly at 1AM after 7 hours of drinking with a great group of RBers, but as is often the case with Terry’s edgy experimentation, it can seem a bit all over the place.

Pours ruby red with an off white sustained head. Smells of strawberries, caramel, oak, some chocolate. Tastes tarte and fruity with some lemons up front, followed by berries and some funky hints. Finishes lactic. Strange and unexpected, but very nicely balanced. Reminiscent of a Flemish sour.

Sample @ Woodshop 5.0. Pours a deep reddish amber with a small off white head, spotty lacing. A good amount of oak on the nose as well as semi sweet malts, and some roastiness in the back ground. Fairly sweet on the palate along with some candied cherries and toffee.