Caldera Kettle Series Vas Deferens Ale

Brewed by Caldera Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Ashland, Oregon USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle… Clear, deep, dark crimson ale with a mid-sized, creamy, off-white head. The aromatics are phenolic – smoky, spicy – and ring of dried dark fruits, chocolate malt and banana. Full-bodied and creamy with tingly carbonation. The flavor is chocolaty, grainy and fairly bitter – cocoa nibs, dates and a hint of banana. Chocolaty, minerally, bittersweet finish.

Bottle. Light head on dark reddish beer. Aroma is huge chocolate with some orange around the edges. I don’t see chocolate on the list of ingredients but the aroma says a ton was added. Flavour is big bubbly chocolate and aluminum with a light body and a mess of orange and chocolate finish. Three sips is enough. As alcohol fumes come out my nose I think this is a joke or maybe there is a doctor pushing it as medecine.

Brown, thick but loose beige head. Smells like one of them there chocolate covered orange things. Taste is a nice mix of orange, chocolate, plus some coffee. Very heavy and rich. I liked it...

Another rare bottle find from Beer Heaven in Philly. Deep mahogany pour with orange highlights just under the thin, off white head. Malt is quite prominent both in the aroma and flavor. Hints of bittersweet chocolate and a restrained hop profile. Couldn’t pick out the blood orange. Oddly chalky texture and a sweet finish. Not a bad beer but certainly the most outrageous beer name I’ve come across in a while. Thanks to the Aleheads for the heads up on this one.

Ageing this several months helped mellow the yeasty part, leading way to the blood orange taste. Cross-style. Earthy. Decent drinkability.

Deep mahogany pour with foamy tan head and lace. Brown sugar and orange hints. Brown sugar, sweet malt, and a zesty bitter. A sweet start that seems to fade out but never really leaves. A hinto warmth. A true sipper for sure. Nice body but foamy.

Bottle. 22 oz. Split with Tom before Jeff Mangum. Pours deep brown with a thin fuzzy amber head. Aroma of chocolate, cherries, bitter orange zest, milky malts, and some sweet, sweet candied sugar. Medium bodied with an orangey, honey palate. Flavors are dark chocolate, ornage, and Belgian suagrs. Good, but I expected better for a bottle with a Devil holding dick tubes. DICK TUBES.

Name: Vas Defferens
Date: October 03, 2011
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brusin Ales, Asheville NC
Appearance: clear dark brown with ruby edges, fine beige head
Aroma: sweet chocolate and orange aroma
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, touch of sweet fruity esters, balancing orange, light phenolic spicyness, light bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Bottle:   Deep burnt caramel, ruby hues, moderate to large foamy light biege head, spotty lacing.   Odd nose of burnt malts, slight ashtray, nearly burnt brown sugar, peat, and campfire.   Similar tongue, charred wood, burnt malts, sugar thats just about burnt, with some breadiness and light dark pitted fruit.   This seems like a bastardized Dubbel crossed with a Scottish.   This one isn’t sitting with me all that well.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Does feel fairly smooth.   Doesn’t seem like a Belgian Strong to me, simply a Dubbel crossed with a Scottish, then magnified on the burnt/charred stuff.   Meh...

Bomber. Deep, dark red with lace. Aroma of tons of chocolate, citrus, orange, spice. Sweet and soft, with big chocolate, spice. A slight tang but no overt orange. Thick and heavy. Too sweet.

Tasted in mid-2011 from a 22oz bomber bottle sent to me by a friend, thanks Chris. Pours hazy amber with a thin tan head that slowly recedes to spotty, uneven lace. The beer smell like steeping grain on a brew day, with tons of chocolate malt, freshly baked bread, sweat brown sugar, and light hints of earthy Belgian yeast and bitterness. The flavor is dominated by chocolate and bread malt along with the same earthy yeast and light bitterness. The body is full with average carbonation and a long, super malty with a hint of bitter orange peel finish.