Cambridge Benevolence

Brewed by Cambridge Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Cambridge, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Barley heavy aroma with woody-nutty aroma. Deep brown, almost black in color. Very sweet with sour edges and a nutty-woody finish. A bit like a wild barleywine.

Avery Sour Ale Fest. Strongest brew at the whole fest. However no alcohol apparent. Sweet, but not overly sweet. Surprisingly not that full-bodied. The barrel adds some cool character to the brew. Some woodiness and nice tart flavors. One of my favorites of the fest.

On tap at Avery Sour Fest poured a hazy dark brown with a lingering ring of tan foam. Aromas of leather, horseblanket, cocoa and light fruittiness. Palate was light bodied and crisp with a dry lightly tart finish. Flavors of leather, cocoa, fruittiness, barnyard and light spice with a smooth dry lightly tart lingering funky finish.

GABF 2009. Pours hazy brown with an average, fizzy off-white head, somewhat diminishing with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toffee), light hop (herbs, grass), heavy yeast (dough, earth) with notes of cherry, wine, and brown sugar. Medium bodied, sticky texture, average carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, moderate sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

On tap at GABF 2009. Another great and really interesting beer from Cambridge. Pours a cloudy dark reddish-amber color with a small off-white head. Aroma is dark fruits, brown sugar, spices, oak, and orange peel. Flavor is sweet malt, spices, cherries, dates, orange, honey, candi sugar, red wine, and a little alcohol. Also a little oaky tartness to it that really adds to the complexity. Palate is medium-full with soft carbonation and very well-hidden ABV. This is a well-done beer overall.

(Draught) Pours a murky dark reddish brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of raisins, dates, vinous, honey, and cherry. Flavor of raisins, dates, cherries, candi sugar, light funkiness, vinous, caramel, light honey, and some vanilla. Nice complexity in this high abv Belgian Strong.

GABF 2009: Settles in the glass in a dark haze with an off-white topping. The nose is alive with bourbon, toffee, vanilla, wood, and chocolate. Moderately acidic mouthfeel brings notes of bourbon, chocolate, toffee, and sour wood notes. By far my favorite offering from this brewery at the GABF.

GABF2009 - holy hell! - this beer is huge in more ways than one - loads of sour cherry, fruit skin tannins, and light earthy funk in the nose, with a light touch of oak and acidity - date, raisin, sour cherry and other dark, heavy fruits in the flavor - warming, but not overpowering alcohol - some earthy wildflower honey qualities through the middle - red wine and oak characteristics cut the sweetness - this is some serious stuff.