 ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Apr 24, 2005
Bottle at the 4/17/2005 Montreal tasting, shared with Rastacouere, Muzzlehatch, Tiggmtl, MartinT, Beerbuzzmontreal, Olivier and Simon. Sipped while cooincidentally listening to the Beatles’ "I want you". Aroma bursts forth from the bottle a full, intense and divine creation of sensory stimulants. So good, the bottle was passed around and people waited in line to get "seconds" of smelling the bottle. I described the aroma as "just pure goodness" but I will try to elaborate on that. Fully rounded, never sharp notes of soft oak woodiness, red berries, soft grapes, caramel, toffee, sweet cherries, marzipan, maple, vanilla, subtle yet strong Belgian yeast, touches of light dough/honey and a bit of drying tannins for balance. Wow. Appearance is a thick-looking vibrant auburn-copper-amber color, with lacing as the small white head quickly recedes (no doubt 5 years in the cellar, oak aging, and a high alcohol). Can the flavor live up to the aroma? It’s possible, I dare to think. And to some extent, it does. The flavor of a beer, in my mind, is a much more difficult beast to control and perfect, having to meld balance, mouthfeel and actual taste altogether perfectly. Perhaps I am just an easier judge of aroma, but it seems easier to imagine a perfect aroma than a perfect flavor. That being said, there was a little less intensity to the flavor than the aroma, some very light oxidation, a touch of dryness where it dosent belong and maybe a slight receding of firm, thick maltiness. But this is criticism the beer brings upon itself. I think near-perfect beers are easier to find faults with, being so close to perfect. It is easy to hold them to a higher level, created by their sheer magnificence. The malt is nonetheless, thick, rich, creamy and filling. Candied apples, soft notes of smoked cinnamon, vanilla, syrupy cherry liqueur of the finest variety. Bits of dry barley, light maple, playful Bordeaux wine fruitiness and light oak, never overdone, on the finish. Distinct Belgian nuances from the yeast, light raisins, dates, plums and delicate brown sugar. Perfect mouthfeel, full and not thin ever, but yet so easily drinkable for me. Alcohol gives some warmth as it goes down, but does not show anywhere near 12%. A most treasured experience, drinking this beer, and hopefully, with some luck, one I will have again. Score is very difficult to give on this as far as flavor and overall, I could easily justify a perfect score, especially taking in to account the graceful way this has aged. But I will discount the flavor a point, and see what I think next time I have it.
SETANTA (556), Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA
Aug 5, 2008 Orange color, slight head rims the glass. Aroma similiar to sherry mixed with a yeasty bread. Taste like a sherry, vineous, with the flavor dry fruits, apricots, dried apples or mangos. Its a beer I think I could taste something different each time I tried it. Somewhat dry finish. Excellent!
JoeMcPhee (3671), Jackson Heights, New York, USA
Jun 29, 2008 Kudos to eyedrinkale for bringing this gem out to share. Deep golden orange beer. The aroma is awesome, rich orange peel, apple, pineapple and rich clovey/nutmeg spiciness. Peach and tangerine with a soft tartness over the sweeter estery character and apple pie spiciness. Loads and loads of yeasty complexity wrapping around a softly sweet honeyish belgian malt base. It’s got a nice basementy bit of age that is well integrated with all of the other yeasty characters. Awesome.
puzzl (1715), New York, New York, USA
Jun 26, 2008 Man, I never in my wildest dreams expected to try this one. Unfortunately, it would seems its past its prime, though still rather nice. The aroma is deep and complex, with anise, pineapple, licorice, and a light bit of alcohol. Though the flavor is rather basic and uncomplex, it is a nice mixture of fruit, deep spices, and a touch of tartness. Very mellow and balanced all around, with a wonderful sweetness.
beastiefan2k (1085), Lawrence (formely NYC), Kansas, USA
Jun 23, 2008 Most graciously shared by EDA, jez I never thought this would come around. I was as awed as the rest. I got one of the early pours from the bottle and then a little from the end to have a nice mix in the glass. Either way the first pour was still pretty murky, could not see through it but it definitely was a glowing golden color. It poured with a small head but it stuck around. Aroma is definitely aged, lots of aged malts that have turned into slightly cardboard but very sweet honey malts. And a cool yet weird moldy/sour old white grape. Lots of damp basement in the aroma as well. Taste is similar with less of the basement aspect but still plenty sweet. The ’basement’ maybe the oak. The yeastiness also really breaks through with lots of doughiness. As far as aged beer goes this is held up very well and is very nice to try, again as far as aged beer goes. So I will rate it as a good ’old beer.’ Thanks again Mike. 750mL bottle, white wine glass.
PilsnerPeter (1376), Flushing, New York, USA
Jun 22, 2008 Bottle generously shared by Eyedrinkale: Rusty auburn pour with a fading off white head. Complex aroma. Vinous, muscat grapes, vanilla, toffee, cork and oak. Slick texture. Slightly sweet flavor with white grapes and toffee. Mild oak hints are there, but they fade into the smooth sweetness of butterscotch into the rich yet smooth finish. No alcohol presence. A great Ale of nice complexity, perhaps past it’s prime at the time I sampled it.
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