DuClaw Colossus

Brewed by DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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1 liter swing-top, served cold. Clear topaz with some edgy froth. Nose is honey, maraschino cherry and strawberry. An aromatic red fruit feast with just a touch of alcohol. Not quite syrupy with faint carb. Tastes like a mead mixed with strawberry jam. Bits of raspberry, watermelon, candied citrus peel and caramel lead to a dry finish with faint bitter pine. Quite drinkable for the ABV.

UPDATED: JAN 9, 2011
Date: April 25, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: clear dark amber, short lived scant head
Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma, light fumes
Body: big thick body
Flavor: sweet and fruity flavor, lots of candy character, honey sweetness
Overall: jellied fruit candy

Date: May 24, 2009
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
heating tempers the sweetness and makes a more tempered and balanced beverage

Date: January 01, 2011
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
spices are coming out a lot more qith the cinnamon blending well with the fruity sweetness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **+ /4

1 liter swing top growler. Sealed with gold wax on top. Poured out a deep cherry amber color, with quite a bit of carbonation initially. Thin ring of tan foam around my snifter. Aromas are of vodka soaked berry fruit, alcohol, cough syrup. No hops in this rascal. Flavors are mixed berries, sweet melon, some spices, lots of alcohol. Very warming, highly potent stuff here. Alcohol is prevelent in flavors as well as aftertastes. Be sure to share a bottle with 10 of your closest friends !!!

A huge one liter bottle appears out of footbalm’s refrigerator, what the hell is this? It pours out a beige color with no head and a sticky sort of pour, like a strong mead. The aroma is strong but somehow soft and mellow; sweet berries, other fruits, sugars, some alcohol warning but very little. Very complex and nice. The flavor is pure excellence; sweet sugary flavors, berries, tons of fruit and complexity. A slick and easy mouthfeel. And simply no alcohol at all really. Amazing. Sometimes a beer is just perfect in its age and presentation, and this was a case of such excellence. How does this have only four ratings? WTF?

(1L bottle, thanks scraff) Medium off-white head atop clear amber body. Aroma is moderately sweet, fruity (cherry, cantaloupe, orange). Taste is very sweet, orange, some cherry, apple, and of course, alcohol. Sticky full body.

1L bottle, courtesy of scraff. Thanks, Scott! Pours a bold, clear ruby-red color; thin, off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing; not a ton of viscosity for a beer this big, suggesting lessened residual sugar. Excellent, dense aroma: candy sugar, dried red fruits, and the slightest touch of warming alcohol; very little booziness in the nose, surprisingly; generous, sweet stuff. Light carbonation. Full mouthfeel: tons of candy sugar and dried red fruits and a touch of spice; some sweetness, sure, but refined and reasonably drinkable; sweet, cordial-like character in the mouth; seemingly well-attenuated and very tasty, and certainly softer than something like Utopias; a very drinkable cordial, if sweet and intense. Lengthy finish: candy sugar, dried red fruits, and viscous sweetness. The room was deeply divided on this one.

Clear amber, creamy white head. Aroma opens to intense notes of apple pie filling that’s laced with tangerine and spicy crushed coriander and cinnamon. Dried citrus peel bitterness and loads of cinnamon apple spice round to a sweet boozy finish. Full bodied and slick with soft carbonation. This is truly a unique beer which will likely be a full-on love or hate fest. Snifter and cigar could really work here in my opinion. Two thumbs up! Special thanks to Jim for providing the bottle…

1L bottle shared by scraff. 22% ABV, jesus christ... It pours a medium copper amber colored body, brilliantly clear. Nose of alcoholic apple pie – spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and coriander are all there, and all very forward, and the presence of corn starch and corn syrup is also quite heavy, and along with the alcohol I just don’t think this is going anywhere good. Far too sweet, far too boozy, and overcarbonated on top of both of those, when big booze and big sugar demands more of a flatness to the carbonation. The apple pie is nice, but I’m too distracted by the messy alcohol and assertive carbonation. Tingles on the tongue, warms the throat, but overall I think it’s far too messy to be enjoyable.