DuClaw Colossus

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Draft @ bel air location, and 22oz bottle. Definitely had a "liquor" aroma, as well as heavy spices. Very high alcohol content and to me it definitely tasted like it. Great for what it is, just not my style.

Pours a brownish red with small off white head little lacing. Aromas of apples, cinnamon, and booze. Taste is sweet, notes of apple, kind of like a cider. Little carbonation, warms as it goes down. Overall, this has nice flavor but too big for me. The ABV is high and fairly well hidden, but still too sweet and too much booze.

Thanks to jjfoodie for sharing this bottle. I believe this was the second release because it came in a 22 ounce bottle. The beer pours a reddish-orange color with an off-white head. The aroma is very sweet with a lot of dark fruit, light tartness, caramel and brandy notes. The flavor is similar. There is a ton of sweetness in this beer. There are also some dark cherries and brown sugar in the flavor, as well as a lot of alcohol. Even though the alcohol is extremely noticeable, I still think it is somewhat well hidden for a beer of this strength. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation. Glad I got to try this one.

Overripe banana, grain, and apple aroma. Hazy ochre, thin head. Syrupy sweet banana, apricot, and triple sec flavor with triple sec strength. Apploe skins also detected. Extremely without balance, no hops. The alcohol is strong but palatable. Actually more drinkable than DFH 120, but with far less hops. Not awful, but I’d rather have more balance.

Bottle - 22 ounce bomber. Copper pour with a short, bubbly tan head. Aroma is very sweet with dark fruit, caramel, brown sugar, sweet malt, and candy. Taste is also very sweet with big malt notes, dark fruit, caramel, brown sugar, alcohol, and soft spicy notes. Body is thick and syrupy with a strong sugary stickiness and big alcohol warmth. Carbonation is very soft and creamy in this. Ends with more big caramel, brown sugar, candy, ripe dark fruits, alcohol, sweet malt, sugary notes and soft spice.

Bottle. Pours a clear amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity sweetish spicy malty dark fruit and caramel aroma. Sweetish malty dark fruit and caramel flavor. Has a sweetish malty spicy dark fruit and caramel finish.

Bottle. Pours a hazy deep copper amber with a minimal off-white head. SWEET aroma of caramel, honey, raisins, brown sugar and alcohol. Very sweet and rich flavor of ripe dark fruit, caramel, raisins, honey sweetness and some notes of molasses.

Heavy tastes of spices such as cinnamon, this beer even with its extreme ABV is very drinkable. Warming as it goes down, colossus is a fantastic after dinner beer.

It’s never a good sign when you order a beer and they serve it in a brandy snifter. To me, this smelled and tasted more like whiskey than beer. Considering I don’t really like whiskey and thought I ordered a beer, this was a problem. Aroma and flavor are dominated by alcohol, not surprising for a 40 proof beverage. This is a beer for people that don’t like beer. If you find yourself at a DuClaw, go for one of the more traditional beers (the venom, serum, or euphoria)--those are outstanding.

2 oz pour at the Bowie location on 7/22/11. dark red pour with no head. deep fruit / sugar nose with layers of figs, dates, raisins and grapes. medium to full body with lots of sugar and dark fruits including layers of cherries. sweet finish with caramel and more dark fruit. the high abv is well balanced - no real alcohol heat. a fun sipping beer.