Eel River Triple Exultation

Brewed by Eel River Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
Fortuna, California USA

22oz. Bottle: Sweet aroma of dark fruits, oatmeal, raisins, alcohol, caramel, and grapes. Poured a dark amber/chestnut brown in color with a large, dense, creamy, tan head that lasted throughout. Lightly hazy. Sparkling. Very good lacing. Flavor is medium sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of alcohol, grapes, oats, caramel, prune, and merlot. Medium body. Average texture. Soft to average carbonation. Fruity alcohol finish.

Reddish-amber with tan head. Brown sugar aromas. Some hops tame the sweetness. Slightly metallic. Hint of maple too. Soft, gentle carbonation. Bready. Balanced, mild flavors with banana, walnuts, and plums detected.

Clear bronze, nice dark tan head. Rummy, toasty, vanilla aromas, with notes of milk chocolate, too. Really nice smell. Some dense molassess flavors, and a hint of chocolate, then a harsh, woodsy hop finish. A lot of the smooth malt characteristic present in the aroma are absent in the flavor. But still a pretty tasty brew.

Somewhat darker color than expected, but lovely head (just the right amount) and a rather lovely projection of its aroma. Great balanced flavor, with a titch of hops but a rounded maltiness, spice, very moderate alcohol, a bit of fruit. Went extremely well with a bowl of moderately-spiced chili. Very well done beer.

Hazy mahogany beer, with a moderate ring of frothy lace - aroma of caramel, molasses, alcohol, roasted nuts, some diacetyl coming through - fairly soft carbonation - the flavor is quite indistinct up front - pretty much just malt sweetness, slightly astringent hops, and apparent alcohol - more sips reveal notes of dried fruits, nuts, toffee, some herbal character - some grassy hops and alcohol in the finish, as sticky malts remain on the palate - a bit yeasty and bready - I’m not getting the diacetyl that I sensed in the aroma - inelegant and brutish, but it "gets the job done."

The aroma is perfectly malty with caramel, toffee, and a touch of alcohol all balanced with piny hops. The appearance is red brown with a nice foamy head. The flavor is like the aroma but not as sweet as expected. The palate is smooth. Overall very nice.

Appearance: Pours a hazy brown body with a wispy, cream-colored head. Smell: Sweetish aroma of caramel malt with a touch of cocoa and strong notes of dark fruit. Hint of spice. Taste: Mild caramel malt presence with a reserved sweetness. Juicy date fruitiness and more of that light chocolate quality from the aroma. A citric hoppy flavor grows throughout and leads to a profoundly bitter finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Warming and has a slight stickiness to it. Drinkability: With it’s sharp, punchy bitterness, this one’s definitely an Americanized old ale.

GABF 2006. Bottle. The beer pours to a dark brown body with a creamy beige head. The aroma is chocolatey, sweet powdered sugar, typicaal scottish aromas. Very well done, however. I wouldn’t really call it an old ale. The flavor is rich and chocolatey with some sugary molasses for sweetness. Nicely balanced, extremely malty.