Grottenbier Bruin

Black, with a nice creamy head. Aroma from licorice and chocolate. Flavor brings cream, licorice and coffee. Mild finish.

Bottle pours a red brown, fairly dark, but fairly clear. The head was average leaving very little lace. The aroma was quite sweet, malty, light dark fruits, and deceptive. I say deceptive due to the flavor seeming much drier than the aroma. The flavor has a heavy malt backbone, but a quick dry finish with some hops that show through. There is a lingering sweetness, but only minor. The palate is nice and cleansing and works well with the dry side of the profile. Overall, a nice suprise.

Bottle: This is the first cave aged beer I’ve tried, and I’m curious what aspects it adds to the beer. Pours a dark reddish amber color with a huge, tan head. My bottle was apparently under so much pressure that the cork blew out of the bottle as soon as I finished untwisting the metal, almost nailing my girlfriend and spraying beer all over the table, myself, and her laptop. The laptop was unhurt and she’s still going out with me - good sign I guess. Aroma is pretty unique and complex. I can smell lemon, plums, spices, apple, cheese, leather, yeast, caramel malt, and very slight hints of alcohol. There’s tons of carbonation in the taste, but it has a surprisingly thin body for a bruin as well as being very dry. Tastes spicy, malty, with licorice, vanilla, plums, raisins, minerals, honey, mulled spices and has some sourness to it that is very nice (some citrus, some similar to a sour hefe). Finishes dry with orange, spice, woody notes, and something similar to stale malt flavors, but in a good way. Very complex and amazingly easy to drink.

Draught @ Ardbeg Room, Stockholm: Deep red coloured. Clear. Huge dense beige head. Served fantastic. Fruit, yeast, spices and malt in the aroma. Liqourice, plums, spices and malt in the flavour. Complex. Nice fruity bitterness in the end. Very drinkable.

Dark amber, great offwhite head. Aroma from licorice and some yeast.Flavor is creamy, malty, with licorice and spices from gluhwein, and some vanilla.

No shortage of yeast in the aroma or flavor. Plenty of carbonation as well. The flavor is nice, very spicy, tastes like autumn. Pretty good, but nothing too exciting.

Keg @ The Ardbeg Room, Stockholm
Quite dry for a bruin, thin body, a hint of tar. Caramel aftertaste. Aged?

Draught at Monk’s in Philly. Vinous nose with roastiness and dried fruits. Cloudy mahogany color with a frothy light tan head. Raisins, somewhat sweet, creamy body. Mild bitterness and very earthy. I think I taste some honey along with a touch of sourness to go with it. A lot going on here, and very yummy. This was very very easy-drinking. Dangerous...