Heartwood Symposium Ale (2010 Craft Brewers Conference)

Formerly brewed at Goose Island Beer Company (Brewpubs)
Style: American Strong Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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12oz bottle thanks to TedSwimmer, the man, the myth, the legend. Pours a nice clear nut brown color with a small tan head that leaves a nice thick tan ring. Great aroma, lots of -bal and bourbon, along with great sweet caramel and toffee notes. A little fruitiness to it even. The flavor is really great, reminiscent of BA Coton. Really toffeeish with sugarplum and date notes. Sweet caramel, vanilla, oak, toasted coconut, and bourbon. Really rich and tasty. Medium-full bodied, silky smooth, with low carbonation and even slight booze. Really killer stuff. Wow, I’m impressed.

Bottle shared by jcwattsrugger at Pilsner Pete’s awhile back. Pours black. Nose and taste of lightly smoked wood, mesquite, dried fruits, bourbon, toffee and smoked malts.

12 oz bottle from the fine owners of FiftyFifty! Thanks! Pours a glowing murky dark brown, some reddish brown tinges, a small ring of tan head dies, laces small. Glowing ruby red. Aromas are rich toffee and vanilla tannins, a big mellow flavorful bourbon barrel. Wet oak, sweet caramel and toffee malts, a touch of floral hopping, toffee, touch of darker dried fruits. Initial is heavier side of medium bodied, sweet malty body with toffee, caramel, bready and biscuity malts. Bitter dry floral hops, light dried cherry fruits, raisin, bourbon barrel, wet oak, touch of warming spirit alcohol. Warming, biscuits and toffee, good warming alcohol, dried fruit, wet oak, vanilla. Quite flavorful, a little warm, nice rich malts, warming spirit, oak, dried fruit. Light bitterness, lingering sweetness and heat. An honor to try. A solid BA barleywine, all the base beers get swallowed up a bit, but the Wee Heavy shows some stone fruit notes and peeking through are some of the hops from the DIPA and Barleywine. Nice

UPDATED: AUG 17, 2011 Heartwood symposium. 12oz bottle as supplied by Adam. Thanks man... Pours a darker reddish amber brown, lighter edges, with a quickly dissipating light beige head... Rich assertive bourbon nose that pairs well with toffee/caramel malts and dark fruit. Predominantly sweet with some fruitcake aspects... Aromas follow suit pretty accurately with toffee, caramel, dark fruits, with a mild degree of bourbon woodiness. Decent body and carbonation with a lasting booziness in the finish. Nice barleywine style albeit a little heated but has held up. 8/4/7/4/15

A: The pour is a dark amber color, sort of brownish in certain light, with a finger’s worth of off-white head. S: Quite a bit of sweet vanilla and caramel and toffee malt up front with some bready malt base. There is a definite oak presence, as well as bourbon, with some hints of dark fruit. T: A fairly well balanced flavor of bourbon, vanilla, oak, and sweet toffee and caramel malt. A soft bready flavor with some dark fruits and brown sugar. M: The body is medium with a somewhat low, but quite smooth, carbonation. D: This is a very nice blend. The bourbon is definitely present, but not overdone. And pretty easy to drink despite a rather high ABV.

Very dark brown with a small tan head. Strong, perfumed bourbon/coconut aroma with toffee malt notes. Cloying sweet malt and bourbon flavour with hot alcohol. Some tannin in the aftertaste

(Bottle, courtesy of thirdeye11) Pours a dark brown body with a small tan head. Aroma of bourbon, wood, chocolate, light anise, and caramel. Flavor of caramel, coconut, bourbon, molasses, wood, and vanilla.

bottle thanks to thirdeye11. poured dark brown/ruby with an off white head. aroma was chocolate covered cherries. flavor was chocolate covered cherries, caramel, toffee, and alcohol, and raisin. slightly sticky body with low carbonation.

A-pours a very dark brown color, transparent, tan head. S-bready malt up front, slightly earthy, dry oak with a touch of vanilla, quite woody, sweet malt in the back, tart cherries with a hint of booze. T-very sweet flavors, lots of sugars, earthy, nice notes of bourbon, strong flavor of oak and a light vanilla, cherries and plums in the back with a touch of booze. M-creamy and soft, strong carbonation to balance a chewy body, very crisp finish for such a creamy beer. D-very tasty with a nice balance of flavors ranging from the bready malt to the sweet dark fruits and a nice presence of the barrel.

Bottle at Peter’s RBSG 2010. The aroma is fruit, bourbon, very nice. Brown in color, tan head. The flavor is oak, fruity, brown sugar. The finish is oak, and bourbon mainly. Excellent. Interesting, and hard to describe.