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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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.

Bottle PPRBSG 10. Pours a clear deep woody copper brown with a thinning head. Aroma is big bourbon barrel, syrupy sweet, maple, molasses, burnt toffee, caramel, dark brown sugar. Flavor is leather, oak, bourbon, big chocolate, nutty, vanilla, molasses, caramel creme chewy candies, burnt toffee, maple, oak, wood, and more bourbon in the end with a bit of alcohol. Pretty good.

(12oz bottle via trade with jyoungsbcp) clear brown, rich color, viscous body is apparent with a ring of off-white bubbles. Nose of caramel, maple, chocolate, syrup, wood, bourbon, and alcohol. Smells complex and delicious. Taste of maple, bourbon, sweet chocolate, wood, this has tons of flavor. Very alcoholic spicy finish. Nicely done!

2/23/13. RBWG. Thanks, Preben! Amber pour, small khaki head. Nice BA aroma, sweet caramel and wood, with some barrel. Nice flavor that parallels with a touch of oxidation.

Bottle thanks to stawn on BA, shared with others. Poured a slightly hazy deep caramel amber with a gray head that dissipated to the edges. Aroma was full of sweet grain with a bit of an earth note, some sweet caramel and a bit of bourbon. Flavor was similar with a bit of roasted malts but overall it was a bit muddled and could have used a bit more direction.

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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

Bottle generously shared at RBWG. Pours a hazy brown with a white head. Nose is port, sherry, some oak, slight oxidation, some prune, and some fruitiness. Flavor follows- aging like a nice port- nice fruitiness too. Medium in body and very complex.

bottle, huge thanks to Adam for sharing this one. pours murky brown white head nose brown sugar tar molasses, flavors of tar caramel cotton candy, booze, figs, med body good stuff.

Bottle at RBWG. Nose shows lots of oxidation, sweet malt, brown sugar. Flavor is also lightly sweet, barrel is more toned down with age, lots of brown sugar, lightly oxidized flavor. I probably like this more now than I would have enjoyed in fresh.