 cquiroga (370), Sylmar, California, USA
Jul 3, 2006
7/2/06. Poured out of 750 mL bottle, purchased at Pizza Port in Solana Beach, CA 6/11/05. Pours a decadent burgundy-brown color, lightly opaque from the depth of color if not from any suspended particles; head is soft, surprisingly fluffy and gives a dark oatmeal color, lasting to a thin film and outlined by a dense ring. Lacing is a sticky wave of tightly-woven, pin-sized bubbles, shimmering up and down the glass, above and below the beer’s surface. Aroma is somewhat soft but *almost* sublime-- it hints at a malt richness nearly unrivalled (resembling Southampton’s Double Ice Bock in its complexity, but of a slightly different school and not as intense), like in this beer the brewer has somehow extracted primordial, concentrated depths of malt character that normally get left behind and lost in translation from raw ingredients to finished dish. Also some zesty spiced cake that befits the style, but this ode to the Belgian motherland is laced with idiosyncracies that distinguish it from even the best that exist back home. Wonderfully balanced cherry and caramel toffee flavors, unusually sour for the style, also incredibly layered with some funky roast character and a dribble of melted wine-filled chocolate truffles and berries with seeds. Very little sweetness, but it pokes out a bit in the finish, tingling the mouth with a dry leathery, smoky-earthy sourness and even a fuzzy bitterness that suggests hop presence. Only a slight suggestion of alcohol. Mouthfeel is exceptional, allowing the beer to grow and grow on you with a perfect presentation of all its nuance-- the tight carbonation and medium-full body of syrupy velvet-textured earthiness laying a cool-but-tingling (again, lightly leathery, drying) blanket over the tongue; and it all gives way to a haunting return of the decadent malt layering hinted at in the aroma (the ur-malt, if you will, which this beer works towards in more ways than one). To work through a bottle of this is to discover how to appreciate it. Incredibly long and soft finish, whispering subtleties that hardly make themselves felt until you rouse them up with a slight agitation in the mouth-- after each gulp and BETWEEN sips, when you swallow residual gulps of what you thought was plain saliva in your mouth, it makes the aftertaste dance and unfold with heretofore dormant displays of character. Maybe I’m crazy and *all* beers do that, but even if that’s the case, this one deserves some credit for actually making me recognize it. Something special going on here.
padrefan98 (659), (San Diego) Santee, California, USA
Oct 31, 2008 Bottle shared by toncatcher by way of cquiroga. Thanks for sharing this retired gem. Sour funk aroma, flavors of cotton candy, vanilla, and some sour lemon peel. Very enjoyable.
ogglethorp (804), Ohio, USA
Sep 12, 2008 Bottle shared by miketd, Cleveland tasting. Pours a brown color with a sopay tan colored head. Aroma is raisins, caramel, prune, fig. Flavor is yeasty, whole lotta dark fruit going on, prune, fig, raisins, caramel notes, candi sugar. Palate is full bodied, medium carbonation, finished sweet. This was quite good, however fell just short of being great, perhaps the hype killed some of that for me.
arjoseph (558), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Aug 22, 2008 Sampled in our hotel room, GABF 2007. I think cquiroga brought the bottle; apologies if it was someone else (everyone just threw their bottles in our bathtub full of ice, so it got confusing). Smell belies the bourbon, with some candi sugar. Flavors remind me of Thomas Hardy’s in the golden raisin and malts. Very lively carbonation. Vinous. Bitterness in the finish is somewhat acrid. This was enjoyable, but I have to say I"m a bit disappointed.
illidurit (489), Santa Cruz, California, USA
Aug 8, 2008 Thanks to cquiroga for sharing this epic beer at the RBSG 08 Grand Tasting. Pours a dark brown color with a dense tan head that leaves thick lacing. Aromas of raisins, oxidized apples, caramel. Primarily dark fruit flavor with fig and raisin. Also some candi sugar, vanilla, and caramel which make this beer rather sweet. Spicy fruity alcohol in the finish. Full bodied and warming.
IrishBoy (2211), Bakersfield, California, USA
Aug 8, 2008 Sample from an 05 bottle at RBSG shared generously by cquiroga! Nose of Raisins, caramel, candisugar, and a vanilla note; cloudy dark brown with a small beige head; flavor of figs, raisins (very dark fruity), lightly yeasty and sweet! Glad I got to taste this as it is one of the mix between AS and Vinnie of RR Despirartion (a favorite)!
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