3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20750 ml bottle generously shared by ipa247. Thanks Jeff. Pours a wuddy brown with pretty much no head and just a couple of bubbles around the edge of the glass. The aroma is lots of alcohol, brandy, plum, raisin, and caramel. Lots of brandy in the aroma with quite a bit of sugar. The taste is very sugary with lots of brandy, grape, plum, and caramel. The finish is boozy with some oak and brandy and is quite warming with a bit of astringency. Full bodied. Low carbonation. A bit too sweet and boozy for me.
3.8 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle, red wax, Papier label, 05/14/2013. Pours dark brown, cloudy dark maroon, virtually no head despite a vigorous pour. Really nice aroma, brandy soaked raisins,vanilla honey and dark molasses, bready dark malts,sweet grapey boozy finish. Taste is a bit less complex: golden raisins with dark caramel, boozy brandy notes, lingering aftertaste with vanilla and oak. Light oxidation coming in. Medium body, really needs a bit more depth and weight to support the flavors and size of this beer. Otherwise, this has held up well so far and is quite tasty.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
UPDATED: MAY 5, 2013 Big thanks to Mike for opening the trifecta! The brandy barrels really shined through strongly, imparting bold dark fruits and a mellow sweetness. I enjoyed the brandy & rye treatments the most.
1.5 AROMA 3/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 3/10 PALATE 1/5 OVERALL 6/20
In short: A flat boozy brandy-based cocktail
How: Bottle 750ml. Consumed when a little over 2 years of age. Bottle from kegbear, thanks a lot Craig
The look: Cloudy burgundy body with very little head
In long: Nose is very boozy, plenty of brandy. Taste is very sweet, cooked apples in caramel, light notes of chocolate, plums, oak tannins, too much alcohol. Lack of carbonation, this beer is nearly flat, and with the extra-thick wax-top I’m almost certain the lack of carbonation was there from day one. Because of the lack of carbonation the body felt like a thin juicy slime. Something went wrong here. That sucks because this beer was made using the original Papier that I loved so much and not the awful Coton/Cuir/other that I didn’t like. I wasn’t able to finish my bottle, this was a rather expensive drain pour. Me pouring down the drain a $20 beer bottle because I don’t find it good enough and then immediately open another beer is just one of the many reasons why so many countries hate us.
3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 1/5 OVERALL 14/20
bottle at rbwg 3/5/11.
hazy amber caramel color. no head but crazy legs.
aroma is boozy right from the get go.... along with bs, barrel/oak, vanilla and maybe some chocolate akin to nuttiness.
i’d guess the flavor is the same.... but, there’s too much sugar, alcohol and sludge getting in the way to tell. not for me...
4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Huge, huge thanks to Photekut for breaking this bottle open at the Barrel Aged Sexual Chocolate release. This is one I certainly never thought that I would come across! Served in a SAVOR snifter.
The pour brings a very dark brew with some copper highlights. A hard pour brings forth a bit of foam that recedes quickly, leaving just a few bubbles along the sides. The nose is explosive with huge notes of brandy and oak, accompanied by some vanilla, sherry, dark fruits, and plenty of caramel malt. Very sweet and integrated with just a bit of booze, though certainly nowhere near 17% abv worth.
The flavor is even better. The brandy stole the show a bit in the nose, but is extremely well-integrated here. The brandy, oak, and vanilla play very well off of each other and the caramel sweetness is a welcome addition to the background. Just enough booze to pull everything together. Very full mouthfeel with just a bit of alcohol and low carbonation. An excellent sipper to be sure. This further reinforces my desire to seek out the other two variants.
Serving type: bottle
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
@RBWG-750-thanks to t0rin0 –pours a thin tan head and hazy amber color. Aroma is brandy, sweet dark fruit, medium malt. Taste is brandy, sweet dark fruit, medium malt, spice hops. Warming alcohol.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Hazy dark amber color/ tan head. Vanilla, roasted nut, wood barrel aromas. Chocolate, nutty, vanilla, boozy flavors--good.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Ruby red pour with creamy white head and lace. Aroma is sour apple/cherry and chocolate. Dried fruit, chocolate, and more sour cherry. Medium bodied but just a hint thin to me. Very nice beer.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Blind tasting at Yespr
Hazy brown color; no head. The aroma is light, a bit nutty, with caramel; and with alcohol. Good body strength, medium sweetness; compared to the oaked version, this one shows a bit more malt and less nuts, the two flavors being now quite balanced. There is also here a quite evident alcohol burning feeling, luckily less than in the other version. Strong bitterness, and nutty final as well. Unimpressive, unbalanced.
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