Town Hall Blue Label Barrel Aged Blend

Tap on 10/28/2005 (rating from notes). Muddy light brown color with an off-white to yellow head. Smooth caramel, light apple, hop and clove flavors. A light barley wine like flavor.

The release on Friday, October 28th, of their 8th Anniversary celebration, it was an amber, clear beer with a moderate head. The aroma was subtle, and in most respect this was a very simple beer. I understood that it was aged in whisky barrels that were previously used for aging their imperial stout. That might have been interesting, but the beer they put in was a single malt beer to begin with--their Single Malt Ale. The caramel malts didn’t produce the layers of flavor that could have been there, and it was a little too attenuated: some alcohol, a little nuttiness, etc. The aging comes out best in the aroma, with the alcohol driving it aromatically. Moderate palate. Overall, kudos for trying, but I don’t think this is worth repeating. I wonder if similar attempts to age with re-used casks have shown less and less barrel influence with each iteration. (tap at brewpub)

Town Hall 8th Anniversary, Friday release: Dark copper color with a bountiful dishsoap head. Strong barley aroma with a bit of oak rounding it out. The flavor is definitely malt based, but there is a large pile of dry and earthy hops that runs over the beer. Finish is woody. Not what I expected at all, but a fine beer.

Enjoyed at the Town Hall 6th Anniversary Party, 10-18-2003 An incredible concoction...color, a cloudy bronze, with a tight white ring of foam...aroma is smooth, airy, with light, mellow fruit notes, no strong herald appears of what lies in wait...once we let it drip down the lips, this Big, Bad-Boy asserts itself fully, as full-on hops charge the mouth...lip-smacking, delicious texture...this ale is thoroughly playful, turns the senses into it's own romper room...it takes us over, and we surrender easily, and can only grasp at hints and whispers to crack through the complexities of this brew...resounding, ringing, eternally at work on the tastebuds, bold and bouyant...now, finally the oak-barrell character comes forth, creeping into the flavor, but really stays on the sidelines, merely peppering the profile, not dominating it...but it's a monster altogether...halfway in, my favorite adjective is "juicy, juicy, juicy" ...abundant flavor, sturdy and potent, though mouthfeel tends to be thinnish at the end... Full and robust, with a sharp, whiskey-ish taste...damn, this is good!...throw your drams in the bin, boys, let this be your sin, if you're lucky enough to taste it...juicy, tingling, tantalizing...but I have to pull back on the drinkability thing, for I could only fit 2 1/2 serving past my lips. Oh, I had probably 5 more pints later that night, but couldn't deal with another taste of this dangerous, but delectable ale.

I acquired a growler of this at the Town Hall release party back in September. After asking the brewer and a few other people about keeping the beer, I decided to try cellaring it for a while. I covered the neck in wax, and kept in my cellar. Am just now going to open and see how it has held up. Malty, sweet aroma, slightly subdued. Hazy, copper color. Light carbonation, but there is some still there after all this time! Head forms, but fades quickly. But this was a lightly carbonated beer to begin with. Taste and mouthfeel are big and bold. Lots of malt. As the beer warms and comes to room temperature, the malt sweetness increases, as does some stone fruit notes. The woody notes have subsided a bit, but still somewhat noticeable. I can see where JK may have thought of this as a dubbel, it has that sweet fruitiness about it. This is a very good beer, that has held up quite well aging in a growler.