Velvet Hammer
Arbor Brewing Company in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Flemish Red / Bruin Rotating|
Score
7.22
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We brewed the Dubbel last winter and inoculated it with a bit of Jackhammer Old Ale that has been aging for three years in an oak barrel inoculated with Hansens Gueuze.
We then conditioned the dubbel for a couple of months in a serving tank before bottling it into 750s and conditioning it over the summer.
The result is a medium-bodied sour ale with the vinous and sour fruit characteristics of a Flemish brown but with a sparking champagne-like effervescence.
Due to the lively carbonation, this beer must be stored and served cold, uncorked slowly, and very gently decanted. The foam does not dissipate as rapidly as the head on a champagne but will subside after a few moments in the glass.
Each vintage of the Velvet Hammer has a slightly different flavor composition as our oak barrels age and mature. But it is always vinous and tart with dark fruits and a moderate acidity with subtle earthy and barnyard undertones.
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Buckeyeboy (18931) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 16 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle Pours out a brown topped with a tall ever lasting head. Aroma was of light berries, some grape and some sourness. Tast was lots of bubbles and pitfruit. Also picked up a fair amount of wood and some bitterness. Not to bad but what would you expect from Ann Arbor?? Thanks ditmier
JK (8171) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 16 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Very carbonated. Some vinegar, and a well aged, woody character. A little sweet, and some yeast. Moderate malt flavor, and I am not surprised to see the base was a dubbel.
smith4498 (4269) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 17 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle shared by SoLan. Pours brownish color with light tan head. Sour aroma with citrus and dark fruits. Malty, fruit flavor with mild sourness. Medium body with lively carbonation. Very good.
BMan1113VR (8090) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 17 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. Explosive opening, pours with a huge fluffy, light brown head with a hazy brown body with purple edges. Good lacing. Weak aroma with some grapes, a bit of barnyard, leather, fruit and alcohol. Taste is lightly sour with fruits, oak, alcohol and chocolate. Lively bubbles and a dry mouthfeel.
notalush (7362) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 17 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Thanks to goldtwins for sharing - this beer killed my favorite beer glass! - the cork exploded out of the bottle, and as I rushed to contain the geyser of foam, I cracked the side of the glass I was pouring it into - damn you Velvet Hammer! - anyway, this beer is lucky it was so tasty - hazy burgundy (that is, once it stopped foaming all over the place, and I was able to actually pour a glass of it) - huge, soapy head (duh) - smells of chocolate, cherry, oak, leathery brett character - the flavor is equal parts sweet and tart, with an acidic kick on the back end - a lot of chocolate-covered cherry flavor - moderate brett funk and fruit skin flavor - undercurrents of spices and nuttiness - dry finish, with cocoa and lingering funk - this is quite nice, and I think it will age nicely, as the funkiness has more time to develop.
maniac (11822) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 17 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle courtesy of dkachur on 01/18/2009. Bottle quickly frothed over upon opening. Cloudy dark brown body with a huge frothy off-white head. Dry fruity aroma with some light malt. Sweet but tart molassas flavor with some brown malts and a touch of caramel. Medium light body with high carbonation.
Irishboy (4684) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 17 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle shared by someone at Woodshop Quad. Cloudy copper with a huge beige head. Nose of tartness and dark fruit. flavor was light bitterness, light contrasting tartness, and a slight plum note.
Drake (22940) reviewed Velvet Hammer from Arbor Brewing Company 17 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
750 mL bottle brought to me by a friend. Absolutely massive head... almost completely head, oozing out of the bottle... slowly, occasionally threatening to spew all over the place, but never really delivering on the promise. Pours a raspberry brown color, once the head subsides enough to actually form the beer. Very dry, tart aroma with sugary notes as well as some very fainy berry like fruit notes. Taste is a lemon like citrus note with candi sugar and other sweet sugary as well as vinous notes. Thin bodied.