Colossus (2014)
(Batch of Colossus)
DuClaw Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland, United States 🇺🇸
Strong Ale Regular Out of Production|
Score
6.15
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As we set out to top the abv’s of our previous Colossus brews (21% abv in both 2006 and 2010), we gave ourselves the additional mandate of cutting the perceptible sweetness of the previous batches to create a tastier flavor profile and a more drinkable Colossus.
While still perceptively sweet, Colossus 2014 is less cloying than its predecessors, with vibrant flavors of apple and peach accented by notes of cinnamon, and balanced by its monster abv. But how high is the abv?
In early August, without warning or explanation, the yeast abruptly stopped fermenting the sugar at an abv of 17.3%. It was a humbling reminder that despite all of our knowledge of brewing science, all of our painstaking attention to the craft, and all of our previous success, we are still at the mercy of tiny, single-celled organisms with no agenda.
While still perceptively sweet, Colossus 2014 is less cloying than its predecessors, with vibrant flavors of apple and peach accented by notes of cinnamon, and balanced by its monster abv. But how high is the abv?
In early August, without warning or explanation, the yeast abruptly stopped fermenting the sugar at an abv of 17.3%. It was a humbling reminder that despite all of our knowledge of brewing science, all of our painstaking attention to the craft, and all of our previous success, we are still at the mercy of tiny, single-celled organisms with no agenda.
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5.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Perfectly clear amber and copper coloured body with almost no had at all that shows some light tan bubbles and very little else. Aroma of super pungent alcohol (like cognac) along with a lot of malt, some light sweetness and way more alcohol throughout. Light to Medium-bodied; Super deep an ridiculously bittered malty flavour with a good earthiness throughout, way too much alcohol to quantify and ending with a quite bitter apricot flavour and a dose of pure alcohol near the end. Aftertaste shows some deep pungent bitterness of earth, biscuits and a bigger dose of yeast, although the flavours seem much better in the next side of the flavour here, the taste is much too potent and strong to be enjoyable and to be really considered a barley wine - this tastes much more of an intensely alcoholised beer like an American Strong than anything else, and not too enjoyable at that. That said, this was also aged for three additional years and still had way too much potency, so I could never imagine drinking this fresh. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Whole Foods in Arlington (Clarendon), Virginia on 27-September-2014 for US$8,99 sampled at home in Washington on 06-January-2018 a bit more than three years later
Tried
from Can
on 06 Jan 2018
at 02:43
4/10
Tried
on 02 Jun 2015
at 21:08
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a slightly hazy copper color with a small creamy orange-white head that left a bit of lacing. The aroma was sweet, yeasty, malty and bready with a strong alcohol presence and moderate notes of orange, golden fruits and dark fruits. The flavor was big, thick and boozy in a way that slaps you in the face with a strong yeasty presence, golden raisins, apple, orange marmalade and a bit of honey followed by more alcohol. Very long finish of golden raisins, apple, yeast and booze. Full bodied. Interesting.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Dec 2014
at 12:16