Bottle, best before July 2003, putting this at just over 5 years old upon time of consumption on 8/10/06.
Completely unexpected appearance for a 5 year old lager. Magnificent old-ivory colored head is large (two fingers or more), moderately dense/creamy and recedes very slowly, never falling below half a finger in height! Lacing left in little patches everywhere on the glass. Medium-high to high clarity shows an auburn, to light magenta body, with some deep, red raspberry juice highlights and a touch of caramel/toffee color. Surprisingly light on the sediment at the bottom of the bottle, though there does remain some on the edge.
Wow, expecting oxidation in the nose, or any of a plethora of problems that arise in keeping a lager for extended periods of time, I’m delighted to find only subtle hints of sherry-like oxidation, nestled snugly amongst an absolute blanket of rich toffee. Sweet, and yet, not too much so in the least, with very light hints of caramel, melanoidins and light bock-like yeast dryness on the finish. Very strong aroma still, with no slowing up as it warms/breathes. The light oxidative notes of sweet sherry give it that light vinousness, mixed with light, earthy, dry yeast that provides much depth and balance. Some purport that Thomas Hardys was made with a lager yeast, and while I don’t know the veracity of that statement, I can’t say this beer didn’t remind me somewhat of the noble aroma of that one. Not quite the malt complexity, and the utter melange of fruits and yeast character, but there’s something striking about wonderfully this beer has aged. And I don’t mean to make it sound like this only appeals to those who enjoy aged beers; the malt in this is as strong and characterful as most fresh bocks, and certainly plays a dominant role. Alcohol is not sensed in the nose.
Hoping for the best, then, in the flavor, my first sip is gratifying. What the aroma lacks in yeast complexity and overall varied flavors, the flavor more than makes up. Attenuation is spot on to a T, delivering English toffee and caramel in perfect harmony between sweet and dry (though tending sweet, as the style dictates). A crescendo of utterly perfect, bock-like winey notes builds, mixed in with plums and lighter pale sugars. Some minimal banana esters mix with a touch of deep caramel malts, giving a caramelized banana-like flavor, which provides brilliant depth. The caramel falls off and the banana notes slowly move towards esterized alcohols on the finish that are just ever-so-slightly apparent, providing warming and a balancing dryness. Hints of cigar ashiness just add icing to the cake and I’m left speechless. If this isn’t bottle conditioned (which I can’t seem to discern) it certainly has a very engaging, moderate carbonation and the body shows almost no looseness. Certainly much less, anyways, than you’d expect from a 5 year-old bock beer.
Oh, and did I mention that this beer has sat warm on the shelf during its life? All I know is, if you’re reading this and live near Sam’s in Chicago, go get a bottle or five of this. Damn.