6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Paid $5.29 for the 750ml corked beast (batch #45). Appearance: cloudy dark brown with an enormous beige head. Aroma is light, but what’s there is roasted and sweet. Flavor is strongly sweet, kinda yeasty and bready. A decent offering that’s not overpowering.
Tried
on 10 Jan 2005
at 23:29
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Foamy, cloudy amber pour, with a really complex aroma of dates, figs, brown sugar, cloves, and a hint of gingerbread - oily mouthfeel with medium carbonation - very sweet, but not cloying - various characters in the aroma come through in the flavor as well, with a hint of spice and fresh ginger - nutmeg - leaves a lot of stickiness behind, but this doesn’t really take away from the enjoyment of the beer - a pretty darn good american-made Abt, but not anywhere close to Southampton’s (but then again, what is?).
Tried
from Can
on 09 Jan 2005
at 20:22
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Cloudy golden with loose carbonation that settles to a thin, white ring of lace - bourbon is prominent in the aroma, but it melds well with the light fruit smells of apple and pear, and a hint of banana - spice rounds things out, almost giving the beer an overall smell of bananas foster, with a touch of tart mustiness - surprisingly creamy for something with such lively carbonation - fruits from the aroma come into play, with smooth notes of vanilla, and well-balanced bourbon flavor - in fact, this is probably the most well-intergrated bourbon flavor I’ve encountered in a barrel-aged beer, which is surprising, because I never would have even thought to age a tripel style ale in a bourbon barrel - I’m shocked that there are such mixed reviews of this, especially since other barrel-aged ales are getting such high marks, even when they aren’t nearly as well-balanced (ie. Weyerbacher Heresy).
Tried
on 08 Jan 2005
at 20:01
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Slightly hazy golden orange coloured body with a thinnish slightly off-white head. Aroma of SUPER-STRONG oak, cedar,vanilla and some light coriander seed and yeast. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong oaky flavour with a good vanilla taste, solid malt and a good yeastiness. Some mild curacao flavours and coriander seed freshness remains from the tripel, but most of the taste is from the new bourbon barrels. Overall, a nice beer-great to try and a good example of what these barrels will do to an already established beer. MANY thanks to jon[r888710] for purchasing and sharing this 75 cL bottle purchased from Chevy Chase Wine & Liquors in Washington, D.C.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Dec 2004
at 23:14
5.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
Paid along the lines of $8 for a 750 ml bottle. Bottling: Sept., 2004; cases bottled: 286. Yellow-brown in color, very cloudy, with a rather large fluffy head. Aroma is along the lines of glue and vodka (I suppose it’d be bourbon, since they were in bourbon barrels). Not overly crazy about the aroma. Flavor is definitely bourbony, which may work for some people, but doesn’t for me. If I wanted bourbon, I’d go out and do shots... which I wouldn’t do, because beer is so much better.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2004
at 00:41
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottle at the Syracuse Holiday Brewfest Dec.04 2004. Hazy white beer with a pleasant banana lemony aroma. Lightly sweet wheat with sour points. Good and creamy mouthfeel.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Dec 2004
at 21:17
7.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
2004 12 oz bottle
As it decants I begin to smile. What a beautiful pour; dark caramel brown with lots of dark yellow and slight golden tinges. Small light beige head. Aroma of light yeast, caramel and dark candi sugar. Lightly spicy cinnamon and hops. Flavor is quite yeasty and malty, but it’s got enough dryness from the yeast to balance it. The carbonation is a bit too much, but still, the flavor stays lightly sweet and full of chewy toffee. Chocolate fudge and belgian yeast on the finish, with a medium , quite carbonated body. Interesting. this stuff begs another sample. Rerate. Here’s another sample. Slight notes of cork, I’m picking up on, and it’s quite unfiltered but there is a very off-note near the finish. A harsh alcohol/bitterness, highly sharp and astringent. Overall, the flavor is good, but does not compare to the strength or sheer quality of Southampton Grand Cru, a comparable beer to this. This is certainly a wonderful beer, but it dosent have all the yeast nuances, subtle spices integrated perfectly with the malt and perfect mouthfeel like the SH Grand Cru.
2006 draught
Very easy drinking, was the first thing that jumped out. Not overly spiced, with some nuttiness, typical yeast acidity from Allagash and plenty of soft, yellow fruits and a nice honey-vanilla maltiness. Reserved aroma, however, very clean with just some malt sugars and light esters breaking through. I really like the restraint. Strong appeal of texture, with unfiltered malt and yeast suppleness and engaging carbonation. Hopefully it ages well, as I’ve got some very old bottles.
As it decants I begin to smile. What a beautiful pour; dark caramel brown with lots of dark yellow and slight golden tinges. Small light beige head. Aroma of light yeast, caramel and dark candi sugar. Lightly spicy cinnamon and hops. Flavor is quite yeasty and malty, but it’s got enough dryness from the yeast to balance it. The carbonation is a bit too much, but still, the flavor stays lightly sweet and full of chewy toffee. Chocolate fudge and belgian yeast on the finish, with a medium , quite carbonated body. Interesting. this stuff begs another sample. Rerate. Here’s another sample. Slight notes of cork, I’m picking up on, and it’s quite unfiltered but there is a very off-note near the finish. A harsh alcohol/bitterness, highly sharp and astringent. Overall, the flavor is good, but does not compare to the strength or sheer quality of Southampton Grand Cru, a comparable beer to this. This is certainly a wonderful beer, but it dosent have all the yeast nuances, subtle spices integrated perfectly with the malt and perfect mouthfeel like the SH Grand Cru.
2006 draught
Very easy drinking, was the first thing that jumped out. Not overly spiced, with some nuttiness, typical yeast acidity from Allagash and plenty of soft, yellow fruits and a nice honey-vanilla maltiness. Reserved aroma, however, very clean with just some malt sugars and light esters breaking through. I really like the restraint. Strong appeal of texture, with unfiltered malt and yeast suppleness and engaging carbonation. Hopefully it ages well, as I’ve got some very old bottles.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Dec 2004
at 00:31
7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2004 offering. Paid $1.49 for a 12-oz single. Appearance is murky brown with a tan head. Scent is candy, caramel, fruit- lotsa fruit. Lovely! Flavor has passionfruit and licorice in it... malty, maybe some cherry. Alcohol is hidden behind the licorice flavor. Has a hint of cinnamon in there as well. A nice offering.
Tried
from Can
on 01 Dec 2004
at 00:27
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Pours a deep Mahogany with a large creamy off-white head and lots of sticky lacing. Aroma of yeast, bread, some fruity citrus. Flavors were the belgian spice that is common and also some dark pitted fruit, yeast, slight alcohol but all quite subdued and soft. Feel was very soft and smooth with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Thanks to Sham for sharing.
Tried
on 24 Nov 2004
at 10:22
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 6
Bottled. Mahogany colour. Sweet and nutty, some caramel. The mouthfeel is clean and straightforward, flavours are relatively restrained. Short grassy finish.
Earlier Rating: 1/4/2002 Total Score: 3.5
Burgundy. Dry, medium bodied, bitter. Yeasty, but not complex enough for the style.
Earlier Rating: 1/4/2002 Total Score: 3.5
Burgundy. Dry, medium bodied, bitter. Yeasty, but not complex enough for the style.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Nov 2004
at 02:32