Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Tap@Birch. Pours hazy auburn, small tan head, creamy, good lacing. Aroma is lemon, tart cherry, oak, spruce. Flavor is light tart, a bit of residual sweetness, cherry, raisin, sprucy, not really gin per se, but plenty of oak tannins, woody finish. Medium body, low carbonation, a bit of heat.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
On draught at Lord Hobo, 1/10/14
Light copper-colored body, shows some sign of life, though the off-white head fizzles away immediately. High clarity.
Ample barrel character in the nose shows the gin botanicals and light grape influences. Some maltiness is apparent (light honey and caramel) while there is a touch of tartness. The more it warms, the malt breathes forth but the very strong gin note mixes with the plentiful fruitiness to give it a little more cohesion.
Strong herbal-alcohol flavor up front, almost like anise liquor, gives way to a soft maltiness of brown bread and caramel, while there is a touch of chalkiness that I associate with the wine barrel. Fruitiness emerges lightly on the finish, growing stronger as it warms. The gin barrel almost overwhelms the beer, but the malt backbone and curious yeast flavors (peaches, pears, strawberries, pepper) keep it from being too dominant. A well done beer, again, but the VERY low carbonation on these B. United barrel offerings works against this one particularly, I think, leaving the wood/gin/alcohol flavor too heavily on the palate.
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
Tap@Birch. Pours murky mahogany, almost no head, little lacing. Aroma is an interesting mix of molasses, dark fruits, alcohol, chocolate, vinous, a but of tart funkiness. Flavor is light tart, medium sweet, tart lemony finish, dark fruits, dark sugars, chocolate, little astringence, but some oakiness. Full body, silky, but flat.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
On draft at Churchkey DC. Pours a clear dark cola with a thin tan head. Aroma of bourbon. Flavors of plum and sea salt. Medium bodied. Light carbonation. Smooth tart finish.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5
On draught at Deep Ellum, 1/1/14
Nice little new year’s treat here. Dark amber with ruby highlights and a small beige head that recedes quickly. Good clarity and fine carbonation.
Light booziness in the nose with plums, strawberry jam and caramel all balanced out by tart brett and dry woodiness. Don’t get tons of sherry in the nose, and the aroma strength is only medium. After drinking some, my guess is that it either spent a relatively short time in the barrel or this was a 3rd or later run through the barrels. Perhaps not as exciting for the aroma, as that’s where I’d like to find more of the sherry, but it certainly does wonders for the flavor, where the sherry is only an afterthought. I’d ALMOST say that it’s too little barrel character, which for me, is a big statement, as I like it very, very reserved. Still, it’s there with some nuttiness, butter and almond-like flavor, that comes out on the finish, intermingled between the lovely fruit and brett notes. Nicely dry, but not overly so, with a solid body of malt sweetness for balance and all the complexity you could desire. Alcohol is reserved; certainly doesnt show the 11%, though I was drinking it very slowly so it didnt really have a chance to get fatiguing/cloying. I love AdSBC so much and this is no exception. If youre lookin for a lot of sherry out of this one, dont get your expectations too high, but if you like BFM’s beers, this one won’t disappoint.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9
On tap at Beermongers. A really good beer. Pours a reddish color with basically no head. A wonderful deep fruity and lambic dusty nose. Vinous. The flavor is sour, but not overly so, some red wine, sweet herbal notes, wood, light cherries. Pretty awesome.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Tap. Pours hazy pale amber, small white head, nice lacing. Aroma is tart lemon, funk, barnyard, pledge. Flavor is quite tart, fruity, light initial sweetness, drying out fast on the finish. Light body, a bit harsh but otherwise wonderful.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Tap. Pours clear Amber, almost no head. Aroma is smoky, tart cherry, funk, rubber. Flavor is about the same, vinous, a bit rubbery. Medium body, some zesty bitterness.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Draft at ChurchKey for Night of the Living Ales: Part 3. Poured a nice yellow straw color with a medium sized white head. Aroma of some spices, notes of whiskey, barrel. Flavor was notes of spice, vanilla, barrel.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draft at ChurchKey for Night of the Living Ales: Part 3. Poured a clear reddish-brown color with a off-white head. Some tart barrel notes, sherry, some very tart notes. Vinegar character to this. Alcohol pretty well masked actually! Pretty good.