This is my 150th video beer review, which is awesome. What's not so awesome is waiting ten months or so to drink this beer, which is good but not worth the incredibly high price tag I paid for it. I don't mention it in the vid, but New Holland Dragon's Milk is just about as good for a fraction of the price, and is much more widely available (at least in Michigan).
Zymurgical Explorations grade: A-
Showing posts with label Old Ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old Ale. Show all posts
19 February 2011
21 October 2010
Fullers Vintage Ale 2007
Fullers Vintage Ale 2007
London, England
8.5% ABV
Beer review #100! Never thought I'd get this far. Thanks to everyone who's watched, commented, rated, and especially subscribed. We're going to be doing a lot more beer reviews.
This is an Old Ale bottled by Fullers in 2007. I checked their website, and they claimed it would be just about perfect around this time. So I made it my 100th review. Turned out to be a really very nice beer.
I end the video by thanking my subscribers and talking a bit about what to expect in the next 100.
Many thanks to all who have participated in this. Looking forward to doing another 100. Cheers!
Zymurgical Explorations rating: 9.5/10
London, England
8.5% ABV
Beer review #100! Never thought I'd get this far. Thanks to everyone who's watched, commented, rated, and especially subscribed. We're going to be doing a lot more beer reviews.
This is an Old Ale bottled by Fullers in 2007. I checked their website, and they claimed it would be just about perfect around this time. So I made it my 100th review. Turned out to be a really very nice beer.
I end the video by thanking my subscribers and talking a bit about what to expect in the next 100.
Many thanks to all who have participated in this. Looking forward to doing another 100. Cheers!
Zymurgical Explorations rating: 9.5/10
28 April 2010
Arcadia Big Dick's Olde Ale
Arcadia Big Dick's Olde Ale (bottle)
Battle Creek, MI
9% ABV
Pours orange-red with a very thick brownish white head. Head is foamy, like a root beer float, and sticks around significantly, leaving some lacing. Aroma is very sweet, almost syrupy at first, almost fruity, but with a strong bready malt backbone that keeps it from being too cloying. Slight hints of yeast.
Taste is similar to aroma, with a strong sweet fruitiness masking a bready malt middle and a dry, almost bitter finish. Aftertaste is clean but slightly drying. The alcohol is very well-hidden, likely by the sugary sweetness. Mouthfeel is moderate-to-thick, with a low carbonation and a very mild hop bite.
Overall I like this beer more in toto than the summary above would indicate. I would generally consider an Old Ale that's this sweet to be at least moderately flawed, but in this beer it somehow works with the dryness to give what is to my palate a very pleasing overall experience. Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself -- I contain multitudes.
My overall BA rating: 3.85/5
(Note: BeerAdvocate calls this an American Strong Ale, but I'm going by what those who made the beer and gave it a name clearly intended for it to be. Old Ale is such a broad style that the characteristics between it and an American Strong are too minuscule to be noticed, anyway.)
Battle Creek, MI
9% ABV
Pours orange-red with a very thick brownish white head. Head is foamy, like a root beer float, and sticks around significantly, leaving some lacing. Aroma is very sweet, almost syrupy at first, almost fruity, but with a strong bready malt backbone that keeps it from being too cloying. Slight hints of yeast.
Taste is similar to aroma, with a strong sweet fruitiness masking a bready malt middle and a dry, almost bitter finish. Aftertaste is clean but slightly drying. The alcohol is very well-hidden, likely by the sugary sweetness. Mouthfeel is moderate-to-thick, with a low carbonation and a very mild hop bite.
Overall I like this beer more in toto than the summary above would indicate. I would generally consider an Old Ale that's this sweet to be at least moderately flawed, but in this beer it somehow works with the dryness to give what is to my palate a very pleasing overall experience. Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself -- I contain multitudes.
My overall BA rating: 3.85/5
(Note: BeerAdvocate calls this an American Strong Ale, but I'm going by what those who made the beer and gave it a name clearly intended for it to be. Old Ale is such a broad style that the characteristics between it and an American Strong are too minuscule to be noticed, anyway.)
27 January 2009
Beer Review, Third Coast Old Ale
Bell's Third Coast Old Ale
Comstock, MI
10.2% ABV
My 300th beer review.
Appearance: Opaque brown body, thick khaki-colored head that dissipates quickly. 4.0/5
Smell: Very sweet, citrusy. Notes of grapefruit and pineapple. Strongly yeasty, astringent with alcohol. An interesting and deep aroma with plenty of unexpected notes that nonetheless are intriguing. 4.5/5
Taste: Very "hot" with alcohol, beneath which are intense hops and a malty backbone. Sweet, dry on the finish. Leaves a somewhat fruity and dry aftertaste. 4.0/5
Mouthfeel: Thick, with moderate carbonation and a strong hoppiness. 4.0/5
Drinkability: I like this beer fresh, but I'd be fascinated to see how well it ages. I may cellar a few for a year or two to see if the alcohol becomes less prominent over time. 4.0/5
Overall: 4.1/5
Comstock, MI
10.2% ABV
My 300th beer review.
Appearance: Opaque brown body, thick khaki-colored head that dissipates quickly. 4.0/5
Smell: Very sweet, citrusy. Notes of grapefruit and pineapple. Strongly yeasty, astringent with alcohol. An interesting and deep aroma with plenty of unexpected notes that nonetheless are intriguing. 4.5/5
Taste: Very "hot" with alcohol, beneath which are intense hops and a malty backbone. Sweet, dry on the finish. Leaves a somewhat fruity and dry aftertaste. 4.0/5
Mouthfeel: Thick, with moderate carbonation and a strong hoppiness. 4.0/5
Drinkability: I like this beer fresh, but I'd be fascinated to see how well it ages. I may cellar a few for a year or two to see if the alcohol becomes less prominent over time. 4.0/5
Overall: 4.1/5
13 October 2008
Beer Review, Thomas Hardy's Ale
Thomas Hardy's Ale
2007 Edition, P09149
Appearance: Pours an opaque blackish-red with absolutely no head. About as expected due to alcohol. 4.0/5
Smell: Strongly alcoholic, somewhat sweet, heavy doses of malt. Hints of chocolate-covered cherries, a touch of grapefruit, perhaps some bananas? 4.5/5
Taste: Very fruity sweet beginning, lots of apples and cherries. A tart astringency follows, giving the beer almost a taste of strong cider, but without the carbonation. Thomas Hardy's Ale finishes dry but with fruity aftertaste that leaves me wanting more. 4.5/5
Mouthfeel: Considering the level of alcohol, this only has a moderate thickness. It's smooth and finishes clean, although the alcohol bites the tongue a bit. No hops present and no carbonation. 4.0/5
Drinkability: Overall this is a highly respectable and very good beer. I'd love to do a vertical tasting, but I'm not sure I could bear to hang on to any of these for the long haul. 4.0/5
Overall: 4.3/5
2007 Edition, P09149
Appearance: Pours an opaque blackish-red with absolutely no head. About as expected due to alcohol. 4.0/5
Smell: Strongly alcoholic, somewhat sweet, heavy doses of malt. Hints of chocolate-covered cherries, a touch of grapefruit, perhaps some bananas? 4.5/5
Taste: Very fruity sweet beginning, lots of apples and cherries. A tart astringency follows, giving the beer almost a taste of strong cider, but without the carbonation. Thomas Hardy's Ale finishes dry but with fruity aftertaste that leaves me wanting more. 4.5/5
Mouthfeel: Considering the level of alcohol, this only has a moderate thickness. It's smooth and finishes clean, although the alcohol bites the tongue a bit. No hops present and no carbonation. 4.0/5
Drinkability: Overall this is a highly respectable and very good beer. I'd love to do a vertical tasting, but I'm not sure I could bear to hang on to any of these for the long haul. 4.0/5
Overall: 4.3/5
29 March 2008
Beer Review, Burton's Old Expensive Ale
Burton's Old Expensive Ale, Burton Bridge Brewery
Appearance: This beer nearly leaped out of the bottle at me, likely overcarbonated. First pour leaves huge head that fills up nearly two-thirds of the glass -- after removing some of it I managed to fill up enough of the glass to get an idea of the color and consistency. Dingy brown body, very hazy. Very thick head (obviously), off-white colored. 2.0/5
Smell: Hard to classify. Slightly musty, malty. Reminds me more of a brown ale than an Old Ale. Slightly nutty. No hops in nose. 2.5/5
Taste: Very malty, roasty. A touch of unfermented sugar in the wort I think -- slightly sweet and somewhat cloying. Slightly astringent, not complex at all. 2.0/5
Mouthfeel: Thin, watery. Apparently this one lets all its carbonation out in the original bang, 'cause I'm not getting it in this glass. 2.0/5
Drinkability: I'll finish this one, but this is really a brown ale marketed as an Old Ale. Reclassify it as a brown and it isn't so bad, but this is just a disappointment. 2.0/5
Appearance: This beer nearly leaped out of the bottle at me, likely overcarbonated. First pour leaves huge head that fills up nearly two-thirds of the glass -- after removing some of it I managed to fill up enough of the glass to get an idea of the color and consistency. Dingy brown body, very hazy. Very thick head (obviously), off-white colored. 2.0/5
Smell: Hard to classify. Slightly musty, malty. Reminds me more of a brown ale than an Old Ale. Slightly nutty. No hops in nose. 2.5/5
Taste: Very malty, roasty. A touch of unfermented sugar in the wort I think -- slightly sweet and somewhat cloying. Slightly astringent, not complex at all. 2.0/5
Mouthfeel: Thin, watery. Apparently this one lets all its carbonation out in the original bang, 'cause I'm not getting it in this glass. 2.0/5
Drinkability: I'll finish this one, but this is really a brown ale marketed as an Old Ale. Reclassify it as a brown and it isn't so bad, but this is just a disappointment. 2.0/5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)