Spring 2011.
My review on RateBeer:
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
AHTOH (64) - San Diego, California, USA - MAY 11, 2011
Brewed in 2009. Ale matured in Calvados casks. 275 mL bottle. Duvel tulip.
APPEARANCE: Orange gold and amber. Quite hazy. Sparse sediment. Head is 1 finger, cream colored, and has short duration.
AROMA: Brandy, barley, grain, cereal. Hints of green apple, caramel, vanilla, allspice, lightly toasted wood.
TASTE: Brandy, barley, grain, caramelized green raisin, burnt brown sugar. Charred wood much more noticeable and more charred on taste than on nose. Hints of vanilla, faint spice, extremely faint bitter orange.
MOUTH FEEL: Soft carbonation. Quite sweet. Full bodied. Light alcohol warmth.
OVERALL: Pleasant brandy barrel aged barley wine. Faint notes of charred wood on taste linger for quite some time and become a bit earthy towards the end of the lingering phase as the other tastes fade; charred wood notes are a bit more prominent than would have preferred.
Winter 2010/11.
My review on RateBeer:
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
AHTOH (52) - San Diego, California, USA - MAR 12, 2011
12 once bottle poured into Duvel tulip. Batch Number 79.
APPEARANCE: Pours hazy, burnt orange gold. Some sparse cinnamon powder-like sediment. Off-white, cream-colored head is 1 finger and settles fairly quickly, leaving a thin film of foam on surface as well as some medium size bubbles around edge of glass.
AROMA: Tangy aroma that has some subtle vinous character – almost like smelling a WarHeads (sour hard candy). Strong rye aroma. Spices – allspice as well as light cinnamon and nutmeg. Hops, which seem citrusy and grassy. Belgian candi. Some honey. Grape bubblegum. Wet grain. Extremely faint band-aid. Slightly musty character to the aroma as well – though this seems to fade as the beer warms up. As it warms up, displays some oak notes. Subtle orange creamsicle aroma as well.
TASTE: Belgian candi. Rye. Tang from the rye. Hops are citrusy and grassy. Spices such as allspice, as well as some light cinnamon and nutmeg. Some honey. Faint orange creamsicle. Back of palate has slight grainy taste. Finish has hop bitterness, including light resinous characteristics. Light alcohol warmth on finish.
MOUTH FEEL: Thick; almost a bit syrupy. Full-bodied. Definitely quite sweet, though unable to say it is cloying - as long as it is drunk as a dessert beer. Mid to low carbonation.
OVERALL: Sweet – definitely a dessert beer. Despite being primarily sweet, there is slight bitterness on the finish. Seems like plenty of residual Belgian candi – whether this is good or bad will depend on the mood/environment of the drinker. Let it warm up a bit and take your time with this slow-sipper. Despite some faint off notes among the complexities on the nose, the positive attributes of the overall experience with this beer far outweigh any marginally undesirable notes on the aroma. Complex interplay of sweet and slightly tangy with a bit of a bitter finish. Interesting and quite unique.
Winter 2010/11.
My review on RateBeer:
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
AHTOH (46) - San Diego, California, USA - FEB 25, 2011
UPDATED: FEB 28, 2011
750 mL bottle. Provisions Series release: January 2010. Poured into Bruery tulip.
APPEARANCE: Pours light caramel brown with ruby amber hue. Large khaki head has long duration. Head settles unevenly and leaves a bit of lacing.
AROMA: Huge caramel candy aroma that is outstanding. Hop aroma, particularly piney hops, is quite pronounced. Faint herbal hops. Some Fall-time dry, crunchy leaves. Subtle earthy mud scent. Faint vegetable aroma is only detrimental characteristic.
TASTE: Hops, particularly piney hops, is most prominent. Malt backbone, though largely hidden behind hop flavor and bitterness, seems toffee-like. Bit of a roasted barely (ie, stout-like) taste seems evident throughout. This apparent roasted barely adds an additional layer of bitterness. Subtle notes of dried tobacco leaves. Faint hint of herbal hops. Finish is quite bitter with plenty resinous character; though, overall, palatable rather than excessively bitter.
MOUTH FEEL: Smooth and velvety, yet with lively carbonation and a slight bite on the finish. Touch of alcohol warmth.
OVERALL: Pine and caramel are most prominent, especially on the nose. Taste is more hop-forward with the caramel malt in the background. Knew this would be hoppy; however, generally prefer barley wines with slightly milder bitterness.
Winter 2010/11.
My review on RateBeer:
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
AHTOH (32) - San Diego, USA - JAN 28, 2011
12 ounce bottle. 2010 vintage. Poured into Duvel tulip. Side note: Heard this vintage was extremely carbonated.
APPEARANCE: Foam started to rise out of the bottle once the cap was removed. Massive beige, cream-colored head is thick and frothy. Head has extremely long duration, which eventually begins to settle slowly and unevenly – in a rocky manner. Effervescence everywhere – unlike some common ales that may have a steady stream of carbonation rising, generally, from the center – you can see the carbonation trails on the sides of the glass about every half centimeter. For the thickness of the beer, effervescence is quite rapid; although it does seem as though the carbonation is battling the viscosity in its quest to the top. Actually the carbonation trails appear to be rising at several different speeds. The massive amount of carbonation rising to the top seems to suspend quite a bit of sediment all throughout the beer; slowing down the fall of the sediment towards the bottom. General color of the beer is deep caramel. Ridiculous amount of sediment at the bottom of the glass. Most of the huge sediment beginning to settle at the bottom is a pale yellow/mustard color and looks like butternut squash flavored baby food. The amount of sediment seems equal to about a quarter of a small jar of baby food. While I would generally consider this much sediment somewhat detrimental to the overall appearance, the appearance of this beer is one of the most complex I have ever seen.
AROMA: Strong hops and caramel aromas, which are very well-balanced. Grass and citrus hops, as well as some subtle pine and earthy notes. Malt is huge amounts of toffee and caramel. Faint note of candy (eg, salt water taffy). Some dough, though largely covered by malt sweetness.
TASTE: Citrus (more orange than lemon) hops with hint of grass on front palate. Honey sweetness mid palate. Caramel and faint dark bread/graininess on back of palate. Alcohol warmth on finish is medium length. Finish is complex interplay of heavy caramel malt sweetness, alcohol warmth, and hop bitterness.
MOUTH FEEL: Lively carbonation helps reduce some of the perceived viscosity, making it seem less viscous than it appears.
OVERALL: A monster of an ale, especially in appearance. Complex aroma and taste. Viscous. Excellent after dinner slow-slipping ale/digestif.
