Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Blonde
Selin's Grove Brewing Company

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Selin's Grove Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
7%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.63 | pDev: 3.31%
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
5
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 30, 2013
Added:
May 11, 2012
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
Aged in Laird's Apple Brandy barrels.

The brewery does not include "Laird's" in the beer name.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by orangesol:
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Served on-tap at the Brewpub. This is from the first of two kegs.

A - Pours slightly hazy golden yellow with a small half finger tall white head leaving very small trails of lace down parts of the glass.

S - Smells of warm apple brandy, pears, vanilla, fruity yeast and some wet oak. You can still get a little bit of the base beer but the brandy really has taken over.

T - Starts off with a bit of light sweetness - mostly vanilla and candied sugar - quickly giving way to hints of fruity yeast, green apples and fresh pears. The apple brandy is a constant in this one, never really leaving the picture. Finish has some dry oak tannins and a bit of booze, lingering on the palate long after consumption.

M - Medium body and flavors with moderately low carbonation. Pretty dry finish with quite a bit of booze bite at the end of each sip.

O - This one was decent. It has some good things going for it but it is pretty rough around the edges. Always nice to see SG take some chances and try new things but this one was nowhere near as good as some of their other barrel aged offerings.
May 26, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by eagles22 from Pennsylvania

Sep 30, 2013
Photo of thain709
Reviewed by thain709 from Pennsylvania

3.67/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - Poured with a lighter shade of golden yellow with a hint of cloudiness...the head was white and one finger tall...it disappeared quickly and not much lacing was left behind

S - The apple wasn't that apparent until the beer had a chance to warm up...there were little hints of spice, vanilla, and oak...the brandy also came out as the beer warmed

T - Again, this beer develops as it has a chance to warm...there is a sweetness throughout the beer that is mixed with an alcohol kick...the apple is the main fruit and it also adds a bit of sweetness...the vanilla is another layer of sweetness...there is a spicy yeast characteristic in the middle of the beer and it helps to cut into the sweetness...the brandy and some bright white oak flavors come in as the beer finishes

M - Medium bodied...dry, touch of booze and sweetness

O - I was excited for SGB to be experimenting with the Apple Brandy Barrel with a Blonde Ale but I think this one feel short of my expectations...especially with the other great barrel-aged beers they have done
Jun 12, 2012
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap @ the SGB on 5/12/12. Served in a stemmed goblet.

Pours a hazed apricot in the glass, with a thin covering of white head. This retains with some frothy bunching around the edges which leave back creamy lacing that drips down the sides of the glass. The aroma is pretty much all apple brandy, with notes of vanilla and oak also standing out to me. I am also picking up some extra fruitiness from the base Blonde, which seems to mostly hang with that apple flavor, along with a lightly doughy malty presence that tries it’s best to soften up the edges of the nose some.

Like the aroma, the barrel is right out there in the taste as well but the base does contribute some light fruit and malt notes to this. For the most part though, it’s just shoved aside by that apple brandy flavor. The finish is dry, warm, and woody. This just needs more integration of the flavors, with that strong brandy flavor giving each sip a sting that holds this back a good bit. The mouthfeel is medium to fuller bodied, with some sharpness on the tongue but then more of a slick and smooth feel along the back. All of the alcohol warmth here appears to be coming from that barrel.

Well you could definitely tell that this was a fresh barrel, as all of that flavor just completely dominates this and my palate started to get worn out about half way through this 14 oz glass. The flavor starts to integrate a bit more as this warms but this is definitely one that you need to take your time with. I will say though that I’m looking forward to what comes out of this barrel next!
May 15, 2012
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This is SGB's blonde ale that is aged in a Laird's apple brandy barrel. On draft at the brew pub, served in a goblet. The brew apprars a glowing hazed golden color with a thin film of head. Spotty lacing sticks to the glass.

The smell is predominently of fruit. A bit exaggerated apple couples with some fruity notes of pear. The is a light yeasty spice element and some woody quality mixed with a mild hint of vanilla. The overall nose is muted but what emits from the glass is enjoyable.

The taste has a sharp alcohol ester upfront that blends into woody quality mildly musty and reminescent of corks. Some yeasty earthen spices and apple/pear are noted throughout. A flavor of herbs lingers into the aftertaste mixed with almost a tea-like flavor and dryness.

This is a medium bodied and lightly carbonated offering. Overall not a bad brew. It is certainly worth a try. The booze is quite upfront with a strong warming factor. This one is a little rough aroubd the edges. To me, it seems young and hustled through the barrel aging process as it includes some of the sharper barrel character without the smoothness and caramel/vanilla flavoring that could have been imparted.
May 11, 2012
Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Blonde from Selin's Grove Brewing Company
Beer rating: 3.63 out of 5 with 5 ratings